Welcome back wes. I tried to withdraw from my opiates a while back and it was too painful for me. Truth is, I function fine with them and very badly without them (due to the crippling pain), and thus I honestly can’t see why I should NOT take them. For those like myself, who will either accept the need for powerful painkillers (of which opiates are second only to morphine) or live in crippling pain for the rest of my life, I think the focus on them is pathetic. The feds should leave the decision between the doctor and the patient.
Taking my Norco away should be considered analogous to taking the crutches away from a man with no legs. May all those beaurocrats who think it should be banned become disabled in their later years. Maybe then they’ll finally understand.
I’m not knowledgeable of the chemistry involved, but I know very well what withdrawal feels like. It ain’t pretty.
yeah mountain, It was just a personal choice because of the side effects and the fact that the methadone was no longer helping much. since I m no longer in a steel shop 50 hours a week I will try to deal with it. the x-ray injections help, a lot, and I m using marijuana to help deal with the pain and help me sleep. it doesn t really stop the pain, but helps you tolerate it and still do chores and be pleasant. the dependence really bothered me. I did not like being scared of the withdrawal either. I may keep something in the med cabinet for the bad times, but daily use and dependence was hurting me more than helping. I took them for four years, everyday and would not have been able to work my last two years without them. they were a godsend, and allowed me to dig out of the hole I was in financially after my lung surgery. I believe strongly in allowing people to ease their pain, it was just not right for me anymore.
I feel like my old self again now and some side effects ended almost immediately, including, but not only, my push rod, to use a car term. the withdrawal was horrible, I had weaned down, as I had been planning to stop, but not enough. its only been 20 days now and my body is acting screwy still, but the withdrawal pain is done. the first 5days were the worst. thanks buddy, nice to hear from you again.
I’ve got some pain issues myself and have had for 30+ years. It’s pretty difficult to work and cope with things like that when the docs won’t prescribe anything other than a limited supply of prescription Tylenol. Might as well eat M & Ms for all the good those do.
Spent many of my breaks at work and lunch hours in the storage room flat on my back on a mechanic’s creeper or a cold steel table before psyching myself up for the next few hours.
Five major surgeries and need 5 or 6 more assorted ones. Piece of cake…
Had another b-day yesterday and the wife had asked what I wanted. My response was why bother, I’m not getting a new Harley or morphine drip anyway…
Yeah, Tylenol alone works about as well as M&Ms for me too.
I admit to being afraid of going under the knife. There’s a 1-in-3 chance it’ll work, a 1-in-3 chance it won’t help at all, and a 1-in-3 chance it’ll make you worse. My neighbor and good friend has had 4 or 5 surgeries, and this last one left him much worse off. I manage with the painkillers, a cane, and what I call “behavior modification” (which means I simply don’t try to do things I know I should not.
However, this thread isn’t car related and I fear we’ll be cancelled, so I’ll sign off now.
Good to have you back, wes.
Good luck on that surgery, OK4450, if you decide to have it.
mountainbike, you know I m a fan of civil disobedience…
I ve had the exact same explanation of the chance that surgery could help me, plus they could really only work on one bad spot at a time.
ok 4450, sorry to hear that. I understand. stretching regimen can be very helpful too, but you need someone to teach you the techniques. kinda like yoga a little, but you have to start slow and do the right stretches, the wrong ones can hurt you. there are also x ray steroid injections that shrink discs that irritate spinal nerves, they work! don t let them stab blindly tho, doing it under xray is the key
Good morning, and welcome back, wes. I’d wondered if you were okay. I didn’t want to jump in too early because I wasn’t sure where the discussion would go, but please try to keep discussions related to the forum’s theme. You’re welcome to take your discussion private. I say it without disrespect to what you’ve gone through, and wish you continued recovery. Thank you.
Welcome back @wesw. I’ve was on oxycodone 5-mg or 10-mg last week for a hernia repair. The pain was still terrible, and the acetaminophine didn’t help much either. I am progressing well and off the pain meds completely. I can even climb stairs normally now, if slowly. I haven’t looked at what I wrote last week from my narcotic/pain haze. I bet it was amusing. Well, that’s what I go for much of the time anyway. I have to be earnest at work and like an outlet for a little joking as well as an automotive education.
Glad to see you back @wes. The subject of dealing with the various pains from years of abusing the body reminds me of the nights my dad would arrive home after 14 hours on his feet. He would pour several ounces of Old Charter in a glass and use it to wash down a couple of Stanback powders and say “Oh, my aching back.” A few years ago I realized how significant that complaint was.
we were built to live differently. I m sorry to hear so many of us suffer back problems. the stretching and steroids can help significantly. alchohol works too, but brings its own baggage. I stopped that gradually after I started pain meds. been two years since I even had a glass of wine at the holidays.
wesw–and others–should be aware that regular therapeutic massage can alleviate back and joint pain to an incredible extent.
No, I’m not talking about the sleazy “happy ending” places.
I am referring to legitimate establishments certified by the American Massage Therapy Association.
I began a regimen of therapeutic massage about 5 years ago, and after a few months, I was able to avoid taking pain killers except under unusual circumstances–like when I overdo things with my yard work. But, after an hour on the massage table, I am back to a pain-free state.
Glad to see you’re doing well wes. While I’m only in my late 20’s, Ive thrown my back out several times. Once bad enough to need physical therapy and cortisone injections. For me personally, daily stretching and light exercises that target certain trouble areas really help big time. Laying on a hard floor helps re-align things. Of course everyone has different situations. One day at a time wes! Make time every day to stretch like clockwork.
