Advice on pain management?

[Krusti]

As some hear know a couple of years ago I cartwheeled a Farm ATV at 80kph off a corner coming back from farm block. Fractured T5 around spinal chord.

12 months ago had an operation where I had T5 to T8 fused with a couple of titanium rods down my spine. Has all healed well and according to the surgeon it is stronger than ever although I have lost some twist.

Problem is that I am still on DHC and Paradex and still by mid afternoon the pain worsens and my back swells some as well. This is driving me insane. I am not looking for simpathy but am open to advise from folks who have been in similar situation and made a marked improvement.

I have read the book "Living with pain" and have a good understanding of chronic pain. Some people have thought that it may be "remembered pain" and others that it may be muscle damage from when I was cut open.

I am due to attend a three week residential pain management course in August and hope that this may help but I suspect that it will deal with mainly living with the pain.

I am not about to start using "natural herbs" for a number of reasons which I will keep to myself.

The problem is not so much the level of pain but more the fact that it is allways there and I am becoming quite bitter and angry about the whole thing.

Yes, I know I am lucky to be alive and walking but for those of you who have experianced this you will know that this is very little comfort in the long term.

Imagine hitting your thumb with a hammer every day and feeling that for half the day and you will get some idea of how wearing it could become. To those of you who live with pain much worse than mine, my hat goes off to you. Buggered if I know how you do it.

ACC is not far away from pulling the pin on me as a couple of "independant" specialists have identified that I am physically able to be employed in certain jobs.

Again, don't think I am winging, I just hope some of you may be able to shed some light.

Any one have any constructive advise?

[Joni]

I feel for you mate!

I would suggest pm'ing Onearmedbandit - I dont want to get into his whole story as that is not my place... but if anyone can advise you in my books it would be OAB.

Good luck.

[onearmedbandit]

I think I've spoken with you in the past about this subject. Let me see if I can find the post.

Edit, found it. This sums it up for me but each of us have different coping methods. I know you've said you've tried looking on the good side, that you're walking etc, and it hasn't really worked. But it's the only side for me to look at it from, we are the lucky ones.

I don`t know how bad your pain is, so it`s very hard for me to comment. I have 24hr a day pain, seven days a week. In other words, in the last 10yrs of my life I have lived with chronic pain. On a scale from 1-10, it`s never lower than a six, and very often is around seven to eight. At least 30% of the time it`s at ten, 10% of the time it`s off the scale. During a typical day I will experience at least 150 spasms of pain that are off the scale, usually lasting for between two seconds through to 60 seconds.My pain threshold has risen over the years, small things like burns, cuts etc I just don`t notice. How I control it is entirely mental. I`m thankful for everything I have, including the pain. I realised a long time ago that there as no escaping it, so instead of letting it hold me back or work against me, I had to take control and make it work for me. So when I`m under attack from the pain I fight back. I muster all my physical and mental energy, and utilise the pain to take me to a higher place. It`s not easy, and it`s hard to explain how it works. My only fear is that as I get older I might not possess the mental strength to do it any longer, but I`m strong of mind so I keep on going. Pain is a major part f my life now, I`ve accepted that. It was the first step for me towards carrying on. So when I feel swamped with anything in life, the pain snaps me back and gives me strength. Like I said, it`s hard to describe.

[Krusti]

I think I've spoken with you in the past about this subject. Let me see if I can find the post.

Yeah I know mate and thanks again. I included more info this time in the hope someone has new advise. Most of the advice I have recieved relates to smoking dope to help. I realise that this will help but I am not willing to go down that road.

[James Deuce]

Had a similar injury to C4&5 and T4&5 in 1992. The compression fractures weren't picked up and no fixation resulted in permanent problems that can't be resolved. I still get swelling and pain around T5, and I have thoracic outlet syndrome where all the nerves that control my right arm are constantly irritable and the pain varies from minor tingling to, "crikey, who set my arm on fire".

Nothing works to fix the pain and I long ago discarded pain relief and physical therapy. The only forms of prescription drugs that work tend to render you a zombie. The drop in quality of life is not worth it in my opinion.

None of the people taking the pain management courses I was forced to go to have any idea of your experience and tend to be worse than useless. I found the experience to be of no help as it reinforced all the negative feelings around suffering chronic pain.

My body adapted by delivering debilitating migraines until I learned just how far I can push myself, and just how much pain I can sustain over the course of a day. I haven't had a migraine for 4.5 years.

Chronic pain becomes background noise over time.

You WILL adapt. It will take TIME. You MAY need to consider SSRIs or some other form of mood leveling drug therapy to gain control of your mental equilibrium but consider ALL the side effects. Never take anything any medical professional offers you without examining all the potential benefits and pitfalls.

[Krusti]

Thanks Jim2, this is the place I am heading toward, ie stop longing for a cure and learn to live with it. Getting past there is a different matter. A small part of me still hopes but that is dwindling. The worst part I find is getting past the feelings which are akin to grieving for a loved one.

[onearmedbandit]

No problem Krusti.

Jim2, I completely agree with you regarding the pain management courses I attended. They can't speak from the experience that you are, and I found them to be very unmotivating, dwelling too much on the pain in a negative way. I also agree about the prescription medication and how overtime chronic pain, to a degree becomes background noise.

[James Deuce]

Thanks Jim2, this is the place I am heading toward, ie stop longing for a cure and learn to live with it. Getting past there is a different matter. A small part of me still hopes but that is dwindling. The worst part I find is getting past the feelings which are akin to grieving for a loved one.

It is definitely grief you are feeling. I'd been doing very well with weight lifting and squash and I had to ditch them, plus my motorcycling racing which I was starting to get serious about.

You have something quite major on your side though. The older you get the more mental toughness you develop, and that mental toughness is what is needed. You'll eventually be fine and you're allowed to have bad days, weeks, or months. The people that matter will understand and sort you out when needed.

[Crasherfromwayback]

And while my injuries are minor compared to OAB and Jims......my ankle was mashed to a pulp and still gives me a fair bit of grief.

I find 2 50mg Voltarens (the dissolvable ones....much easier on the old tummy!) 2 Panadol and a Tramadol certainly help things!

Mixed together they will dull a pretty severe ache.

[Krusti]

It is definitely grief you are feeling. I'd been doing very well with weight lifting and squash and I had to ditch them, plus my motorcycling racing which I was starting to get serious about.

You have something quite major on your side though. The older you get the more mental toughness you develop, and that mental toughness is what is needed. You'll eventually be fine and you're allowed to have bad days, weeks, or months. The people that matter will understand and sort you out when needed.

Are you telling me it gets easier with time?

It's the people who matter that get hit almost as hard.

This advise from you two is what I have suspected but have been trying to deny.

Regards the pain management course, I get told "yeah it will help alot."

Then when I say, " Cool I will be able to work full time at what I want afterwards", I am told, " Don't expect too much"

Thanks guys......

[Sollyboy]

Would weed help this pain?

[Krusti]

It would probably,but I am not going there for a number of reasons...thought about it long and hard.

[onearmedbandit]

Are you telling me it gets easier with time?

Yes, it does get easier with time. It's still there, but you learn to adapt.

It's the people who matter that get hit almost as hard.

It is very hard for people to understand what this is like for you. Don't get upset with them or push them away, it is hard for them as well. You have to accept that you have changed, not them.

This advise from you two is what I have suspected but have been trying to deny.

Regards the pain management course, I get told "yeah it will help alot."

Then when I say, " Cool I will be able to work full time at what I want afterwards", I am told, " Don't expect too much"

Thanks guys......

When I attended PMC I used to describe it to people as such, "'100 questions and one answer - no there is nothing we can do for you."

[Hitcher]

I learned pain management from a Buddhist monk who used to visit a workmate of mine some years ago. Sound common-sense principles and no judgments made or opinions offered. A wonderful man. Unfortunately I also know a bunch of christians who think he will burn in hell.

There are alternatives to drugs for management of long-term chronic pain. And be wary of "natural therapies". Almost without exception, they're just expensive bullshit.

[Blondini]

Perhaps baclofen ,( anti flam but less chances of ulcers and works as slow release over 12 hours),also epilim and other anti seizure meds are being used to treat chronic pain with some success hey and stops any twitches you may have All the best my heart goes out to you.also what someone else said amytriptoline(sp)but this can make you sleepy