All who are on Pain medications - Fibromyalgia Message Board

tutough · 01-20-2005, 09:03 AM

I was wondering what all of you are planning on doing when your body has built a tolerance to even the strongest of pain meds and you can't get relief from them any longer?

bluelakelady · 01-20-2005, 02:37 PM

hi tt,
i am already doing it. i discovered a practice i follow when the pain gets bigger than the medicine. i meditate on taking on the suffering of the unfortunates in the world that they may have less suffering. i see my pain as pain felt for someone i will never meet. pain they will not have to feel, because i am experiencing it for them. i picture in my mind a woman in a line that stretches for miles. in her hand is a crude bowl for her portion of rice. she will have to feed her children with it. she will see many of her children die. so i focus on the child the mother prays will not die tonight and i dive into my pain, experience it, and offer it, that the mother may cry less when her child does die. i see people in hospitals with cancer and aids and i meditate on easing their pain.
i take vicodin es for pain. the doctors tell me one day that will not be enough. i am very uncomfortable with that concept so i thought if i could find a peaceful way to swim thru the pain now i would be able to stay on the less frightening pain meds longer. so far it has worked for 3 years. i do not take any more a day now than i did then, actually i take less, now that i think about it. giving my pain a purpose works for me.
peace,
bluelakelady

DecLady · 01-20-2005, 03:13 PM

I have been taking vicoden for 2 years now, and my doctor just brought that up. He said when I need more than the prescribed amount ( currently 4 a day) , then he will send me to a pain clinic. I didn't start the conversation with him about whether or not I would even go to one! I don't know for sure what I will do if I get to that point. I guess I hope as the years pass, either I will improve..or they will find out more and have better solutions for us.

jhbumgarner4 · 01-20-2005, 04:00 PM

Hello out there....I'm new to the boards, but really relate to this issue. I'm 57, basically in bed 75% of the day. I putter around doing household maintenance only.

First, I'm a strong Believer in Jesus Christ. You'd be surprised at the relationship that can develop when you're on your back!!Ha. This is where I receive understanding day to day on how to maintain.

Second...I have a wonderful husband who set up a treadmill next to my bed. I try to walk a mile everyday. Movement is key.

I try to treat only my pain...not the dependency. When I have a "mild" day I cut back.
The pain is always worse than w/drawl symptoms. I'm going on 15 years now of this stuff and feel like I could write a book. Goodness knows I've read them all! Learn to accept your condition and that it's necessary to treat it. I also have IBS...so when I'm not in bed I'm in the bathroom...doesn't this sound glorious????

Not to toot my horn....but I can help. It would be good to know that I'm helping someone while being here in bed!!

God bless,
Julie

bluelakelady · 01-20-2005, 04:36 PM

most people who know they will live with cronic pain are poor candidates for addiction. we want to be awake and aware in our lives, not numb on drugs. i take between one and three pain pills a day. on rare occasions a fourth. usually after dental work. fortunatly my body will not allow me to take more than three a day easily. if i take four for more than three days i get a nasty little rash. it's like having a built in alarm that lets me know my body has had enough of that.
pain clinics are cool. check them out before you rule them out. there is not one pill on the planet that can come close to the power of the mind.
peace,
bluelakelady