Chronic Pain Revisited

About nine years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, which was a kick in the pants.  But I discovered that regular exercise (bike riding for me), vitamin D3 AND cutting wheat out of my diet seemed to help me quite a bit.

Just last year I discovered that ALL wheat wasn’t the problem, just – maybe – wheat that had been processed with Round Up during harvesting. So I decided to stick with only organic wheat and that worked well.  So when I wanted a treat, I’d bake it myself, and we found a really nice organic pasta that seemed to ‘play well’ with my pain.

Now I’m facing a new kind of chronic pain, and this one won’t be made better with diet (although exercise is always good at strengthening the muscles, which help support my body and can ease pain…)

My new chronic pain comes from the damaged vertebrae (crushed? split?) T9 and T10 mostly, along with one lower down in the lumbar area.  These are areas where I had tumors growing during my lymphoma.

My back pain was what alerted me that there was something more serious going on in my body.  Apparently by the time I had my MRI last July and they found the tumors (spine ones, AND tumors in my chest area and back of my skull) the spine tumor had grown SO large that it had grown through T9 & T10 and had split the verts, or done some kind of major damage.

Through the miracle of radiation treatments and chemo, the tumors are gone, and I am in remission, and I am glad and thankful.

But the damage caused to the spine is still there.  It will remain, and it will cause me pain.

I have a special knowledge of this pain because, ironically, Gerry suffered with his T9 & T10 when they were crushed (possibly during physical therapy he shouldn’t have been doing) and he had extreme pain.

He had a procedure called kyphoplasty (he was supposed to have vertebroplasty but as they were wheeling him into the operating room they told him that his insurance would only cover the first procedure, not the one his doctor had recommended…)

But I saw how he suffered every day after his diagnosis with the pain.  Gerry was NOT a complainer – not like me, I could win a gold medal if complaining were ever an olympic event – so when he would mention his back pain it was notable.

He took Oxycontin twice a day, every day, and when he ran out of his drug it was dreadful.  Of course he’d usually run out at 5:05 on Friday, just as his pharmacy had closed and wouldn’t open for the weekend.  I started hiding four of his pills so when he’d run out I’d have enough to get him through the weekend.

I take Oxy three times a day, every day, every eight hours.  By the time I get to hour seven, my back is complaining pretty badly, but I pride myself on seldom dipping into my ‘breakthrough pain’ supply of lower dose Oxycodone.

But I ran out yesterday.  So today I was running on fumes, trying to make do with the breakthrough pain med, which is NOT slow-release so it just doesn’t work as well as my Oxycontin (contin=continuous pain relief)

And Andy just got home, at 6:30, from picking up my refill from my own pharmacy, which is across the street from Gerry’s old cancer center & pharmacy, and which stays open later.  Thank heaven.

Standing here and looking forward, to a life where I will need to take pain pills every eight hours to have the strength to just EXIST is hard.  I know there are other ways to ease pain, and I’m a huge believer in acupuncture and water therapy and exercise.  But, and this I know from my 12 years caring for Gerry, there are some levels of pain that have to be dealt with using the strong stuff.

Being from West Virginia, and knowing the effect drugs like Oxy and Hydrocodone have had on so many poor folks who fall into the pit of prescription drug abuse, my Oxy is a bitter pill to swallow (in more ways than one!)

What this guy calls the “Hillbilly mating call.”

I’m grateful that I have insurance (through the ACA, please mention me as someone whose life was saved by Obamacare when you find yourself in an argument with anyone) and I’m grateful that I live in Minnesota, where the coverage is very good.  Gerry’s coverage, ironically, wasn’t quite as good as mine is, so his co-pay was pretty dreadful.  Mine is notable, but I know how high it MIGHT be, and I’m grateful I can afford it.

Today I had Xrays of both knees because the pain has become so severe when I try to walk that it just feels WORSE than my arthritis used to feel.  I don’t know if the pain increase is in any way caused by the cancer, but the pain is so strong that I’m awakened by it several times a night, when I shift my legs and knees, because that movement is enough to send shrieks of pain up and down my legs.

After the past 9 months I’d be happy never to see the inside of a hospital again, but part of me is also wondering if a knee replacement is in my future.  I see an orthopedic doc in a few weeks, the same doc I saw 2 years ago who gave me a shot in my knee that helped quite a bit, and I’m curious to find out if this knee pain can be surgically remedied.

To that end, I’m actively seeking someone who cycles who has had “adult training wheels” attached to their bike.  I was pondering getting a tricycle, but in honesty I’d rather keep my Trek and use training wheels if that would work.

If you’ve had these training wheels attached to you bike, or know someone who has, and have an opinion about them, I would LOVE to hear it!  I really need to be able to get back on my bike.  I need a non-weight bearing exercise* to build up my muscles and help relieve my pain.  I need to be back on my bike!

The next step will be acquiring them, and having them attached to the bike, but one step at a time!!

*I know you’re going to mention Swimming.  I love swimming, and have no problem with it, but the pool is far from my house and, once there, getting into the pool is a bit of drama with my limited mobility.  If I could get my bike working for my damaged body, it would be available to me 24/7 and would be easier than getting into and out of a pool.