Medical advice... pain killers

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Psychopomp

Joined
Feb 21, 2005
Messages
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Greetings all.

I need some medical advice and I'm not really sure how to go about getting it, so maybe some of you good folks could point me in the right direction.

First a little background.

In January 2002 I woke up late for class, got dressed and sprinted for the dorm door. I didn't make it out the door with my feet on the ground though. I tripped over the threshold, went head first down two steps and landed on the palm of my left hand. The result was a dislocated elbow. In the process I shattered the end of the ulna and broke a chunk off the end of the humerous. On top of that, I tore the ligaments from both sides.

I was taken to the hospital and given morpheine, but the pain really wasn't that bad. It was more uncomfortable than anything. I lay in the hospital bed for about four hours with a dilocated elbow because the only orthopedic surgeon in town was performing emergency surgery on a car accident victim.

When the doctor was finally able to put the elbow back in place, I had to schedule surgery for the next day to reattach ligaments and remove the fragments of bone.

To get through the night they gave me oxycontin. It dulled the pain, but didn't make it go away.

The pain after surgery was almost unbearable. The perscribed vicodin ES, and it helped but not much. I asked for oxycontin but they wouldn't give it to my for some reason... but honestly, I don't think pure heroin would have done much for the pain after surgery.

After being in a cast for about three months and on vicodin for about two of those months, I made as full a recovery as possible and regained about 98% range of motion.

The pain has never completely gone away.

Seven years later and the pain is getting worse.

When I rotate my shoulder it makes a crunching sound which I think is either a bone chip or rotator cuff damage.

But right now I can't afford surgery, I know that that's probably my best option, but I really just want something to help with the pain.

At this point the pain ranges from a dull, hot ache to feeling like my arm is being ripped off.

I'm going to try to schedule a doctor's appointment for this Thursday. The problem is, the doctor that did my surgery has since retired, so I'm going to be going to a doctor that doesn't know my medical history.

I'm concerned about going in asking for pain killers. I don't want to be seen as a drug seeker, but I don't want to have to sit through endless tests and x-rays when all I want is something to help with the pain so I can function and sleep at night.

I'm typically the last person in the world to self medicate. I have to be in agony before I'll even take asprin for a headache.

What should I do? I can't just say "hey doc I want some vicodin."

Any medical professionals have some ideas on how to avoid sounding like a drug addict when I go? I'd gladly submit to a drug test if that would help proove that I don't just want to get high.

Thanks for any ideas.

EDIT: I should add that over the counter stuff like Tylenol, Motrin, Advil and the like have no effect at all. When I had braces when I was a kid I used to get horrific headaches that would last for a week or more, and I took so many OTC pain killers that they just don't do anything for me any more.
 
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Sorry to hear about the injury; I'm PM'ing with some advice - NOT legal, just from my own experience.

thx - cpr

Edited to add:

Oops - can't PM, so I'll go ahead and post here. Sorry if it's a little lengthy & boring.

Between 1987 (in the Navy) and now, I've managed to hurt myself enough times - I won't bore you with the details, I'll just say I can relate - that some part of me is in moderate-to-serious pain, just about every day. I have been on Vicoden off & on for the last 8-9 years. I've tried pretty much about everything similar to Vicoden that a doctor can prescribe, and Vicoden is about the only thing that will work. Some days I don't need any, other days it's 1-1/2 pills, at least. (Anything stronger makes me hallucinate & puke.) Occasionally, I can get by with Advil for a few days, but sooner or later I'm back to vicoden.

So, I wrote all of that to write this:

What happened to you should be on a record that is accessible. Even with a new doctor, there should be enough info on file for them, and you, to make a decision on pain management. At this point, statistically, people with a serious injury like yours have a regimen of pain management, that may (or may not) include narcotic painkillers, cortizone shots, etc. I know this from friends of mine who were/are semi-pro & pro athletes.

I'd be open with your doctor about what you need, tell him what you're afraid of (no sleep, being labeled a 'drug-seeker', etc.), and tell him that you need to do something. For me, if I get to the point where I'm taking vicoden on a regular basis, as in more than one a day, I keep a journal, (I make notes in my day-planner) so my doctor/doctors can understand what's going on that causes the need. (Usually it's long periods of non-stop activity on my part.)

I've changed doctors several times over the last 8-9 years, and once they know my history, there isn't a problem.

I don't believe in people being in pain if it can be dealt with, or at least minimized. So, unless you've had chemical dependency issues in the past, I'd say ask for whatever you need.

Good luck. Pain sucks. "Pain is just icky-poo." (That's what my son said when he got his first road-rash when he was four.)

thx - cpr
 
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Thanks. I'd like to keep it legal, like I said, I'm not a drug seeker. But I'm about at the limit of what I can take. I probably haven't slept more than two to three hours a night since November because of the pain.

Right now it's not too bad. Some days I nearly forget that I ever hurt it. My range of motion is good in the elbow... I can bend in all the way, but can't straighten it out as far as the uninjured one.

The range of motion in my shoulder is good and when it crunches when I rotate it, it doesn't really hurt. There's a little pain, but moving it doesn't hurt.

Making a fist hurts sometimes. I dropped a beer a few nights ago because when I picked it up it felt like I'd rested my arm on an electric fence.

I hate the fact that I'm 28 years old and my arm feels like it's going to fall off. I also hate the fact that I'm so damn paranoid about asking for pain killers that I need.
 
bro im an emt and you would not sound like a drug seeker it sounds to me that your shoulder pain is coming from a torn labrum which is located inside by your rotater cuff by brother had the same thing as you. i would try to see if your doc could give you phentinol, or oxycodone, (percocet) in 7.5/325 the 325 is actually acedamenaphin which will helpwith inflamation hope this helps
 
I pulled my lower back muscles last week just getting up off the puter chair. I found Alleve to work the best for OTC medicine. I went into to Target to find it, and would'nt you know it, bottom shelf. Sheeeeeesh, thanks alot merchandising geniuses! I jokingly complained to the pharmacy on staff, and she said the lady that asked for Midol (also bottom shelf) was not as nice as I was. I laughed pretty hard, which hurt my back some more. Prayers sent for healing. Stay away from RWS's witch doctors wanting your credit card #.
 
Psychopomp said:
I dropped a beer a few nights ago because when I picked it up it felt like I'd rested my arm on an electric fence.

I hate the fact that I'm 28 years old and my arm feels like it's going to fall off. I also hate the fact that I'm so damn paranoid about asking for pain killers that I need.
Click to expand...

"dropped a beer . . . " That's most likely a nerve thing, it was for me. Occasionally I can't use some of my tools for the same reason. :( Feels like my 'funny-bone' is out of control.

Don't feel so bad about your age. Those athlete types I mentioned earlier have told me some really rough stories, about fairly young guys. I'm not into name-dropping, but I'll just say that they were close enough to some pretty big-name pros, and you'd be amazed at how badly damaged some of these guys are. Some of them (the young guys) are just trying to get through a 2-3 year contract, to bank enough to retire if they have to. And some are in their mid 20's. :eek: (Some of those guys are taking 800mg. ibuprofen, 3-4 times a day, not to mention much stronger stuff.) Often times, it's not from being hit & hammered on the field, as much as pushing themselves too hard in training.

Why couldn't God make us with titanium bones & kevlar skin?

thx - cpr
 
orca8589 said:
Good luck. Pain sucks. "Pain is just icky-poo." (That's what my son said when he got his first road-rash when he was four.)

thx - cpr
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot. I know my concerns are probably just paranoia, but around here every kid you run into has vidocin or percocet or xanax for sale.

And it should be obvoius from my medical history that I don't have a history of taking pain medication.

I had percocet after knee surgery when I was 13. I was given vicodin after gall bladder surgery when I was 19 or so but never even filled the perscription (really didn't need it, in fact, I don't think I took any pain meds after that one). And the last time I took narcotic pain killers (vicodin) was March or April of 2002.

At this point the entire left side of my body hurts from compensating for the shoulder/elbow.

I'm hoping the orthopeadic center has an opening on Thursday.

Let me ask this... do walk in clinics perscribe pain killers? Or are those the places where the drug seekers really like to go? I ask because if I can't get an appointment with a doctor in town this week I really don't think I can take it another week until I have another day off, and there's a walk in/free clinic about 25 minutes from here.

Thanks for the advice, orca, that really settled my mind a lot.
 
Don't worry so much about the Drug seeker thing. Just tell them how much it hurts and how its been effecting your daily life.
I've been lucky enough to have never had any problems with docs thinking I'm a drug seeker. All my injuries have been all too evident.
I also have that problem with not taking pain meds. I actually refused them after reconstructive surgery on my hand. Never took anything, just dealt with the pain. I didn't make that same mistake when I almost blew my hand off last May.
Good luck with your shoulder
 
I understand the aprehension about seeing a new doctor and his not understanding your situation. However, there may be an upside: maybe he'll give you a second opinion and find a new or better way to help you; or something your first doctor missed; or a new but related problem that can be fixed.

Good luck, and I'm sure it sucks feeling like you are 90 when you aren't even 30, but is sounds like you have a good grip on reality and if you can lick the pain you will be satisfied, that seems like a good point of view for having a happy life.
 
outside of surgeny in a large city.use your personal m.d. your own dr. knows more about you & will o. k. any drug if he feals good with it.works for me.
 
Don't overlook the OTC drugs... just got to use them properly. Fortunately for me, ibuprofen works... if I take 800mg every 8 hours, DAILY. Since I don't like doing this, I live with pain constantly and take ib only when it gets REAL bad. You need to find out what works for you. Acetominophen (Tylenol) doesn't do diddly for me. I would go into liver failure from it before it relieved a lick of pain. Alleve (naproxen) will make me puke with just one dose. Narcotics. Narcotics do bad things to me... without getting graphic, they can disrupt your sleep, bowel habits, your musculoskeletal "harmony" (for lack of better terms), and your sanity/personality. I've tried even synthetic narcotics, and they still do bad things for me.

Whiskey.... works fricken' great, especially in large quantities. Unfortunately, you really cannot do much else besides sit around all F'd up. The hangovers can be pretty bad too.

Get your shoulder looked at. Seek out a pain clinic, there are more modalities than just drugs.

Good luck.
 
I hope the doctor you see is better than the two I went to last year after I was T boned in my work truck by an Escalade.

I have had years of back injuries and neck injuries from auto accidents and work injuries so when this one happened it made most of my old pains come back with a vengeance.

I have to work every day , if I miss a day I can get behind a week , doesnt make sense but you would get it if you worked here.. when I went to the first doctor , she gave me Aleve and motrin and sent me on my way , after I specfically requested something to KILL THE PAIN , aleve is junk when my neck and back act up , motrin does work though to an extent.
The second doc was worse , gave me a skeletal muscle relaxer that has more side effects than I can put in two paragraphs , and .. motrin.
I finally broke down and asked for codiene , vicodin , something I knew would work in conjunction with the motrin but his reply was that they 'just dont hand out pain killers'.

Good luck...


edit - I was going to be nice but... both of those doctors were eggheads , the man insisted on x-rays even though I had them sent from the previous doctor.. ironically enough when my molar impacted early last year I was given the keys to the vocodin castle ! but for back and neck pain ?? no soup for me.

:)

Tostig
 
Ask your primary care physician to refer you to a pain management doctor/clinic.
It's not an addiction (even if you become so) if it's treating real pain.
 
Thursday was spent calling as many doctors as I could. Four of the six I called wouldn't take a new patient. The two that would accept me as a patient have a policy against perscribing narcotic pain killers to new patients.

I got in touch with a "free clinic," but I think it's going to be more of a hassle than anything. A friend of mine went to them and was given pain killers when she hurt her shoulder. I called them on Thursday, and scheduled an appointment. For 9/11. Two and a half weeks away... That appointment isn't to see an actual doctor... it's to see if I qualify. Then another wait of (according to my friend) up to three weeks for an actual appointment.

I don't have health insurance with my new job yet, so I should qualify... I just don't know if I can wait that long.

On Monday I'm going to call the orthopedic center here in town and see if I can be considered a returning patient. If so, they should be able to help me... paying for it will be a trick though.

I don't have a primary care physician. I moved here in 1999 to go to school and haven't left... but I don't get sick. The only time I've needed a doctor in the past ten years is when I hurt my arm.

The last three days have been almost intollerable.

Something's gotta happen next week. Fortunately, my new Paramilitary should be sharp enough to cleanly amputate if it comes down to it.
 
You have my sympathy. Being in pain all the time is not fun...

About 4 years ago I injured my left arm at work. I tried everything from therapy to accupuncture. I finally got hooked up with a great Orthopedic specialist.

He finally figured out what was wrong, which was nice, but he also told me that surgery would have a great chance of doing nothing or making it worse.
I tried Percocet which worked but made me nauseated. I have the same problem as others, OTC stuff does nothing. I have been taking Vicodin for a while now, and it is nice to have. Like you it doesn't always get rid of all the pain, but it makes it tolerable.. The doctor has me go in periodically to have my liver and kidneys checked.

I was like you, I didn't want them to think I was a druggy, and was apprehensive about asking. It got to the point where I didn't care what they thought, I wanted relief. Don't be afraid to ask, thats what they make the stuff for.

Living with pain and being miserable is no way to go through life.

Good luck on finding a good doctor
 
Dude, it sound like something's not right inside your arm and that's what keeps stimulating the pain. If it hasn't gone away by now - it's not going to go by itself. If you leave it as is, you're likely to get chronic pain - which is different from normal pain. Chronic pain doesn't go away with normal painkillers, in fact eventually even if there is nothing to stimulate the pain - you'll still be in serious agony. The king of painkillers they use for that are not the type you can work while using.

So, find out what's causing the pain and get it fixed ASAP. You'll save yourself a lot of pain and money in the long run.
 
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