Pain Management - Page 2 - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

Meaghan · 04-07-2009, 07:43 PM

Bridget,

My husbands really good friend uses the patches and they have saved his life.... he hasn't had gastric bypass (but that shouldn't matter?), anyway he has had 3 back surgeries, tried every drug imaginable and was tired of feeling like a zombie just to make it through the day ~ so he's been using the patch now for 6 months and is a completely new person, like he is alive again.
It's also lifted his depression, which is directly due to being in pain.

Hope this helps? I'd give it a try and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

bridgetgirl · 04-07-2009, 08:42 PM

Thank you Meaghan, Im definitely going to look into it. Plus I have tinnitus and the Vicodin and Ultram makes it louder which sucks! Hopefully patches wont ... THAT would be cool!

Phoenixfire · 04-08-2009, 04:47 PM

Hey sorry I didn't see this, haven't been on alot, but I've got an answer for ya sweetie!

I'm obviously more than a year out, so I can answer

I'm on Fentanyl and it works GREAT. I was on it for a couple years awhile ago, and I've been on it for almost a year this time around.

There are NO issues with absorption and I have no side effects, except sleep interference the first night I wear it. So I put it on at midnight before going to sleep.

That's the only side effect - and that means I don't have the side effect of euphoria. I've never heard of that being a side effect for anyone. Good to know if you're facing an addiction concern.

I also use up to 3 Lidoderm patches a day (it's prescription strength lidocaine in a large patch). They work well, just to bump the pain down a notch. They aren't nearly strong enough to manage pain all by themselves.

I use oral breakthrough narcotics (not time released) when I need them.

I HIGHLY recommend Fentanyl patches. They don't get you "high" so the abuse potential is low in my opinion. There isn't a rebound effect like oral meds cause. And when you need to go off them, if you have to at some point, there is a protocol involved using Suboxone to treat the withdrawal symptoms. But withdrawing is a strange bird...don't worry about it now.

Just get your doctor to prescribe this. You sound like a perfect candidate. Your liver will thank you after you get off those oral narcotics! I've used them back when I was fat and now that I'm thin. They work better now, if you can imagine that! Don't know why...

Dave T in SD · 04-08-2009, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bridgetgirl

Has anyone at least one year post RNY GBP had to go into pain management for whatever aliments they have? Mine is ortho/nuero. I have 3 levels of degenerative disc disease and 2 herniated discs. I have been on Vicodin (varying strengths) since Dec of 07, after a car accident. I wasnt getting relief from Vicodin 7.5/750 so they put me on Oxycontin 40mg twice a day, then the Oxy IR 5 mg every 4 hours, as well as Amrix muscle relaxant once at night at Amitriptyline 50 mg once at night. I didnt get better relief from the Oxy so I stayed on the Ami and the Amrix and went to Vicodin 10/660. The problem is I still have a ton of pain, into my feet and toes, sciatica bilaterally and a burning sensation at mid back that just wont quit. I take the 10/660 every 4 hours as well. Ive been trying this med combo for a little over a six weeks.

So what I want to know is, has anyone tried Fentanyl (sp?) Patches? I wish I could stop pain pill all together and do that. I really dont know how much longer I can work like this and I cant help but think my GBP surgery is limiting the benefits from oral pain meds.

Any ideas? Feed back or experiences? Only from post ops please! THANKS!

Hey Sis,
I've been on the patch for almost a year.
I'm on the 75MCG/hr patch right now. We are looking at stepping up to the 100MCG/hr at the end of the month. What a difference.

I'm off the Oxy and on Norco 10/325 6/day...
I can actually function as a regular human most days.

GO FOR IT if they will get you on them!!!

bridgetgirl · 04-09-2009, 07:01 PM

Thanks my brother Dave and sister Christine

My next appointment is May 1st so I have to wait until then unfortunately. I really appeciate your feedback ALOT. Thanks a million to everyone! MUAH

jerseygrl684 · 04-09-2009, 07:11 PM

I wasn't ignoring you. Apparently the extended release oxycodone wasnt doing a thing for her. As a result, she is back on dilaudid 8mg a day!

It's surreal. Sadly the only thing helping her sleep is smoking pot and while i do not condone it nor do i agree with it, she is in a ton of pain.

Bridget, i hope you get better.. i hate seeing ANYONE in pain like that.

bridgetgirl · 04-09-2009, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerseygrl684

I wasn't ignoring you. Apparently the extended release oxycodone wasnt doing a thing for her. As a result, she is back on dilaudid 8mg a day!

It's surreal. Sadly the only thing helping her sleep is smoking pot and while i do not condone it nor do i agree with it, she is in a ton of pain.

Bridget, i hope you get better.. i hate seeing ANYONE in pain like that.

Thanks darlin. The hardest part is with chronic pain you get fatigue. I HATE not having the energy like I used to have. Im gonna bring up the patch thing, Im tired of pills.

My sister was on Dilaudid at one time I took a couple of her pills to try it out, it didnt help at all.

I hope with the patches it will reduce my tinnitus too, being on Ultram makes it LOUD and its harder for me to hear people, it sucks.

Thanks again sugar pea!

jerseygrl684 · 04-09-2009, 07:18 PM

I remember when I had my stomach pain, even dilaudid wasn't working. It's amazing how the strongest meds don't work, and what works KILLED my pouch.

Baja Big Dog · 04-10-2009, 12:11 AM

Im on 12 Norcos a day, (well thats whats prescribed, I dont take them all). I dont have any problems with functioning. I have been dealing with some reconstructed knee attempts, as well as some horrific fricken ankle repairs the went south.

I know that Kristine has some pain levels that make mine look like a merry go round ride, she is one tough chickie, her pain levels would send most of us to the grave. She knows her pain meds....

bridgetgirl · 04-17-2009, 10:03 PM

What is Norco anyway? I best google that.

I was able to get in today. I had taken yesterday and today off from work (unplanned) due to pain. I had trigger point injections into my neck saturday afternoon, 15 of them, more on my left side than my right. This was my second round. The first time I felt great and went back to work the following day feeling great! Wednesdays procedure was a different story, I could barely lift my left arm and the pain was awful, this time it even left bruising at the injection sites. (15 of them) But anyways ..

I was at work on tuesday and the Dr I work with knows my medical condition and pain Im on. Sometimes he accuses me of being "spaced out" and tries to insinuate that Im "high" on my pain med. He's full of shit, yeah I get tired really easy, especially if I had bad sleep the night before. I have had alot of stress in the last 6 months. I had to move, put my kid in a new school AGAIN, had to do what I could from 3000 miles away as my son Eli was failing school, hating his father and putting up wit verbal and then physical abuse from his dad .., a man who had been deceiving me about finances for years that I found out recently as well. My mother has MS, Lupus and Fibro Myalgia her condition is progressing quickly and she needs some home care. She was evicted from her home for not paying HOA fees (I paid it and got her back in), I was struggling financially ... I mean I could go on, but I have a lot of crap going on in my life. On tuesday we were seeing patients after lunch time. On this day my mom had to go to the ER in the hospital we are attached to and my son Elijah was acting up in school, being defiant and making a scene and got a phone call about that and he was sent to the principal. When he came into work I was working on the computer on a patients medical record and he says (after being on vacation for a week), " You looked tired and spaced out." I said Im not tired and he gives me the "uh huh sure you're not" wisecrack and walks away from me. I was friggin pissed! There was no way I was going to work with him in super pain for 8 hours and put up with crap like that, I decided I wasn't going in until I was 100%. (I kind of hope I get fired for calling out... maybe next friday??) That was me venting, thank you for listening.

So I called my Neurosurgeons office yesterday and I didnt hear back from his MA, so I called today and she got me an appt for 3. Yippee! He d/c the Vicodin and placed me back on Oxy 60mg twice a day and 10mg Oxy IR every 4 hours. So far Im comfortable.

I discussed the patch with him and he wasn't thrilled. He says it has a risk for too many side effects, etc, etc. He said if my PTP agreed to it he would follow me after being watched for a month. I decided to stick with a pill plan. So far I think I am on the right track for pain relief ... Im excited... for now.

Talk to you soon peeps, thank you VERY much for all of your support, input and kind words.