Chronic Back Pain With Arthritis. All I Get Is Ibuprofen And Motrin

[Vync]

I had three steroid injections in my lower back, which were administered by a private anesthesiologist. The first one offered minimal relief. The second was two years later and was much better. The one I had last month really helped and my pain is minimal. I still have ROM problems with my flexibility and leg raises, but at least it doesn't feel like I have a knife in my back. The private physician knocked me out and used a flouroscope to administer the injections - I would have it no other way.

The VA gives me ibuprofin 800 3x/day and tyl #3 and tyl #4 for days when it gets really bad.

[oldman273]

Bob it has been several months now since your last update, how are you doing now?

I have had cronic lower back issues for 36 years now and I have been rated at 60% for several years. I have been up and down the medical gammet several times and have been prescribed anywhere from bio-fed back to demral injections, I have never had surgery because I always felt that science was not up to speed enough to be successful. I have used VA and private insurance companies and VA does do it on the cheap side and is behind the private sector on the technolegy side. It does not matter which one you go to (VA or Private), some doctor are in it for the money and don't really care about you and some do a fantastic job, I have found the best thing to do is be honest about your pain and about what you expect them to do. I have finally got tired of the pain and always making it worse so I have put in for my 100% unemployable.

I agree I have had 3 surgeries for my SC back and the best pain management has been civillian Docs. The VA are so afraid the DEA they deny chronic pain because of other Vets who have been arrested for selling their meds on the street. This was told to me by VA Doc I told him I have chronic pain he told me to go to my Civ Surgeon and I had my 3rd and last surgery on my back a 3 level lumbar fusion. Winters are hell for me with the meds I am moving somewhere warmer for the winter this year. I refuse to be at the mercy of the VA but I am young and even though I am SC the VA has never been there for me for my back. Apply for P&T for your back with an IMO. Also look at how you can apply for chronic pain secondary to your SC back. I am waiting for all my claims to be done and I am going to see where I am % wise after the 4 issues are done with. I wish you luck for me the cold weather of the south even kils me where my Buddy hates the summer and feels better in the winter with arthritis in his back just like mine. I am looking at Arizona or Asia. I am out of here in September eithier way, Good luck

[retiredat44]

I take morphine and get shots in my lower back every 3 months... it helps a lot but I am still crippled in pain...

not much else one can do...

it took a lot of complaining and lots of visitis and begging before the shots started,, in fact it took a lot of visits and bbegging for the meds 20 years ago, nothing came easy.. it was a fight all the way... and I had to put my back pain problem on hold when my pancreas disease took over my life.. then came back to it when I got the chance..

I don't think there there is a treatment of any kind that fixes a back that gets real bad... if there is no one ever showed me the way... sooner or later I will end up back in a frakkin wheel chair of some type... but get help if you can,, they just don't offer it, you have to beg..

Edited October 8, 2011 by retiredat44

[john999]

Tell them you want a referral to the pain clinic. Just remember that if and when you start to take narcotic pain meds that you will develope a tolerance. You will need more of the drug to deal with the pain and the VA will probably not want to increase your amount of narcotic without a knockdown, dragout fight. The VA will never be reliable when it comes to getting your pain meds to you on time. Get them from a private doctor if you can. Do you have other insurance besides the VA like medicare?

[GuaymasJim]

I have been able to delay building up the tolerance John refers to by using doctor prescribed NSAIDs: Celebrex (2x200mg daily) and Etodolac (4x200mg daily) and Ibuprofen (4x200mg daily) instead of morphine\percocet\percodan on days when the pain is the tolerable. I also use the Robin McKensie 7 Exercise Method and highly recommend it! (Google: Robin McKenzie back exercises) I also exercise to strengthen my back muscles. Without question, the thing that helps me the most is my Sleep Number bed--my number is 55. My lower back looks like that cartoon character who body is composed of rocks and boulders melting. I also use the opiates listed. I try to orchestrate all of these things so that I am not completely dependent on any one of them. Like everyone else I have intermittent problems getting adequate and timely pain medications from the VA.

I have only had one steroid shot many years ago, and had a very back reaction to it. I have asked dozens of veterans at my VAMC who have had the various back surgeries about the outcomes. Not on single vet has told me that (s)he benefited greatly by surgery. "More or less" was the most common response. My research shows that there is consensus that back surgery is currently the most widely unnecessary surgery. Replacement discs are being developed all over the world. Israel seems to have the best one available right now, but it is not available in the US.

My former PCP would really work with me on this, but now I am getting a lot of pressure to get a referral to the "Pain Clinic." I'm not to interested in test driving a bunch of other chemicals prescribed by an ever changing group of interns and residents, but I will be well prepared to discuss the situation when I am forced into the Pain Clinic.

Hope this info helps!

[john999]

When a doctor tells you he/she can fix your pain with surgery time to run.