Part of Badly Needed Pain Treatments Ending

cinnamonsmiles · December 2014

cinnamonsmiles · December 2014

I have had a workable pain treatment plan in place since 2011because of severe nerve damage pain from my bmx with node removal on 1/11/11 (and post-thorac0tomy <noncancerous> pain from 2013). It included a Lidocaine IV infusion every 9 weeks, along with medications.

A new pain clinic came in and it is horrid. My pain doctor is leaving this month for who knows where. They won't tell me where he is going.

The new pain doctor they hired does not do Lidocaine infusions. There is a pain clinic 45 minutes from here and I had a referral from my family doctor to get in there. They said I would hear back in about a week. Well, 2.5 weeks went by and I called. Seems like they don't do Lidocaine infusions either. The referral was cancelled because they don't do them and no one bothered to call me and tell me. A double disappointment.

The pain gets so intense I can't stand it. I can't take Vicodin every day because I get sick from it, so then I have to stop it and only take every few days then go with out.

I am so disappointed and worried about how this will effect my life now.

Thanks for letting me vent.

fifthyear · December 2014

Just sending you hugs, hope you find your solution soon.

abigail48 · December 2014

why is cocaine illegal???

cinnamonsmiles · December 2014

I am not sure why you are mentioning "why is cocaine illegal" to my post? I am talking about LIDOCAINE IV infusions.

glennie19 · December 2014

Any chance you can talk to your current pain doctor and find out from him personally where he is going? Can you ask him why he thinks the new doctor won't do lidocaine infusions? It sucks to give up a pain regimen that works for you. Are there any other pain managment doctors in your area?

What pain managment options will the new doctor give you? You said that you can't take Vicodin every day. What about other oral pain meds? gabapentin is often helpful for nerve pain.

abigail48 · December 2014

because the synthetic cocaines are lethal. which is probably why the doctors are no longer doing those infusions

Tomboy · December 2014

lidocaine and cocaine, two separate chemical/ structurally not even the same. I have a whole bottle of lidocaine viscous solution, prescribed to me by ob/gyn.

abigail48 · December 2014

how do I know the synthetics are lethal? an aquaintence of mine died from a self injected shot of a synthetic coke. the account is still in print. "frisky" by herbert huncke. & the real botanical no doubt has alcoloids to help with pain that are not present in the synthetics

Msqueen57 · December 2014

Ladies, let's get back on topic, which is how cinnamonsmiles can get a workable pain management plan in place. As someone who suffered from chronic pain before the BC, it is not always easy. What works for one person doesn't work for another. I had never heard of lidocaine IV infusions. Do have lidocaine patches that can be placed where the pain is.

I second glennie19 regarding gabapentin for treatment of nerve pain, it works great for that purpose. It is very important that you find a doctor or doctors who are willing to help you manage your pain. I find what works for me changes over time. I try to take as little pain medication as possible since you never know when the next medical surprise will occur and I don't want to build up a tolerance.

Hope you are able to get the help that you need. 🐈🐈🐈

cinnamonsmiles · December 2014

Thanks for the support, MsQueen! I have been on 2100 mg of Gabapentin daily, 25 mg of Amitriptyline, Vicodin and Tramadol (I don't take both on same day), & a muscle relaxer at night since 2011.

Lidocaine patches didn't work because they made the pain worse when I removed them. Also, my Pain area is so larger across the bottom of the rib cage up to the clavicels on the front, side, and part of the back, and the back of the upper arms and armpits.

The IV bag of Lidocaine was given over 30 minutes and worked wonders for me! But without the IV Lidocaine now, I know from past experience when I went past the 9 week mark, pain was awful.

I guess I will see how I can manage, try and stay positive, and see if my family doctor might prescribe it somehow for me. Maybe I could getem in her office (with heart, O2, and blood pressure readings). I will see what she says.

You all are helping me so much. I can brainstorm a bit, make plans, ask for help and see what I can manage.

Moderators · December 2014

We are sorry that a pain treatment that worked for you, is no longer available. It will be interesting to ask the new Pain specialist why Lidocaine is no longer available to you as there may be a newer, safer, option that is worth trying. Is there a solvent to remove Lidocaine patches without discomfort perhaps?

We hope you are able to find a treatment option that suits you and decreases your pain.

The Mods

Tomboy · December 2014

I am also hoping very much that you can find something that works for you, cinnamonsmiles! Maybe just that pain clinic is not set up to do an IV infusion. Can you call around, and see if there is another one that can? Or maybe your primary care doctor can help you to find a place that can, or help find something that works? i'm with you, the day to dayness of pain is debilitating and depressing. I take percocets, and 600 mgs of gapapentin. My nurse wants me to try cymbalta, but I already take a statin since femara has raised my cholesterol, and the femara. I think thats a lot of things to have coarsing through me, but yeah pain is getting real old. good luck to you, I hope you find some relief soon. You can always show up in the emergency room, and tell them what happened, if it gets really really bad.

Meow13 · December 2014

I have a terrible time with pain relief. After surgery nurse gave me half a pill of Percocet I immediately got nausea and dizziness. Vicadin I can't take. I did get hydromorphone tablets 2 mg I can take those for pain. I am not sure if it would work on nerve pain but they help me through the tough pain. My mother has nerve pain and she takes prednisone but she hates the puffy face she gets as a se.

besa · December 2014

cinnamonsmiles- in terms of trying to find out where your original doctor is moving... Many facilities seem to have what I am told are called "non-compete" clauses written into their physician's contracts. While they are working at a facility/practice they are planning on leaving they are not able to tell you where they are going (and probably no one else working at that facility will give you that information.) I have faced this situation a number of times and have gotten around it by talking to the doctor that is leaving and giving her my home email address. After they have left their old place and are at the new place they then can send you an email telling you where they are. Another option may be to look the doctor up in linkedin (assuming they have a linked in account) and seeing where they have moved.

Do these practices think they are keeping patients this way? When I understood what was going on I was very hesitant to use another doctor at the same practice. I moved on to someplace new...

Soniatoronto · April 2015

Dear Warrior Princesses

I belong to a group of support for women with PMPS aka Post mastectomy pain Syndrom.

We give support and we share information about POST MASTECTOMY PAIN SYNDROME.
If you are in pain, or maybe you don't know you have this syndrome, please send me a private message or request to be accepted in this Facebook group
The MORE, the BETTER. Any woman can help you, or any other maybe your advice can help somebody.
Thank You!!

The group's address is

https://www.facebook.com/groups/759940397434876/

Gentle hugs

Sonia

Part of Badly Needed Pain Treatments Ending

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