Recently in drugs Category
A Brief History of Pain
[ rakaur on Sun Aug 03 at 10:51 AM // category: drugs, health, life, pain ]
Okay, so I haven’t touched on this subject in a while. Nothing had happened in a long time, because none of the doctors I had access to gave a shit. That changed when the clinic I go to got taken over by some new network, and got a new doctor. I figured I’d give him a try.
So I went in and gave him a brief history, but he could tell by the size of my file that I had been going at this for some time. We went through everything I’ve tried and done and tests I’ve had, etc. We touched on Marfan’s, and made an appointment for a specialist (which isn’t until October). Then, something happened. For the first time in the couple years I’ve been dealing with this, he said “we need to find some form of pain control.” He gave me tramadol. I could have wept.
Unfortunately, the tramadol wasn’t strong enough to do much for the pain. So I used it for a week, then called, and he added diclofenac to the tramadol. I did this for about a week, and it wasn’t working either, so I called again, and he asked me to come in.
I went in Friday, and we went over the stuff again, and he agreed to treat me with stronger medicine until my appointment, and we’ll figure out what we need to do long-term from there (hopefully). So now I’m on a daily regimen of Tylenol #3 (co-codamol), meloxicam, and cyclobenzaprine. I’ve only been on it for a few days, but so far it seems to be doing more than anything else in recent memory.
I hope.
-- rakaur // 2008.08.03 @ 10:51 AM
As Fleeting As Ever
[ rakaur on Sun Jul 20 at 08:30 PM // category: drugs, health, life, pain ]
My grandmother on my father’s side died on Thursday.
I am still unemployed.
Also on Thursday, I had an appointment with my usual clinic doctor. Apparently, the clinic was taken over by some other “network” or whatever the organizations are, and there was a new doctor. And he was awesome. I ran through my history, and mentioned the possibility of dural ecstasia due to Marfan’s syndrome, and he ran out and got like three textbooks and ran back in and sat down and talked to me like I was his best friend. He made an appointment for me with a cardiologist (though it’s quite far away; October 22nd) and gave me a prescription for tramadol and told me to call back in a week to see if it was working. Unfortunately it’s not, so I guess I’ll try to find some way to say that without appearing ungrateful for the medicine. Maybe this guy will actually figure things out. It sure would be nice.
I miss Kori.
-- rakaur // 2008.07.20 @ 08:30 PM
Another Trip to the ER!
[ rakaur on Wed May 14 at 06:16 PM // category: drugs, health, life, pain ]
I ran out of medicine, and I was doing alright for a week or so but then it started hitting me hard. Last night it was bad, and then all of a sudden started shooting down my left leg (which it has never done before) and it was awful. I started feeling sick and having the usual bowel issues that accompanies my symptoms. I didn’t want to go, because they never do anything for me, but I didn’t know what else I could do, so I went to the ER.
I got there and did the usual questions and they took me straight to the back. Walking was painful. As soon as I got back there a doctor came in and I gave him the symptoms and a brief history and the first thing he said is “it’s weird that your ESR and CRP are normal… but have you heard of ankylosing spondylitis?” That makes like four or five people that have suggested it. He told me to forget my regular doctors and go see a rheumatologist. He asked me what medicine I had and was appalled that all I take is naproxen. He gave me a shot of hydromorphone (Dilaudid) which totally took the pain away, and he gave me a script for a handful of Vicodin. I was almost in tears I was so relieved.
I tried to call my PCP to make an appointment with a rheumatologist but apparently there aren’t any at my hospital. That means I’d have to pay upfront for one. I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do about this. I’m now accepting PayPal donations (only partly joking I’m afraid).
I’m unsure what to do. Fingers crossed I guess.
-- rakaur // 2008.05.14 @ 06:16 PM
Elaboration on that Stoner Story (Updated!)
[ rakaur on Wed Apr 09 at 12:39 PM // category: drugs, health, life, pain // comments: 2 ]
When I posted this story, I didn’t really have time to elaborate and share my thoughts on it, so people asked my opinion in the comments. This is mostly a response to those.
Click here to read this entire entry.
-- rakaur // 2008.04.09 @ 12:39 PM
Confessions of an eBay Opium Addict
[ rakaur on Tue Apr 08 at 09:28 PM // category: drugs, health, life, pain // comments: 1 ]
This is pretty interesting. Maybe I don’t need to worry about doctors.
Also, see here.
-- rakaur // 2008.04.08 @ 09:28 PM
Kid ODs on Heroin, People Upset
[ rakaur on Mon Apr 07 at 11:06 AM // category: drugs, health, life ]
This one sounds a little fishy. Obviously the kid’s an idiot, but heroin on its own shouldn’t cause “organ failure.” The only organ that “fails” are the lungs, because respiratory function is depressed by opioids. This is totally reversed by administering naloxone, which any hospital would have done. Besides, that would have killed him when he did it, not two months later. Either it wasn’t heroin, it was cut with something very very bad like colchicine, or this isn’t the full story.
The drug caused organ failure resulting in brain damage through oxygen starvation and he died two months later.
-- rakaur // 2008.04.07 @ 11:06 AM
Birth Control, For Men
[ rakaur on Sun Mar 30 at 02:01 PM // category: drugs, health, life ]
The pill consists of progestin and testosterone. The female birth control pill usually consists of progestin and estrogen. How did it take them half a decade to figure out that swapping the female hormone for the male hormone would work?
They make way more money than I do, too.
A birth-control pill for men is now a reality, according to an international consortium of physicians who revealed their formula for “safe, effective and reversible” hormonal contraception for males.
The preparation includes progestin, a key ingredient found in women’s birth-control pills, and the male sex hormone testosterone.
-- rakaur // 2008.03.30 @ 02:01 PM
Pain Update
[ rakaur on Sun Mar 30 at 06:49 AM // category: drugs, health, life, pain ]
It’s become apparent that the new pain is now the normal pain. The pain level has increased significantly, by at least a point on the pain scale, and it’s (painfully) clear that it’s staying that way. Which is, you know, bad.
I’ve recently changed my drug regimine from:
- A whole fucking lot of Vicodin;
To more along the lines of:
- Not quite as fucking much of Vicodin, and;
- A significant quantity of naproxen and ibuprofen.
Which seems to have helped, but not significantly. On school days and/or days I’m not working the typical dosage of hydrocodone is around 15-25mg. On bad days and/or days I work 7-9 hours, the typical dosage is around 35-55mg. That’s quite a bit. I try to keep it as low as possible, but the bad days… not even that quantity helps the pain.
This is my life, it seems.
-- rakaur // 2008.03.30 @ 06:49 AM
Who Needs Sleep?
[ rakaur on Thu Mar 13 at 06:52 AM // category: drugs, health, life, pain ]
I do! I haven’t had it in about two days now! I don’t know if it’s the pain or some other random reason… I just simply can’t sleep. I’ve laid in bed and watched my girlfriend sleep for six hours then hung out with her while she gets ready for work then laid in bed for another six hours then gotten up and gone to work for nine, then come home and laid in bed and watched her sleep…
I just really want to fall asleep. I’m hoping stacking a combo of Vicodin, Xanax, ibuprofen, Benadryl, and beer will do the trick. If I die, at least the no one that reads my blog will know why. Please tell my family.
-- rakaur // 2008.03.13 @ 06:52 AM
Diagnosis?
[ rakaur on Tue Feb 26 at 04:26 PM // category: drugs, health, life, pain ]
I have a second appointment with my pain management doctor on Friday. I’m not really holding my breath, because so far he’s done exactly dick. Two months of physical therapy and my PT today said she thinks it’s ankylosing spondylitis, which is something I’ve been thinking for a month now. I have to wonder if me and a medical professional thinking it at the same time has any meaning.
The last three days have been torture. Constant, unrelenting pain all the way up my spine, especially my neck. For hours I just writhe around in pain. The pain itself doesn’t even seem that bad, in terms of intensity. It’s some other… property… of the pain that causes me to be overwhelmed by it. That’s why I have such a difficult time assigning a pain score. The pain itself isn’t that bad, but my ability to deal with it is nonexistent? I don’t know. I’ve given up trying to describe it.
If my doctor doesn’t do anything for me on Friday I’m going to ask to see a rheumatologist. Even if it is AS, there’s nothing I can do about it. TNF inhibitors are $18k a year… that’s more than I make. DAMRDs aren’t cheap either, and I have no idea what their efficacy is.
Sigh.
-- rakaur // 2008.02.26 @ 04:26 PM
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