My husband injured his back, then we got rear ended in an accident, so he went to the doctor. It was almost impossible to get any pain pills, and after all his suffering, we found out there was a stronger one he could have been taken. His pain reduced him to almost an invalid. Luckily we found out about steroid injections in the back, he had three, and is much better and off the pain pills. Pain pills do not make you euphoric or happy or stoned. They barely ease the pain. He had MRI, etc. He has spinal stenosis and herniated discs. He has been in pain most of this year. I have been doing everything for him, including mowing our lawn. Pain pills should be easier to get, not harder to get.
The people who don’t need them can get plenty from their Elvis doctors. But the people who are at low risk for abuse have a hard time getting them.
What about numbing cream? Buy it at the local drugstore and smear it on your back, let it soak in, then the pain goes away.
I'm in a bind when it comes to pain medication. Steroids are not an option for me (diabetic — they raise my blood sugar to epic heights). Celebrex, Advil and Aleve are bad for my heart. Aspirin upsets my stomach. So when I injured my knee, I was prescribed Vicodin. Did nothing for the pain, but it made me not care — about the pain and everything else. I was in a fog. I ditched the Vicodin and toughed out the pain till I healed, but I realize toughing it out isn't always an option.
Is your husband a candidate for surgery? I know most people fear back surgery, but I understand there are some minimally invasive procedures available now that are less risky and more successful than traditional back surgery.
Prayers for your husband. I hope he can find permanent relief.
I grew up in an area where the usage of illegal drugs is high and have seen the destruction of families and communities because of, not so much the drugs themselves, but the classification of the drugs. The higher the classification the more criminals the government has available to bleed.
I have had a broke back, bulging discs, degenerative disc disease, arthritis of the spine and everywhere else, sciatic nerve problems resulting from my back problems, if I was a horse they would have already taken me out and shot me.
Watched a guy get out of a truck and saw how gingerly he did it and asked if he had back problems. We got into a conversation about our various back problems, he had had a couple of back surgeries also, and it turned out that we had the same problems, only real difference was he had 40 extra pounds on his gut. He told me they would only give him 4 or 5 Percocets/day, he asked me what I took, I told him Bayer aspirin. He seemed baffled and asked me how I coped. I told him I kept moving and dropped a lot of weight. I also refused the surgery.
I worked in a coal mine from a young age and when you are a mile underground and hit a finger with a hammer you don’t cry and run home to mommy, you curse, put some electrical tape on it and go on. You can deal with your pain or you can become a junkie, it is really that simple.
Spare me the my pain is worse than yours bull, cause it aint. I chose to deal with mine, not depend on some doc to keep me doped up. Man up or stay on the porch.
I agree. Imho, most people do not become addicted to anything. Those who do can easily be identified and helped. To deny someone in agony pain relief because someone else has an addiction issue is cruel.