Re: new to group-question about pain meds

[Guest guest]

Thank you and everyone else for their perspectives! It's so helpful. My sister

said her curve is 60-80 depending.

Thanks esp. for the perspective on pain med.

Casey

Scoliosis Treatment@...: moonbeamblessings@...: Tue,

16 Dec 2008 17:30:16 -0800Subject: new to group-question

about pain meds

Casey,You will prob get a lot of responses to this question. A lot of ppl on

this list are long-term scoliosis patients w/extensive pain (I am one of them).

While it might seem to you that your sister is on many meds ( & to an average

healthy person on no meds whatsoever), the list you provide is rather light and

typical. True, she is taking more than she has in the past, & as her pain

increases she'll probably add a few others to the list. It is possible to

function rather normally in spite of being on multiple medications. The

important thing is that each doctor is aware of the meds and moreover that the

pharmacist is consulted for any questions/concerns. The key is to have all

scripts filled at the same pharmacy and to inform the pharmacist of

over-the-counter meds and vitamins/herbs, etc. Many ppl mistakenly leave out

OTCs & herbals when listing what they take, but they can have implications on

the way the body processes other meds on board. I won't go into the drug

cocktail pain clinic patients are likely to receive, because she doesn't seem to

be at that 'place.' However, if you have questions regarding them, just ask. It

seems that she will be having surgery in the future. My surgery was in 1977 when

I was 11 years of age, so things have greatly changed for the better since then.

The surgery itself is still a major surgery, but the techniques have improved as

well as the aftercare. 30 years ago a patient had to remain flat in bed for 30

days until a cast was put on. Then you got to go home & wear the cast for a

year. Now, you're up & back home within a week and there's nothing outside of

your body that is distracting visually. There will be pain, of course...but it's

conquerable. Intense when you first wake up, but it decreases as each day goes

by. She'll likely be on an opioid like vicodin when she is released. It will be

discontinued within a few weeks. Activity is encouraged, and the spine will be

stably fused one year later. I'm curious about her degree of curvature, how

long has it been diagnosed & what treatment modalities she has received. Is pain

the reason she's considering surgery at this point? Was it suggested previously

or only recently? Is there anything in particular that has increased the pain

(i.e. an injury or stressful event). Medications for anxiety can be given to

pain patients to help with the pain whether or not they are experiencing any

form of anxiety related to their condition. The 'change' that you notice in her

could be a result of her having to deal with pain on a daily basis. It's really

a full-time job & can be quite exhausting. Many ppl try to maintain an

appearance of normalcy even though the body is not in a normal state. That can

tire one out, as well. Medications can affect moods but are not necessarily the

cause of whatever you are noticing. If this is particularly distressing for

either of you, perhaps talking to a counselor or clergymember would be of

benefit. Groups like this are also an excellent forum for exchanging ideas &

just plain ol' venting. I had wonderful success with my surgery. It freed me

from my brace and reduced my curve as much as possible. After my year in a cast,

I was released to participate in almost any activity I desired. I led a 'normal'

life with only occasional pain until a car accident changed that in 1997. I

personally know several girls (4) I went to school with who had bracing, surgery

and are now in their 40s with perfectly normal lives and children. The view from

the scoliosis forums might be a little skewed due to the fact that ppl who have

wonderful outcomes are 'out there living their lives' instead of having any

reason to discuss their scoliosis, so I encourage you to keep the positives in

mind as you research surgery. ~MoonbeamMilwaukee brace 4 yrsFusion T3-L2

w/Harrington rod Age 11 Cobb angle reduced from 84* to 52*[Non-text portions of

this message have been removed]

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What does a pain clinic drug cocktail consist of?

________________________________

From: L Howell <moonbeamblessings@...>

Scoliosis Treatment

Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 6:30:16 PM

Subject: new to group-question about pain meds

Casey,

You will prob get a lot of responses to this question. A lot of ppl on this list

are long-term scoliosis patients w/extensive pain (I am one of them). While it

might seem to you that your sister is on many meds ( & to an average healthy

person on no meds whatsoever), the list you provide is rather light and typical.

True, she is taking more than she has in the past, & as her pain increases

she'll probably add a few others to the list. It is possible to function rather

normally in spite of being on multiple medications. The important thing is that

each doctor is aware of the meds and moreover that the pharmacist is consulted

for any questions/concerns. The key is to have all scripts filled at the same

pharmacy and to inform the pharmacist of over-the-counter meds and

vitamins/herbs, etc. Many ppl mistakenly leave out OTCs & herbals when listing

what they take, but they can have implications on the way the body processes

other meds on board.

I won't go into the drug cocktail pain clinic patients are likely to receive,

because she doesn't seem to be at that 'place.' However, if you have

questions regarding them, just ask.  

It seems that she will be having surgery in the future. My surgery was in 1977

when I was 11 years of age, so things have greatly changed for the better since

then. The surgery itself is still a major surgery, but the techniques have

improved as well as the aftercare. 30 years ago a patient had to remain flat in

bed for 30 days until a cast was put on. Then you got to go home & wear the cast

for a year. Now, you're up & back home within a week and there's nothing outside

of your body that is distracting visually. There will be pain, of course...but

it's conquerable. Intense when you first wake up, but it decreases as each day

goes by. She'll likely be on an opioid like vicodin when she is released. It

will be discontinued  within a few weeks. Activity is encouraged, and the spine

will be stably fused one year later.  

I'm curious about her degree of curvature, how long has it been diagnosed & what

treatment modalities she has received. Is pain the reason she's considering

surgery at this point? Was it suggested previously or only recently? Is there

anything in particular that has increased the pain (i.e. an injury or stressful

event). Medications for anxiety can be given to pain patients to help with the

pain whether or not they are experiencing any form of anxiety related to their

condition. The 'change' that you notice in her could be a result of her having

to deal with pain on a daily basis. It's really a full-time job & can be quite

exhausting. Many ppl try to maintain an appearance of normalcy even though the

body is not in a normal state. That can tire one out, as well. Medications can

affect moods but are not necessarily the cause of whatever you are noticing. If

this is particularly distressing for either of you, perhaps talking to

a counselor or clergy

member would be of benefit. Groups like this are also an excellent forum for

exchanging ideas & just plain ol' venting.

I had wonderful success with my surgery. It freed me from my brace and reduced

my curve as much as possible. After my year in a cast, I was released to

participate in almost any activity I desired. I led a 'normal' life with only

occasional pain until a car accident changed that in 1997. I personally know

several girls (4) I went to school with who had bracing, surgery and are now in

their 40s with perfectly normal lives and children. The view from the scoliosis

forums might be a little skewed due to the fact that ppl who have wonderful

outcomes are 'out there living their lives' instead of having any reason to

discuss their scoliosis, so I encourage you to keep the positives in mind as you

research surgery.   ~Moonbeam

Milwaukee brace 4 yrs

Fusion T3-L2 w/Harrington rod Age 11 

Cobb angle reduced from 84* to 52*