Discussions that mention lyrica

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Hi Ladybug,

Let me first of all say how sorry I am that you have to go through w/c. That's terrible.

I honestly don't think it's your sciatic nerve, but please don't take my advice over your dr's. I think if it were your sciatic nerve more than just your toe or arm would be affected. I think if your sciatic nerve is being pinched or in any way affected by your ruptured disc at L5-S1 (which is very likely), you should have more pain or numb-like areas, in my opinion.

I'm almost a year post-op from a fusion at L5-S1 b/c the disc was herniated and pinching my sciatic nerve causing my entire left side from my hip down to my foot to be numb (a better way to explain the numb feeling, I think, is to say it feels like my left leg and foot are constantly on ice). Even though I still take a nerve relaxer, my dr has told me countless times that I'll never get feeling back in my left leg and foot but I'm still holding out hope.

Are you taking any meds to calm your sciatic nerve, like neurontin, lyrica or topamax?

I certainly wish you only the best.
Take care,
Scrappin'[/FONT]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Hi Ladybug,

If I've learned anything from this entire mess of spinal/nerve/pain problems, that has become my life, it would be that nothing is predictable, so who knows, you may come out of this whole mess with no permanent nerve damage. I pray you don't have permanent damage, but if you do, you do and you'll learn how to live with it the same way you've learned to live with pain, which still surprises me, you must have some CRAZY, HIGH tolerance to pain or you'd be INSANE by now :D. I have strong pain meds and my pain has been so SEVERE lately I'm almost INSANE :dizzy: from trying to deal with it.

If I were you, if you ever get to see that great w/c neurosurgeon and he decides you need surgery, you should ask him about putting you on a nerve relaxer, like neurontin, lyrica or topamax. I've tried all three and am currently taking topamax. I love topamax because one of the side effects is weight loss, it literally kills your appetite. The point of taking a nerve med is to relax your nerve, hopefully relieving some of your pain.

When you finally settle with w/c, will you settle for a dollar amount? Is that the point of waiting? If you wait it out then you get your reward in the end? If that's the case, I'm sure you won't get close to the amount you deserve :(. It seems like such a broken system, doesn't it?

It has been difficult to have back problems/chronic pain and a toddler. I have to make sure I'm up atleast an hour before my son wakes up in the morning so I can take my pain meds and let them kick in before I can even think of tackling him. He'll be 2 in a few weeks. I have no idea what I'm going to do when he no longer naps but that's the only way I get through the days now. I need a few hours to rest and take some pain meds or I'd be a mess. Luckily, most days my hubby is getting home from work about the time my son is waking up from his nap, so it works out pretty well. So, if I can take care of him for about 5 hours during the day all by myself, then the rest of the day I have help. Amazingly enough, though, my son is a very patient and compassionate child. He knows that mommy is always going to some doctor to have her boo-boo fixed. He's a great child, but being his mother, I'm very biased as I'm sure you are with your girls. Is it fun having 2 teenage girls or are they at the "I hate my parents" stage? I would love to have atleast 1 more child but doctor's tell me "no way". I don't listen to them. I think if I'm meant to have another child then I will, otherwise I won't. I thank the Good Lord everyday that He blessed me with 1 child, b/c there are so many women out there that can't even have 1 baby, so it would be selfish of me to get down about it and throw a pity party, even though I want to sometimes :nono:.

Take care Ladybug and keep in touch. I enjoy chatting with you. I sincerely hope w/c comes through for you soon. Your girls must admire you alot, b/c like I previously said you have to be EXTREMELY strong to live with the amount of pain I know you have :).[/FONT]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Hi Ladybug,

Sorry I didn't reply yesterday. My son has been sick since Christmas, 1st the flu (even tho he rcvd the flu shot :confused:), now a cold, I had to take him to the dr. He has an ear infection in both ears. The crazy thing is this is the 1st time in his life he's been sick. Yes, I have counted my blessings, if not before he got sick, definately since :angel:.

My mom had a total hysterectomy last January laparoscopy too b/c her uterus had prolapsed but she thought the recovery was PAINFUL and she had 4 children without pain meds, so yes, your pain tolerance is out of this world. I've heard people compare sciatic nerve pain to a root canal, probably b/c your teeth have nerve roots.

I've been on Topamax for 2 1/2 mths and I've lost 30 lbs without effort. Topamax definately changes how foods and sodas taste, but I think it works by turning off the part of your brain that tells your body you're hungry. There are many evenings, when I have to stop and think if I've eaten anything that day. When I first started Topamax (for about the 1st 4-6 weeks) it made me feel forgetful and drugged so I researched it online. I found out it works by affecting the frontal lobe of the brain so I started taking fish oil capsules to help the forgetfulness. It took about 4-6 weeks for my body to get use to the Topamax, but since then, I've not had a problem with feeling dumb or drugged. So, at first, you may have some side effects that aren't so great but as long as they're not life-threatening try to stick with it and see if they'll subside.

I have noticed a dramatic difference in how my left leg and foot, that's been numb for about 2 yrs now, respond to Topamax compared to 2 other nerve relaxers I've taken in the past. Previously, I've tried Neurontin and Lyrica but my leg and foot didn't respond to either, but since starting Topamax every few days or so for a few minutes at a time, I'll have feeling in my leg and foot, not pain just regular feeling. I don't know if it's b/c of the Topamax but that's the only thing that has changed, so I have to assume it's that. Who knows :).

W/C is a big joke, isn't it? It sounds like, no matter what happens, in the end, you will not be properly compensated. Isn't it about time w/c started jumping through some hoops to get you the medical care you deserve? Do you call and bug them everyday or does your lawyer? I agree with you, nothing, especially money, can bring back what you've lost :(.

Thank you for saying you think I'm strong for taking care of my 2 yr old. So many times I feel like a failure b/c I'm so limited in what I can do. My neighbor, who I thought was a nice person that had my best interest at heart b/c she has helped me out alot since my back troubles started, asked my husband a few mths ago if he thought I could take my son out and about to do things during the day, like go to the park. Since then, I haven't talked to her, I avoid her at all cost. I feel betrayed. First of all, why would my friend secretly talk to my husband and secondly, why would she doubt what I'm capable of doing and not doing? I would absolutely LOVE to take my son all kinds of places during the day but I can't, when I have to for dr's appts, I'm in so much pain by the time we get home, I pay for it for the next few days, so we stay at home most days. I try to plan things we can do around the house that are fun and in the evenings and on weekends I make sure we go out and do things together as a family b/c I have my husband to help. My son is happy and healthy but my neighbor makes me feel like a bad mother even though I know I'm not. I do the best I can and I know my son understands that. Thanks again for the compliment and for letting me vent, I needed that :D

It does sounds like you have 2 great girls. I bet that's fun, b/c they're old enough for you to still be their mom but to also be a friend. It sounds like you're raising them right. It's scary to have kids in today's CRAZY world.

I definately think if it's God's will for me to have another baby, I will and if not, I won't. I am blessed to have the one I have :angel:.

It is nice to have someone to chat with that understands what we're going through, yes, our friends and family can say they understand but until they have been where we're at, they truly can't understand.

Take care,
Scrappin' Maniac[/FONT]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Hi Ladybug,

Your username reminds me of my son's favorite episode of Sesame Street - "The Adventures of Little Big Bird", BB accidently becomes tiny and meets a ladybug that's named Mike. Mike makes a joke about BB's name b/c he's little and BB makes a joke about Mike being a ladybug...lol...:D...the joys of motherhood :). We watched the episode today.

My son is feeling alot better today, I'm so glad, there is nothing worse than to have a sick child that can't tell me what hurts or what I can do to make him feel better.

When you had your hysterectomy did you also have an A and P repair? I talked to my mom today and told her how you only took Ibuprofen after your surgery but I did forget to tell you that she had a hysterectomy and an A and P repair (I've spent the last year trying to forget b/c I get nausea just thinking about it :)), apparently that involves more cutting and stitches than when you deliver a baby, so that's why she thought it was so painful. Either way, I'm still convinced you have an ENORMOUS tolerance for pain :D.

I think you have a good chance of convincing your w/c neuro to let you atleast try topamax b/c it's new enough that there's not a generic yet, so maybe your neuro would get some kind of a perk for prescribing it. If your neuro wants to try lyrica, remember that a well known side effect of that nerve med is weight gain, so you could always tell him that you really don't want to try something that may make you gain a few lbs. It's hard enough to maintain a healthy weight when we're not physically limited. Until my PM recommended topamax, I was in a no win situation. After I began taking it and started to lose some weight, I asked my dr why the 3-4 previous dr's never put me on topamax, he replied, in my opinion, honestly, saying, "they didn't care". I believe him. I'm not obese, but I could stand to lose a few pounds, who couldn't, and even though I know losing weight isn't going to cure my back problems, it's certainly not going to hurt them either.

Your hubby has back problems too? It sounds like he has had problems for a long time. He sounds very strong and dedicated to his family :).

Who cares that the experts tell you not to be your daughter's friend. If I've learned anything since becomming a parent, it's been to listen to my mommy instinct, and my instincts have told me to throw away the parenting books :bouncing:. The so-called experts probably have never raised children...lol. If you don't mind me asking, have you raised your daughters in church?

I don't worry about what my neighbor thinks, and I also no longer call her a friend. I'm a nice, calm, laid back person that always treats others the way I would want to be treated, and sometimes I'm disappointed. My hubby says I'm still naive at 29, I say I just don't want to stop thinking that there's good in everyone. What she did bothered me so much b/c I've learned when you have a medical condition that causes you to have chronic pain, you are guilty until proven innocent. Doctors, nurses and pharmacist discriminate against people like us and it really hurt me that someone I thought was a friend treated me the same way medical professionals do.

I will continue to pray that through your attorney, w/c finally comes through for you and you're able to get the medical care you've needed for the last 16 mths. In the meantime, I hope and pray your pain remains tolerable. I really do enjoy our chats so much, thanks!

Take care,
Scrappin' Maniac

P.S. Feel free to vent anytime too! You definately have an unlimited venting pass :D. I honestly don't know how you contain your fustrations.[/FONT]