Pain Management Community

Well first off what part of the country do you live in? Is it a large city type that there are other doctors that you could see? I am not saying that you are a druggie looking for a quick fix, but to have 48% THC in your system is alot of "second hand smoke" where were you at when your family was smoking pot? To have that amount in your system you must have been in a car with them while they were "hot boxing" it. Or you have been around them for a long time almost every day to have that level of THC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One thing that you could try to do is if possible from where you live at is go to the mental health clinic and see if there is anything that they can do for you there. Some times they will help you out, atleast that is what they do where i live at because i know a couple of people that get very depressed because either they cant get treatment for pain because of there mental condition or because the meds that they are on do not work, and so the state mental health worker will step in and help them out with getting into a doctors office and get the correct treatment that they need. I had a friend a couple of years ago that ended up trying to kill himself becasue of the amount of pain that he was in and the doctors here would not help him out because every once and awhile he would smoke pot for his headaches and also so he could put on some weight, and one time he went to his pain managment appointment and they tested him and he failed because of the THC, but his level was only 28% and he was smoking almost every day for a couple of weeks.

The point is that there are resources outhere for you, you just have to take a look around and see what the state or city will do for you especially if you have tried to commite suicide three times. The other thing that you could do if the doctor that did your fusion is differnet from the doctor at the pain managment is see if he/she is able to make a refferal for you or see if he/she is willing to prescribe your meds to you. Also if you get into a doctor that you think is willing to help you out make sure that you are honest and upfront with him and explain the reason to him of why you got kicked out of your pain managment clinic and offer to be tested as often as he/she wants you to be to help prove to them that you dont smoke pot or take any other pills/meds that you are not supposed to take, and see if that helps you out. Other then those couple of things I dont have any other ideas for you.

One other thing is that you could look up online and see according to what state/city you live in you could check to see what the health care requirements are and what they have to treat and what they dont have to treat. Some states are different then others so do some research and go from there.

Best of luck to you

thanks for the info. im in bed and my hubby smokes the stuff like its going out of style. so, im around it daily, in the bedroom, and, we had company that weekend and they sat around with me , in the bedroom, smoking it up. i dont care if they smoke, i just never liked the high. then, after that weekend, thats when i had the TEST. needless to say, i am in my own bedroom now. and, no smoking ,lol. i will check out the local mental health center.

Not sure if where you live you can get tylenot #1( it comes in 325/8mg codeine or 500mg/8mg codiene) without prescription. Its not very strong in codeine -as a tylenol #3 has 32mgs -but it might be better than tylenol alone. Just don't take more then advised. Here in Canada we can get it over the counter. If you are that depressed and in pain you should talk to your family dr to get additional help. You need to tell dr about suicide tendancies. Please don't give up.

Take care - Barbi

"lady149sc," my heart goes out to you. You are living proof of the intensity and effect of second-hand smoke. But beyond that, you are a victim of a society that refuses to recognize the efficacy of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana). Many of us in chronic pain have experienced significant relief with THC (inhaled or ingested). It is well known that THC binds to opioid receptors in the brain, much the same way that synthetic narcotics work. Yet, our society restricts its availability in most states. We most definitely should not be punishing people who have tried it, use it or were exposed to it via second-hand smoke.

There is a medication called Marinol that can be used off-label for pain. It's active ingredient is synthetic THC. While designed to assist chemotherapy patients with nausea and loss of appetite, it has been demonstrated efficacious for chronic pain.

So, dear friend, you were wronged twice. You were punished for the actions of someone else in your home. And, you were punished for having a chemical in your bloodstream that is helpful for chronic pain but is taboo in contemporary society,

Suboxone is off-label for pain. It was designed to help drug addicts deal with withdrawal and dependence issues. As an opiate antagonist, it is far from the best pain medication.

All that you can do is to continue to change physicians until you find one who understands your condition and has some empathy. I do not advocate using marijuana for chronic pain because there are many better medications that target opiod receptors in the brain. But, some people swear by its helpful benefits. If it is already available in your home and you cannot obtain any pain medication elsewhere, you might wish to give it a try.

One additional alternative is to have an intrathecal infusion pump installed. This allows medication to flow directly to your spinal nerve roots. Thus, it cannot be abused. A similar alternative is a spinal cord stimulator, which uses no medication at all. Ask your physician about them. The success rates are not particularly high, but at this point you have little to lose.

I wish you the very best of luck in what is obviously a very difficult circumstance.

have your physician send you to a different pain management clinic. Take all your mri's, x-rays hospital reports with you just like you where starting out new. Your records and reports about your condition should speak for them selfs. Don't mention what the other clinic reported. I don't think they can pass negitive reports along. I know of some people that this has worked for. Just because this clinic doesn't want to work with you, doesn't mean that you can't find another. Just don't bring up anything neg. from the other clinic...try this.....

I was born and raised in Columbia SC, I now live in NC and I understand exactly what you mean about quailty health care in general. As far as Pain Clinics go they did nothing for me. Except cause me more pain with the injections. I don't know what part of SC you live in, but my advice would be to call doctors offices until you can find one willing to treat you without sending you to pain clinics, they don't work for everyone.

As for the failed drug test, ask to be retested and tested again if that is what it takes to make someone treat you. It shouldn't matter if you failed the one test, they should have listened to you and retested you the next visit. So many doctors today are more worried about their own selves that many of us suffer because a few druggies use the health care system. Not all of us are addicted to pain meds, but the ones who are make us in pain suffer even more.

If you live near Columbia email me and maybe I can help you find a doctor that can help.

madis_poppy@yahoo.com

I am in a simular situation I failed the test also, the doc told me that I either had a fenynal patch or morphine lollipop. I did neither they got my urine mixed up with the person before me. He said it was impossible for that to happen. I went to the hospital and had one taken and nothing showed up but what I was supposed to have in my system. He is making my life a living hell all because I told him that his prescriptions are always written wrong and I have go back and get them re-written so now I am worried if I go to another pain management doc he will call me a drug abuser and I won't be able to get what I need. He said if it happens again no more meds. I know it will because he wants to get rid of me because I complained!!!! Just not fair at all. I need this medication to function I have all types of arthritis and fibromyalgia Good luck and try to find a doc that is understanding. Also I am 61 years old not likely a druggie. I know what you are going through. Afraid that if they send for my records it will say drug abuser on the front page.

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I was drug tested and had smoked, but the doctore never said anything to me. Someone told me they must have just testing for the drugs they were giving me. Anyhow, I was having difficulty with my meds, as far as taking too many because I was always in pain, so I called my psychiatrist and went into the hospital to begin Suboxone treatment. I hurt so badly I can't stand it. She told me I need a full work-up, so I'm changing doctors. The pain management doc I have is just too conservative and scared of the DEA. I have MRI's to back me up and the most he ever gave me was MorphineCR 30mg every 12 hours and Percocet 10mg every 8 hours as needed. That may sound like a lot, but it was not doing the job. I hope things work out for you.

lady149sc, i know how you feel. Along with suffering from chronic pain i also suffer from bipolar disorder. So one day in 2002 i got tired of barely being able to function due to the pain, and it was a terrible bipolar day so i decided i would end the pain, both mental and physical. So i took about 110 lorcet, 110 soma and about 150 fiorecet. needless to say the dr said if i lived it would be a miracle, i guess it wasn't my time i woke up 4 days later on a ventilator in severe liver failure due to all the tylenol i ingested. my piont is this, it took me over a year to recover enough that i could take any kind of meds. But once i could i found a new pdoc which is a miracle in this rat hole where i'm from, but i was honest with him. He raised nine kinds of hell with me but agreed to treat me. You couldn't make me leave him for anything. so just keep looking and best of luck to you....

I have had cronic pain in my lower back, legs feet. After seening the ordered doctors etc I was send to a Pain Management Doctor who has treated me with lumbar epidural injections, two round of physical therapy over the last year and pain medications. There was a big mix-up in is office that I need meditation after 4 months without it. After 16 days I was finally told I needed an appointment. They managed to get me in i 4 days. The pain I suffered, made me re-think what is quality of life. The only time I felt any relief if I smoked some pot at night. I could even manage a laugh. A week after I last saw him I was scheduled to another injection, to my surprise they did a drug test, it was positive.They said there were new laws in place , and people could be made to go to drug rehab. I thought just to get some pain relief. HE gave me the injection and we are discussing implanting scs(spinal cord stimulation therapy. right now I am being left with an option, I hope you find one soon

Im in same spot but I know better you dont get second hand smoke and is bs docs do this when weed is legal in 19 states. Move and keep trying different docs just jump thru their hoops. Dont give up. If u seriously need meds and bed ridden etc which sorry I crushed my spine, 2 rods 10 screws tail bone thru thoracic and not far off on age I can do ton of stuff, bed ridden please we both know thats not the case. Also crushed both of my feet and I walk cant run hate steps but I keep going because I have someone who depends on me and Im sure u do too. Keep trying or move to state where legal.

omg whats wrong with you people there is no such thing as second hand thc every pot head knows this amazing you guys say this stuff, thc only goes in smokers body wow denial

Finally someone else who agrees w the injections. They do hurt and dont last long enough. Also not worth the money. Totally agree w your statement about doctors they dont care about anything except the income coming in and making you jump thru hoops before getting the relief you need. And I wished I could find proper doc vs pain clinic cause there weed rule is bs. That s coming fr someone who doesnt live in same state, but did get kicked out for smoking pot. Which is pretty much impossible to get into new pain management, and suffering and have lil one to raise that I dont smoke around nor would ever.

Dear An_249655,

The epidural steroid injections are one-of the less invasive treatments for disc herniation/ degenerative disc syndrome.

They help some and not others.

If medicine is to be practised properly, the least invasive procedures should be tried first before more-invasive.

Your statement, "Totally agree w your statement about doctors they dont care about anything except the income coming in...", is unfair.

You do not know about what a complete entity of doctors thinks.

Remember, all generalisations (including this one) are false.

Pain management meds and procedures are attempted from the least complicated to the most. For example, OTC pain meds first, prescription non-opioid next, and opiates if none of the more "mild" meds work.

Same with procedures. Physical therapy, injections, sometime surgery, then implanted.

It is considered proper to see if the injections help before considering surgery.

Medical treatment is not a matter of agreement or disagreement.

If the injections don't work for you, don't have them done.