pain mangement | Arthritis Information

Hi veryone I was just wondering if anyone has been sent to pain management? Can you believe my Rm says you ra cannot affect the back? Then I go to gp and he has been giving me pain meds for my back and of course refers me to a pain management and the guy doc there says to me "oh I cant prescribe you narcotics because you are heavy and you will stop breathing and die if I do!" Wow what beside manner but went again to see what xrays show because I cant do thje mri it hurts to bad to lay on back for an hour and a half and the intern of xcourse not the doctor says "well the xrays show alot of deterioation which is disk disease which is arthritis" I had to laugh. Oh they had given me lyrica and all that did was give me a hangover now want me to try try 60mg cymbalta for the ppain. Has antone ever used this before? I dont think I will try I thought it was for depression? I guess he thinks its in my head. Thats why I cant stand for more then 3 or 4 minutes before the pain becomes so severe I have to sit and cry. Oh well mybe my gp will just keep feeling bad for me. The hydrocodone doesnt get rid of the pain but it makes me forget about it easier.dengenerative disc disease is osteoarthritis not rheumaoid.

Anti depressants such as cymbalta can be very effective pain mgmt medications especially for the nerve type pain that comes with DDD. They work with the neurotransmitters to decrease the pain. As they are less addictive than narcotics many doctors are trying them first.

But by all means you have nothing to lose by getting a pain mgmt consult

I could be wrong, but when I first found out I had DDD, I thought I was told that DDD and Osteoarthritis are two different conditions.

I'm going to have to Google that one.

GIRL~I know your pain! I've suffered with back problems for many years. My RD sent me to a orthopedic spine specialist after xrays revealed DDD, OA and spina bifida occulta. He took one look at my xrays and said; That's RA not OA but lets do an MRI to get a closer look. I said "I didn't think RA affected the back." He said you're living proof that it does." He said it takes a while for RA to affect the larger joints; but it does happen.

The MRI confirmed RA in his opinion and also revealed the DDD, and two buldging disk which at times cause unbareable pain. The spinal bifida occulta is a birth defect that is unlikely to cause much problems in the future.

I hear the argument that RA doesn't affect the back all the time here but I tend to go with what the Orthodedic Spine Specalist said. I told the RD what he said and he reviewed his notes and MRI. He agreed that it can happen. Why he didn't say it to begin with I'm not sure.

To be honest with you I don't care what they call it. It hurts like hell a lot of the time and standing at times is very difficult. It's not constant for me so that follows along the line of what I've experienced with RA. I go through spells where it's pretty good.....times where it's uncomfortable and due to the disk problems about twice a year I throw something that sends me to the floor and then bed for days. I can barely make it to the bathroom unassisted. After several days rest I slow get moving again and after about two weeks I'm doing fairly well. It's never great....but you accept a certain degree of it after a while I think.

RA meds make a big difference for me. I also take muscle relaxers that help as well as tramadol.

Sorry you're having a difficult time with your body and your docs. The idea that they can't prescribe you narcotics for the reasons given is ludicrous...I am morbidly obese and have some asthma problems and I'm on narcotics without any problems breathing. Is the hydrocodone from your GP then?

Lyrica has been a great med for me, but it does take some getting used to. The first couple weeks were rough for me with drowsiness, dizziness and just plain out-of-it-ness. But after that the side effects went away and it has helped alot. Not sure how long you tried it, but maybe you want to try again, starting at a real small dose and working your way up.

The Cymbalta, as well as other anti-depressants, is used for pain as well as depression, since the center of the brain affected is the same. It didn't do anything for me, but give it a try, it certainly can't hurt. Before I had RA, but after I had DDD and Fibro, I tried Wellbutrin and I tell you my pain was reduced amazingly. Unfortunately, I was also allergic to the med.

With the DDD, I would seek out an ortho consult. They may have a pain mgmt place they work with that will be more helpful, but they can also talk about other options with you.
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