Thank God for Vicodin...

[LeftyFingerPop]

I've been waiting to see a hand and arm specialist for a month...and tomorrow is finally the day. Thank God for that too. :)

[SPKrazy]

1. Just don't go takin' extras, okay?

we went around on this before :P

:hi:

[LeftyFingerPop]

2. Don't need extras...

This time, they prescribed the super heavy duty gorilla tranquilizer strength. One or 2 does the trick... :hi:

[SPKrazy]

3. For a Gorilla, that's good!

:P

:hi:

hope the specialist fixes your arm man

[LeftyFingerPop]

5. Thanks a lot SPK...

I hope so too :)

[ThomCat]

4. I hope it goes well for you.

I hope the specialist listens, takes you seriously, and helps you. :hug:

[LeftyFingerPop]

7. Thank you Thom...

What I am going to do is this...

My GP prescribed the Vikes, and I only take them when absolutely necessary. So, tomorrow I will bring the almost full bottle into the specialist so he can see exactly how I am taking them, and then turn my pain management over to him.

Luckily, I am hearing good things about this guy. He just does hands and arms, and he knows his stuff apparently. We'll see.

:hug:

[Redstone]

6. Advice from a veteran: Stick to the schedule. Opiates work best just like

anti-inflammatories do; you need to maintain a serum level in your bloodstream.

Remember, they work better if you take them BEFORE the pain starts.

Trust me on this.

Redstone

[LeftyFingerPop]

9. Thanks Redstone...

My hope is that they can find the cause and correct the problem, but i have a feeling that it is a bad disk in my neck based upon my symptoms.

I really don't want neck surgery, so I am going to have to see what other options I have.

Just getting an accurate diagnosis would provide some much needed relief.

[Redstone]

12. Do not, repeat NOT, let anyone cut your spine. Just don't.

Not advice from a doctor, here, just from a survivor.

I've had a C3 and a C5 the doctors have been salivating to operate on since 1972 (yes, THAT far back), and I've resisted them since then. And lived to tell the tale.

My friend, listen to me: Surgery is much like adding salt to the ingredients when you're cooking; once your put the salt into the pot, you can't take it out. Similarly, once you let a doctor cut you, you will have to live with the results of that surgery. There are NO "do-overs."

Consider carefully, my friend.

Redstone

[LeftyFingerPop]

13. I feel the same way...

and thanks for the reinforcement.

I know too many people who have had the surgery and came out worse.

It scares the hell out of me, and as I told a friend the other night...for me, spinal surgery is the last option, on the second page.

I take your words very seriously, and I appreciate your input. I realize that you know from where you speak.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

14. Redstone is SO right

With a bad disk, one of the options you won't be told about is that disks wear out as we age, and, ultimately, the pain subsides. Almost thirty years ago, I sustained a bulging disk (L5-S1) in a plane crash. Hurt like a mofo. The neurosurgeon wanted me to have the disk removed, and I decided against it. He was rather annoyed with me, but I knew I was right, having called every personal injury attorney I knew to get the lowdown on the surgery. Unanimously, it was a bad thing.

Nurses would come into my hospital room at night, under cover of darkness, and ask me if I was the patient refusing the surgery. When I said I was, they'd tell me stories about how bad the outcomes had been with that surgery - one told me about how awful it had been for her brother - and urge me to stay the course.

Here I am, symptom-free and with an intact spine. About a year ago, a surgeon said, "You wisely chose not to have that surgery."

The annoyed neurosurgeon = who told me I'd be "dragging (my) leg within a month if (I) didn't have the procedure" - dropped dead a year later. Stroked out..

Redstone's also right about keeping the painkillers and anti-inflammatories in your system. If you miss a dose, a window opens and pain and inflammation sneak in through that window - they're opportunistic little buggers - and you're in worse shape than you were before you started taking them. That's what the drugs are for, so take them.

And remember to eat a high-fiber diet and drink lots of water. The side effects of those wonderful Vicodin can be problematic.

Good luck.

[LeftyFingerPop]

16. Thanks so much for taking the time to write this...

and I am very happy that everything worked out for you!

Pain is a terrible thing, and I don't care who you are...it will wear you down if uncontrolled.

You may be able to relate to this...these past few days, the pain has been so horrendous that I actually cannot tell exactly where it is hurting.

Have you ever experienced that phenomenon? Kind of like a toothache...you know that one of your teeth hurts unbearably, but you are not sure which one.

It is kind of like that with my arm right now.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

19. Oh, honey, I sure can relate

I just spent a year in hospitals and rehab centers, having surgery to have a broken femur rebuilt and leaning how to walk again. I learned everything about pain with that little escapade.

Now, I'm enduring a busted knee. The orthopedic surgeon thinks it's cartilage, but the pain was so bad, I couldn't walk, couldn't even get comfortable when lying down. That's when I turned to the Vicodin I hadn't really wanted to take. That, plus Celebrex to take down the inflammation, has changed my whole world - in a matter of hours.

The irony is that I hurt my knee in rehab. How's that for truly sucking?

Pain blows. I'm sorry this is happening to you. And to me. But, remember - drugs are our friends in situations like this, so use them as they should be used and let them work for you.

I know you'll be all right, and the best part is that you'll remember, intellectually, that you had pain, but you won't be able to remember, or recreate in your mind, the pain itself. That's Mother Nature's way of keeping us safe and sane.

I'll be thinking good thoughts for you and wishing you all the best. Keep us posted. I'll be watching for your good news.............

[LeftyFingerPop]

20. Damn...

My respect to you.

Thank you for your wise words and good wishes. :hug:

Get that knee better!

[Tangerine LaBamba]

21. One other thing

Never, NEVER, take Vicodin or any painkiller, as well as anti-inflammatories, on an empty stomach. They'll tear you up and leave you feeling worse. So get a good, hefty meal in your belly, and then take the meds with lots of water.

[moriah]

27. Agreed completely.

This doesn't mean take them for six months after you have no pain whatsoever...

But it does mean that if you are having pain as it's about time to take another one, don't delay until the pain is extreme just to save pills. You'll have to take more to get more pain relief.

[RazBerryBeret]

8. I had never had vicodin

before this weekend.
broke my toe, filled my prescription and I have to say, I LIKE it!
mine's pretty low dose, but it works.

good luck with the arm!

[LeftyFingerPop]

10. Thank you Raz!

So sorry about your toe. I know it hurts, and I hope you feel better soon.

[RazBerryBeret]

11. thanks, Philboy!

this is my first broken bone EVER, can you believe that. and how wimpy am I??? it's my TOE! I only take my vicodin in the evening, I don't want someone to find me snoozing on my keyboard at work!

hopefully you'll be on the mend soon.

[MonkeyFunk]

15. Meh

I got some for my back pain, and it doesn't do much at all.

[LeftyFingerPop]

17. Sorry to hear that MonkeyFunk...

I know that there are some types of pain that it does not work real well on.

[MonkeyFunk]

18. The only time it ever really helped me

was when I strained a muscle in my back - then it was like a miracle drug. But other things I've taken it for? Not so much.

[vard28]

22. Glad your appointment day is here!

Hope you get the answers/results you are hoping for and SOON! I've been fused with bone grafts from my hips at C-5 and C-6 (two different surgeries 'cause I was diggin' my feet in and hoping not to have a second fusion) and while I still take Vicodin and Flexeril, it's not nearly as frequently and I feel a LOT better. Hell, after the first fusion, I sat in my hospital bed after coming up from recovery and just bawled 'cause I had instant relief after so many years of pain. I know everyone is different and I too know people who have had either no relief or ended up feelin' even worse after the same surgery. Mine was a last ditch decision, and I ended up with no other choice.

I'll be thinkin' about you! Give a holler when you get back and let us know how it went. :hi:

[LeftyFingerPop]

24. Good morning vard28...

I'm glad that your fusions went well for you!

I'll post back here when I know something...I appreciate your input. :hi:

[kedrys]

23. Good luck today!

:pals: Hope your guy really knows what he's doing and gets you fixed up nice and easy.

[LeftyFingerPop]

25. Thanks a lot kedrys!

I hope so too! :pals:

[LeftyFingerPop]

30. Wrong spot....moved...n/t

[raccoon]

26. Are you having problems with tendinitis? RSI? nt

[LeftyFingerPop]

36. See post 31. Thanks raccoon. n/t

[TZ]

28. Yeah for FINALLY getting to see a specialist

Its so weird..I got an appointment at Mayo THREE weeks after asking for one..and yet you had to wait a MONTH in active pain? Yeah, there's something terribly wrong with Health Care in this country..

[LeftyFingerPop]

37. Yes there is Sue...

"Yeah, there's something terribly wrong with Health Care in this country".

Truer words were never spoken.

[Midlodemocrat]

29. Great news. But, don't take the Vicodin with alcohol.

Please.

[LeftyFingerPop]

38. Don't worry...

learned my lesson :)

[LeftyFingerPop]

31. Back from Doctor with update...

It does not appear to be tendonitis.

X-rays indicate a possible problem between C6 and C7, but he will need an MRI to confirm.

Great doctor...he told me he would "beat the hell" out of the insurance company until they approved a neck MRI.

He said he would not pursue any arm MRI's at this time because he was convinced the problem was in my neck.

He told me not to hesitate to call for more Vicodin when my current supply ran out.

Hopefully he will be able to schedule the MRI soon.

Thanks for letting me whine

[NewEnglandGirl]

32. Maybe they will suggest an epidural type injection for you

if the MRI confirms nerve compression. It beats having surgery. I hope you feel better soon. :hug:

[LeftyFingerPop]

34. Thank you NewEnglandGirl...

:hug:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

33. So far, so good

Your doctor sounds like a man on your side, which is all you need.

You stay with the Vicodin - pain is NOT gain here - and make sure you take it on a full stomach.

I thought about you all day. Isn't that something? But, I was hoping it was going well for you.

It'll be figured out and you'll be fine, that's what I think.

I'm waiting for my MRI to be scheduled. Aren't we a broken-down bunch?

<snort>

[LeftyFingerPop]

35. Thank you...

:hug:

I hope that things work out for you also!

[vard28]

41. That's good news!

Glad you're happy with this new doc. That makes a big difference from the ones that give up and/or just don't give a crap! Hopefully some answers are just around the corner for you. I'm thinkin' about you and will be watchin' for updates! :hi: Oh, and whining is always allowed in my boat... LOL!

[bridgit]

39. Vicodin...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gGAzJNBNcg

[LeftyFingerPop]

40. Very informative...

Thanks!

[NC_Nurse]

42. You and me both. My knee is screwn at the moment.

I'm waiting to hear what the surgeons think of the MRI.

Vicodin works as long as it doesn't catch when I'm trying to walk (in a brace, no less). Then it hurts like shit
even on drugs. :(

[LeftyFingerPop]

45. Jeeez....

So sorry to hear. :hug:

I hope that you are pain-free soon!

[NC_Nurse]

50. Same to you!

:hug:

[wain]

43. God didn't invent or make Vicodin

A pharmaceutical corporation did.

[LeftyFingerPop]

44. No, sorry, but God made Vicodin. n/t

[wain]

46. I really appreciate your response

Whether we agree or not. Regardless, I'm glad the pain is relieved. and I wish you well.

[LeftyFingerPop]

48. Thanks...

:hi:

(By the way, I think that the pharmaceutical companies made Vicodin also)

[Taverner]

47. "God" made Opium

Thebaine and Codeine, the ingredients that make up Vicodin, come from Opium.

[LeftyFingerPop]

49. True that.

:hi: :thumbsup: