Discussions that mention lyrica

I am venting AGAIN. Well as many of you know my story. I had a TLIF on L5S1 March of this year. The leg pain was gone and I was doing great. Then something drastically changed, leg pain had kinda came back, but then boom drastically came back. Ended up at ER, bed rest etc. I had kept calling surgeons office they werent' listening, so I went to ER.

Then I finally got a hold of the surgoens office they got me in and acted caring and concerned, told me to stay in bed for atleast a week put me on so many meds I couldn't see straight, I told them lyrica probably wouldn't work with me since neurontin didn't well she wanted me to try it anyway, they said if this didnt' work to call and we'd get in to do an MRI, To contact her by email.

So I did as she said.

Then called and emailed, finally went in for MRI, can't get any answers finally I get a return email saying if its still that bad I can go in for an MRI, I said I did that two weeks ago.

Then I get a return saying well she just read the report but didn't look at it and nothing looks abnormal.

I said, look my whole life nothing has ever been noted on any report but L5S1 now the MRI says I have two other discs degenerating and a disc bulging and it talks about the screw. I am no doctor, and dont' know what any of this means but this was not like this before, I am in pain and I need help.

THE ER at YOUR hospital told me that one surgeons do surgery they move on, and I should probably find a pain management doctor or my family doctor, is this what I need to do because I am in pain, I need help, I have bad nerve pain I can not sleep through the night, my leg quits working again etc.

This has been almost a week an no response.

This pisses me off, they were so nice, untill I had problems.

I have medicaid so not alot of choices in getting other opinions. I also was told by the ER that surgeons dont' like to say that there surgery didnt' fix the problem.

I also see a pscyciatrist for my xanax and cymbalta for anxiety and deprssion and I asked him for the topomax and he gave it to me after telling him what was going on. He also told me the same about neurosurgeons. This is bs.

Anyone have any ideas.

I am really afraid now I am starting that stupid dominoe effect. I dont' know if I should bother emailing again, keep on bugging them or just move on to my doctor. I feel like I am getting screwed.

I even said in the email, look I know you guys are really busy with surgerys and stuff I just need help with this nerve pain and getting it under control so I can eventually hopefully move on and get off this other crap, oxycontin etc.

No reply. This is very frustrating.

Ideas???

First of all you need some good pain management and secondly you need to find out the source of your pain.

Sometimes surgeons think you should be fixed and it is almost as if you have let them down if you aren't racing into the sunset yelling "healed". Too bloody bad.

First of all both Lyrica and Neurontin rely heavilly on the proper dosage to ensure pain relief. I did not get any pain relief from Neurontin until I was taking 1600 mg. Then my pain relief was considerable.

I take 300 Neurontin in the morning and a combination at night of 1500 Neurontin and 100 Topamax. Yes you can use Neurontin and Topamax together with excellent results. What kind of dosage were you worked up to? At one time I was on Lyrica alone at a dosage of 150 in the morning and 225 at night. Ravenous appetite is the reason I came off it. Your PM has to try different combinations until he or she finds out what works best for you. Narcotics gave me no relief whatsoever.

I dont know what the deal is with the screw or what the MRI means...they've left me in the dark and my appointment isnt' until November.

My other problem is I have medicaid dont' really have options, there aren't other surgeons. I don't have access to therapy. These were the best people in teh world till I started having problems.

The neurontin and the lyrica makes me brain dead where I cant' function, drive or even know my freaking address or phone number, I gained ten lbs in a week etc.

I am just starting on the topomax so far I notice no side effects later this week I double the dosage, so far though I have slept through the night I don' tknow if that's related or not, but I haven't work up with the nerve pain.

I have always talked to the nurse practioner via email since surgery its the easiest way to get ahold of her. They have been awesome till I went downhill. They dont leave me undermedicated or anything yet. But theese narcotics dont' help the nerve pain. I even said in my last email I need to get the nerve pain under control so I can move forward and get off the oxycontin etc.

I know they still "care" for me till I am a year post op, but this isn't care.

Maybe I should call and ask for an appointment with the surgeon and not the nurse like you said diet, and give specifics. I'm afriad to that soon I will looose the mediciad and won't even have any more help medically and will be left like this and also won't even be able to get my meds. So I really need to get this under control.

I also wish they would address what is going on with the other levels and bulging disc now all of a sudden but they might not want to do that right.