Hey Shelley,good to meet you cause I am in the same exact boat as you except for a few minor differences. I had a spinal fusion almost 5 months ago, but I am in still in pain, more than before. I went to a pain managment doctor also ahter my ortopedic doctor refered me to him, so he continued me on oxycontin 20 mg 3 times a day and elavilonce a day. Anyway to make a long story kinda short I got to a point where I decided to try a stop all nacotic pain meds due to all I have heard about oxycontin, so I just got up one day and flushed what I had left and that was that but not only did my back pain go crazy but I withdrawals from suddenly stopping the oxy. I went to see my pain man. doc and told him that I wanted to stop the oxy and that I flushed them, I said I didnt want to live my life addicted to them, and I did tell him on 3 different ocasions I had taken 4 that day because of my pain instead of 3, He quickly said "why would you do that" I said because It hurt!! then I told him to please help me cause I felt like crap since I had stopped them, so he left the room and sent the nurse back in with a prescription for a Catapres patch, that did the trick. Anyway I got over the withdrawals ok but my back pain just went crazy, I was just trying to come back to work off medical leave just two months earlier and now I was back out of work for two more weeks, but since being stupid and stopping my pain meds I could not even get out of bed and wak without crazy amounts of severe pain.I called my orthopedic doctor back and told him I was still having all that pain and ordered a discogram and gave me percocet 6 to 8 times a day.Had the discagram and while they were doing it they hit nerves twice causing my leg to fly off the table, said they were sorry!So I went back to my ortho doc the next day to talk about the results and come to find out the 3 discs above where I had surgery are all degenerative and one slightly hurniated so he told me that we needed to continue to let my fusion heal for a few more months and then I would need another surgery, this time going in from the front side, I geuss temp. removing my stomach? because of all the steel rods and screws around my spine? He said this one would be a much bigger surgery, could last around 20 hrs.So I told him I MUST go back to work or I will loose all that I have along with my medical insurance!! So I told him I needed to be back on the oxycontin because of how long it works and he agreed and put me on oxy 20mg 4 times a day with percocet 6 times a day and Somas 2 times a day, and finally gave me some Wellburtrin for the leg/nerve pain. Now he saiduntill its time to do surgery again I need to go back to the pain managment doctor for treatment, but Im concerned that he will not want to continue me on my meds because of me stopping before and telling him sometimes I was taking 4 instead of 3 because of my pain, so I dont know what he will say, but I do know if I were to be taken off my oxycontin right now I WOULD NOT be able to go to work, I really dont do anything there anyway except walk around and help customers and sit at the computer, they are real suportive to me but I have to atleast be there, ya know!And I gotta tell ya, the meds Im taking really only help about 60% of my pain, I wonder is there anything stronger I can take so Im not taking so many pills each day? Also he has mentioned the epidural injections, but I dont know because so far every time they poke in my back It makes me worse, but I would rather continue the meds right now and not have the injection,but I know he will say I have to atleast try it, and will he stop my meds while I try the injections?Im very very worried cause like I said, I cannot miss not even a single day at work right now, or I could loose my job because of all my abcences or they might put me at part time, meaning my medical insurance would change dramaticly, and I reley on my insurance heavily these days http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/bang.gif By the way, what is MSCONTIN? And how is it compared to oxycontin? Again, nice to meet you and sorry for the life history,lol Rlcowboy http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif