1 reply to this topic

[willowpatillo]

My Husband has MS and is paralyzed from the T9 down. He experiences extreme pain in his lumbar region. We go to pain management and they have tried him on both Morphine and Methadone, he did not like the side effects of either and they did not do enough for the pain to put up with them. He is now taking Nucynta....that seems to only help on occasion, so not sure if it is the drug or simply the pain subsiding on its own as it regularly does.

He was bed-ridden shortly after being diagnosed in 2007 due to the chemo treatments, during that time he got a bed sore on his back "butt bone" (for lack of knowing the real name:) ) Since that time he spends 2 to 3 hours on each side. He tries to get up once a day for at least 2 to 3 hours, last night he only made it 45 minutes.

We have tried thinking of what could be causing the pain, not getting up enough, lack of exercise, sleeping position (pillow between legs while on sides).

My original thought was that he had been in bed for so long that he needed physical therapy to get used to being up again, however the therapy itself would often times knock him out for 2 to 3 days after and the pain would be worse.

Now I wonder if we should re-think the way his legs lay.

I read the post about the Warfarin and supplements and will definitely try that if his Doc approves.

If anyone has any other suggestions I would love to hear them. He is only 37 and has 2 little girls that need their Daddy. The pain is the only thing holding him back. I just want to help make it better and I don't know what to do. The pain management lady told him "you might just be in chronic pain for the rest of your life" He was depressed for a WEEK after that. To me we have not tried enough avenues yet for that to have been said.

Please Help
Thanks

[edlee]

Ther may well be pain for the rest of his life,,, BUT,, it can be managed. Intercostal injections have helped many,, and there are hundreds of different drug therapies that are not limited to opiates, but that might include anti-spasmatics, antidepressants, or even some of the newer nsaids in combination with the others.

The key is to keep asking, and to not be afraid to switch doctors when one runs out of ideas. The internet is a wealth of info,, don't be afraid to bring new ideas you find there to the attention of your doctor of the moment. If he/she doesn't like it,, find a new one.

I'm fighting the battle, too. I wish you luck.
ed