Need medical advice... Who better to trust than you freaks!

TonK · Aug 12, 2004

O.K.

3 months ago I had an MRI done, turns out my L5, L6 and S7 are all herniated.

Recommended treatment: Epideral Steroids.

I passed... not for a shot @ $1400.

Now I've been on a strict regimen of Lortab 10/500 for a while now. 3 times a day.

I have good days, great days, and horrible days.

It has been suggested by my M.D. that I start Oxycontin 20mg once a day.

I hear many horror stories of this drug, but some call it the miracle drug.

Should I up the dose of Lortab or try the Oxycondone?

Anyone else with back problems?

Poonman · Aug 12, 2004

Oxycontin?! You're better off just dealing with the pain....

Tell you what: take the oxycontin and sell it for 80-120$ a pill.....$$$ usually makes me feel better thats for sure....

You never wanna get hooked on THAT shit.....do heroin instead.... :oh_no:

No Means Yes · Aug 12, 2004

Oxycontin, when take regularly, will turn you into a babbling lunatic (seriously).

I will also buy a few of 'em off you for $20 each.

Poonman · Aug 12, 2004

Oxycontin will be good for you (when you're wasting away in some euphoric dream)

BUT

If you have a family they are the ones that will most likely suffer....I guarantee you'll be selling/doing stupid shit to pay for your fix.....It's almost as addictive as crack.....but at least the urges for oxycontin wear off after a long ass-time....

Geddon_jt · Aug 12, 2004

Amid all the negative publicity surrounding oxycontin (thanks Jack Osborne) people forget that this drug has done wonders for thousands of people.

Yes, it is highly addictive (so is most pain medication) but given your scenario it may be the best option.
As long as you are being supervised by your doctor throughout the process, I would certainly give it a try. There are tens of thousands of people that take it regularly and it has been great for them.

Dallas_Five · Aug 12, 2004

well i don't have much experience with back problems, but i have some experience with drug problems, and i can say that oxycontin is generally bad news bears, though it does depend on your personality/history. If you are confident in your ability to take one a day and stop when you don't need any more, then they WILL help you feel better, but if you have any sort of weakness for crushing up pills or getting fucked up, i'd say stay away.

i wasn't familiar with lortab but i just googled it and it's hydrocondone. That's a lot to take every day, you must be in some serious pain. That fucking sucks and i wish you the best, man. THe only other advice i can give is something i'm sure you've heard before: the pills only mask the symptoms, sooner or later you're going to have to address the root of the problem. Whether that means a shot or surgery or whatever, it's better to just get that shit over with as fast as possible. Now if money is a problem, that's a whole different story...you could just get the OCs and sell them...LOL, just kidding. Anyways, good luck, i hope shit turns out all right.

edit - tie poe

Shapermc · Aug 12, 2004

If your serious I will ask my brother in-law about it. He was a pharmasist and is currently in med school. I will see if I can get in touch with him tonight.

Average Joe #2 · Aug 12, 2004

No Means Yes said:
I will also buy a few of 'em off you for $20 each.

You've got a PM.

Poonman · Aug 12, 2004

Jack Osbourne took OC? Why? to deal with the pain of being an ugly, talentless, lardass like his sister? It's not like the dude works or anything.....

Average Joe #2 · Aug 12, 2004

FatGuy said:

Don't feel bad.

Your PM is coming shortly.

EDIT: By the way... Rubber or Latex? Don't ask for what, that's a surprise; just answer.

No Means Yes · Aug 12, 2004

FatGuy said:
I put the fat in faggot.

Where did you put it? Ass, mouth?

No Means Yes · Aug 12, 2004

Shapermc said:
If your serious I will ask my brother in-law about it. He was a pharmasist and is currently in med school. I will see if I can get in touch with him tonight.

His opinion is most certainly biased.

Tonk:

I'm telling you from personal experience -- taking Oxycontin regularly can be a slippery slope. It isn't as though you'll become a strung-out drug monger pawning material goods for the next fix, especially considering you'll be recieving a prescription so you'll always have a steady, affordable supply. It's not like you'll be super likely to break up pills and bump them to speed up the high. However, if you take it daily for a long enough period of time it will slowly alter your personality... and eventually it will be nearly impossible for you to stop.

If you decide to take painkillers on a consistent basis it's best that you convince yourself that the ends justify the means.

*fart*

Hidden Character · Aug 12, 2004

From a free enterprise standpoint, take the Oxy, go to a wild party near Ohio St or Youngstown St, and set up shop selling to frat boys and girls who are willing to try anything once. You may be in pain for some time, but:
1. Joy doesn't feel so good w/o pain
2. You can take the $$$ from selling the Oxy and get some the prescription pills that'll do you better and use the cash left over for whatever you're into.

aria · Aug 12, 2004

TonK said:
3 months ago I had an MRI done, turns out my L5, L6 and S7 are all herniated.

Wow...

I'll admit I don't know enough about these drugs -but I really think there are better avenues for asking this question than here. That's a serious injury and you should be careful with how you handle it since it's going to be chronic.

abasuto · Aug 12, 2004

As for as the addiction fear goes, upping your dose of loratabs isn't much different than switching to Oxy. All opiates are addictive. You probably should talk to your Dr. about seeing a pain managment specialist. They might be able to point you in directions that can keep your med dosage as low as possible.

TonK · Aug 12, 2004

Thanks for the advice.

I'm really leaning towards not taking the Oxy.

But, the reason I do want to take them is to limit my acetaminophen intake.

Epiderals won't do anything for me.

And it sucks working with this pain everyday.

Yes, getting hit by dumb women in SUV's makes you suffer.

galfordo · Aug 12, 2004

TonK said:
Yes, getting hit by dumb women in SUV's makes you suffer.

Man, that's fucking horrible. Some women seriously need to sell off their make-believe penises and get a car that they can handle ... for most women, the whole center of gravity concept is difficult to master. :oh_no:

I'm not quite sure about the Oxy's, but I've heard plenty of horror stories about them - at least enough to know that a few of 'em are probably true. They scare me, personally.

abasuto · Aug 12, 2004

TonK said:
Yes, getting hit by dumb women in SUV's makes you suffer.

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully her or her insurance is paying for all your medical help.

TonK · Aug 12, 2004

Abasuto said:
Sorry to hear that. Hopefully her or her insurance is paying for all your medical help.

I settled 4 years ago.

CarlDMC · Aug 12, 2004

I'm guessing that you went to see a medical doctor, since you were recommended drugs.

Have you seen a chirporactor as well?

I was in a mild accident before and went to an MD with severe back pain. He said, "Just take these pain killers. You'll feel better."
Sure, I won't feel the pain, but the source of pain is still there. And ignoring the pain will only mkae it worse

I went to a chirporactor and he said, "Your last few vertebrae are subluxated (not stacked up properly). It caused an imbalance in my upper body since it was all screwed up. My muscles were slightly off, nerves would sometimes get pinched, as well as arteries and veins, causing poor circulation to my legs (and potentially internal organs and other lower body extremities). But he went POP POP and they were realigned. Everything was back to normal, but needed check up realignments.

I realize my problem was nowhere as severe as yours, but a second opinion, especially from a non-MD wouldn't hurt.

aria · Aug 12, 2004

I was wondering if it was a car accident... generally people don't get multiple herniations unless something major happens (especially at your relatively young age).

CarlDMC said:
Have you seen a chirporactor as well?

Okay...

I strongly recommend AGAINST a chiropractor when you have herniated disks. The last thing you need is one of them rupturing. Your back is now very sensitive (and its going to be for life). If one of those breaks its never going to get better and the pain will even get worse.

My dad's an orthopedist and I worked last summer at a Personal Injury law firm as a summer associate (law clerk drafting motions and memos) so I know and have seen a lot of situations where people get these kinds of back and neck injuries.

Basically, I would strongly recommend against surgery. The statistics of success are pathetic, in fact your more likely to make it worse. Pills may be what it takes... and/or PT if its something you're thinking about. The only time you should consider going under the knife is if the pain is truly unbearable and/or you simply can't live your life (and I mean severely hampered).

Best of luck with this, seriously. I hope you can work around it all effectively.

BeefJerky · Aug 12, 2004

Pills are no good. Practice herbal medicine.

CarlDMC · Aug 12, 2004

Ah, yes. I forgot about physical therapy!

Basically go for pills as a last resort.

TonK · Aug 13, 2004

Bobak said:
I was wondering if it was a car accident... generally people don't get multiple herniations unless something major happens (especially at your relatively young age).

Okay...

I strongly recommend AGAINST a chiropractor when you have herniated disks. The last thing you need is one of them rupturing. Your back is now very sensitive (and its going to be for life). If one of those breaks its never going to get better and the pain will even get worse.

My dad's an orthopedist and I worked last summer at a Personal Injury law firm as a summer associate (law clerk drafting motions and memos) so I know and have seen a lot of situations where people get these kinds of back and neck injuries.

Basically, I would strongly recommend against surgery. The statistics of success are pathetic, in fact your more likely to make it worse. Pills may be what it takes... and/or PT if its something you're thinking about. The only time you should consider going under the knife is if the pain is truly unbearable and/or you simply can't live your life (and I mean severely hampered).

Best of luck with this, seriously. I hope you can work around it all effectively.

Thanks.

Here is the picture the back doctor painted for me:

"Your disks are like a jelly doughnut, you press on them and they expand, press even harder and the jelly shoots out"

So my L5 is touching my sciatic right now which causes the burning (which I can deal with) down my legs.

As I type this, my lower back is really bothering me.

Nobody suggested surgery yet.

Bobak, what do you think of the epideral steroids injected into the sciatic?

aria · Aug 13, 2004

TonK said:
Bobak, what do you think of the epideral steroids injected into the sciatic?

I honestly don't know. I'd either ask as many doctors as you can (online or in real life).

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