being disabled....

[Corkey]

While I seldom take any pain meds, as I am allergic in icky ways to the stuff, every now and again I have to have them, and just acknowledge that the side effects are gonna kick my ass. That said I cannot take opiates, my PCP knows this and has no issue with prescribing Hydrocodone for me. He also knows I am not a drug seeker and have mind managed my pain levels for 30+ years. Having a good PCP is paramount to good pain management. Self education of medicines and their uses and counter indications is helpful when having these discussions with your Doc. I cannot take Ultram because I take Meloxicam for the arthritis, it is counter indicated.
Be aware, be proactive, be informed, it is your in your best interest.

[scootebaby]

i never really considered myself disabled...even after 1st time i hurt my back. Even though afterwards i couldnt do as much rough housing or goofing off or chasing my kid...we just adapted...till this last injury--the L5 came out and is laying on my S1 nerve--after realizing i am wore out after a shower,or cant walk or ride for more than 20 mins at most...if i go in pool i have to just float,my son would love for more activity...he has again adjusted to my diasibility---now i gotta learn how...most of the time i get upset by it,wanna push thru it,but between my g/f and my son i dont bc in the long run i dont want to have to sit on the sidelines for everything...at the moment i am on dilaudid...b4 that i was on hydrocodone,flexeril and restoril to sleep..i still use the restoril but it takes a long while to kick in...the dilaudid is taking pain away but i refrain from it unless pain is really bad....suddenly the hydrocodone seems to upset my stomach

[Rockinonahigh]

I take ultram 50mg and flexerill 5mg to help me with pain,my doc has prescribed me the meds knowing im takeing meloxicam for my arthritis,I will check with my pharmacist tomorrow to c if I should see about some kind of change of meds.Sofar I havent had a prob with anything,but have wondered about if I could have a prob.If it wasnt for the ultram and flexerill I prolly wouldnt sleep most nights or get thrue many days,sofar its the onlything that really works without knocking me flat out..wich I hate.

[Corkey]

Originally Posted by Rockinonahigh

I take ultram 50mg and flexerill 5mg to help me with pain,my doc has prescribed me the meds knowing im takeing meloxicam for my arthritis,I will check with my pharmacist tomorrow to c if I should see about some kind of change of meds.Sofar I havent had a prob with anything,but have wondered about if I could have a prob.If it wasnt for the ultram and flexerill I prolly wouldnt sleep most nights or get thrue many days,sofar its the onlything that really works without knocking me flat out..wich I hate.

I asked my Doc, he said if I didn't have any side effects I could take the two together, ...I had side effects many years ago with them together. Your mileage may vary as with all meds, but know your risks and your body.

[DomnNC]

Originally Posted by scootebaby

i never really considered myself disabled...even after 1st time i hurt my back. Even though afterwards i couldnt do as much rough housing or goofing off or chasing my kid...we just adapted...till this last injury--the L5 came out and is laying on my S1 nerve--after realizing i am wore out after a shower,or cant walk or ride for more than 20 mins at most...if i go in pool i have to just float,my son would love for more activity...he has again adjusted to my diasibility---now i gotta learn how...most of the time i get upset by it,wanna push thru it,but between my g/f and my son i dont bc in the long run i dont want to have to sit on the sidelines for everything...at the moment i am on dilaudid...b4 that i was on hydrocodone,flexeril and restoril to sleep..i still use the restoril but it takes a long while to kick in...the dilaudid is taking pain away but i refrain from it unless pain is really bad....suddenly the hydrocodone seems to upset my stomach

I totally know where you are coming from, that's the last surgery I had, L5-S1, fusion, rods, pins,plates and screws down into my hip bones. I waited too long to have anything done. Like you I just pushed thru the pain and made the best of it, little did I know I was doing more harm to myself. I now have permanent nerve damage in my left foot and calf. If I walk to long now my left leg goes totally numb up into my hip, at times I just lose my leg and down I go. Listen to your girlfriend and son, let them help you right now until it is decided how to proceed medically. I wouldn't hesitate to say there is more going on than the herniated disc. My neurosurgeon said he couldn't believe I was still walking cuz I had all kinds of infection and inflammation going on in the nerves and disc as well as the herniation and had structural damage as well. But ask anyone that knows me, I don't let it stop me from doing things I want to do now. I don't let my "disability" define me in any way and from what I can see you won't either. It's good to have that inner strength and toughness, it will see you through. Good luck and if there's anything I can answer for you please don't hesitate to ask, like I said, I've been there, done that, lol.

[Rockinonahigh]

Im up paceing the floor cause Iam hurting from pain in my lower back,with it comes the twitchy itchy feeling in my left leg..just took a tramadole 50mg with flexerill 5mg.I really dont like to take any kind of meds,for years I have pusede thrue pain and just did what I had to do,I also have lidoderm pain patches I use when I cant take anything or dont want to take pain pills but over time they irritate my skin so I use them spareingly.Hopeing the meds kick in soon,I am really tired,I fell asleep fitfuly but woke up to many times.Tramadole is suposed to be a subtasute for ultram..I dont know if it really is just know it works.

Sorry to remind you guys but the OP asked for fonts in size 5 or bigger..

[amiyesiam]

Originally Posted by Incubus

Sorry to remind you guys but the OP asked for fonts in size 5 or bigger..

Actually thank you for saying this. Some of us have a hard time saying things that need to be said.

[Spork]

Originally Posted by Incubus

Sorry to remind you guys but the OP asked for fonts in size 5 or bigger..

Also, check out how to make your own browser adjust font sizes for you. That way, it doesn't matter if someone forgets to do it for you.

http://www.disabled-world.com/disabi...izing-text.php

Also: http://www.ehow.com/how_4877692_adju...font-size.html

[Soft*Silver]

tramadol is a waste of energy to open my mouth to even take it. it does nothing, nothing, nothing for me. I get sent home with a script for it like its suppose to be my miracle drug. I would rather drink again that rely on that shit. Seriously. Self medication is better than dealing with doctors in denial about my pain.

My surgery is Monday and I was told I am going to get an epideral drip and that they dont kid around with pain.They sent me home with a script for liquid oxycotin. Damn. And yes they know I am in recovery. They asked me if I am responsible. Hell yes. Finally. FINALLY.

While I like my PPC, after this surgery, if my level of pain doesnt go down, I am done with her. The past two years have been traumatic. When I look back on it I cant imagine how I survived the shit I went thru and endured the level of pain I had. It looks like a grainy old black and white film when I think of it...sad...depressing...I dont want another day like that in my Here and Now. I was put thru a bureaucratric crime war to get on SSDI...I feel like I was released as a POW.

[DamselFly]

i apologize for taking so long to get back here. i now have a new-born orphaned foal in my life that depends mainly on me sometimes. that has turned life upside-down and sideways, in a good way, though. despite the toll that lack of sleep takes, seeing Nickers's sweet strong spirit while he learns how to use his body and explores this new world makes everything worthwhile. *smile* watching him is better than any drug, and the effects of loving him long-lasting!
i have been reading all of Y/your posts and am amazed at Y/your spirit and determination to live life to Y/your fullest! thank Y/you for sharing Y/your stories, books that inspire Y/you, and information on meds, dr.s, and other things medical. a special thanks to DOMNC for info on meds!
by the way, tramadol is "just" the generic for Ultram. i don't like the automatic substitution that insurance requires of generics for brand drugs. i've found, that despite claims to the opposite, generics are NOT the same chemically for the most part as brand drugs. sometimes that difference can have dangerous effects and/or interactions with other medications. i REALLY dislike that medicine, esp. for those of us on medicare/SSD and/or medicaid, is dictated largely by the insurance companies, instead of by medical professionals. i also wish that medicare and medicaid did not differ so state by state, thus making the quality of medical care available largely dependent upon where you live. surprisingly, i'm finding that the general quality of medical care i received in WV is superior, esp. when it comes to PCPs. though i have access now to the best eye clinic in OK, i have been told nothing that my optho dr in WV did not say and offered no better solution than his. i.e., i am going blind; now the rate of optic nerve deterioration has increased, and the dr.s can offer no solution other than eye drops to try to hold on to what little vision i have left. apparently, i don't have enough optic nerves left to try anything else. in addition, i'm having to go through the whole process of "proving" i have MS, despite being diagnosed in the past by 3 neurologists. i'm so tired of having to do this every time i move. why do i have to do this???
for my book contribution, i can recommend The Migraine Brain, can't remember the authour-female MD based in NYCity. excellent book that explains migraines as a whole-body neurological disease and has things to take to Y/your dr. to explain what is needed by a migraineur in general. has A/anyone ever taken lidocaine shots for migraines? i am going to start them thursday (from the same neurologist making me prove i have MS). i looked this treatment up online and found that this is a treatment given for cluster headaches, not migraines. since i've tried everything on the market for migraines (and some alternative treatments), i'm willing to try this. but i don't like this neuro-he has the same god-complex i've run into before in many neuros.
Taoism/Buddhism gives me strength and the ability to do what i can to give back to others. compassion and loving-kindness are the basis for life for me, and i try my best to offer what i can to all sentient beings, be they animal, people, insects, plants, whatever. meditation helps greatly. re a partner, i had given up on the possibility but now do not close myself off to that any longer. whatever my medical status, i am still me and have much to offer to the right person, plus i make a wonderful friend, the foundation for any kind of relationship! so believe in Y/yourself; be kind to Y/yourself and others, and the rest will follow. Tao moves as Tao moves, and karma DOES affect this life as well as future incarnations.
i hope and think that W/we have the foundation and beginning of a community here. please keep posting and let U/us support one another!
namaste, my friends! (and i appreciate Y/your efforts to post in larger fonts!)
DamselFly