Mine wasn't service-connected, just old age. Could hardly walk more than 100 yards before I had to sit down.
Asked the VA doc - had to take a pee test and sign a "contract". MAJOR production. Got 30 5mg Tramadols which have lasted me a while as I only take one when we go on our weekly trips to town.
Funny thing, wife had some knee pain and the local doc just prescribed 30 Tramadols for her with one refill. No muss, no fuss.
The VA doc warned me that it may make me feel euphoric, so I held off as long as I could. Finally took one and . . . drum roll . . . NOTHING. It kicked in after an hour, the pain went away, and I never felt better in my life, but only due to the absence of pain. I can see how people can become addicted.
I hear you about the tramadol. When I first took it, I was thinking because of the big deal they made about it, that I’d be pain free and floating around my apartment. I kept waiting for it to kick in, and while it took a little bit of the edge off, didn’t make the pain go away. For me, it’s like taking an aspirin. A little trick one of the doc’s here told me, was take acetaminophen(tylenol) with the tramadol, and it boost the effects a little bit.