You also say you have fibromyalgia.
@Victoria33 Inflammatory arthritis and fibromialgia are my two diagnoses... Both of which are huge catch-alls that basically mean I swell up and hurt, and they don't know why... Personally, I think my main problem is lyme disease, though proving it is nigh on impossible.
Me, too, diagnosed years ago by a neurologist. At that time, every muscle in my body hurt so that I couldn't bush my teeth without back muscles actually rippling in pain. Couldn't put on clothes, wore a robe all day. Then, feet began having stabbing pains and couldn't work without pain, had to use a cane. Went to neurologist and was diagnosed - he gave me Amitriptyline and in three days I was out washing my car.
It has gotten worse over the years. Can have back muscles go into spasm for a whole day - can't move a bit all day - the time before last it happened, took hydrocodone (opioid) as prescribed, it didn't touch the pain, drank half a bottle of wine until Bob took it away from me, that also didn't lower the pain so I could stand it. Death would be better to stop the pain.
Next time I went to doc, he gave me a anti-spasm pill to go with hydrocodone (opioid) and upped the mg in hydrocodone (an opioid). I now go to a orthopedic doctor for another serious problem and he has taken over the opioid ordering and added Lyrica med. There are serious side effects from that pill and the dose had to be lowered as I couldn't function - could not write, could not spell words, messed up my mind; Bob thought of taking me to an emergency room. I dropped the dosage myself to get me back to normal. Then, went back to doctor.
I went down the same road - Wound up in a wheelchair for 7 years... I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
But taking 20 pills a day never was my gig. And it was not being effective... One of the things that really, really helped me out, was finding out that I don't assimilate western medicine well... I went to natural or hillbilly means for intake of vitamins and minerals, and even medicines... I lost my wife toward the end of my time in a wheelchair (divorce), and because of that, I went back to natural foods, fresh and real, as that is what I knew... Those things made a massive difference for me.... The whole food as medicine idea.
Another big thing was Natural Calm - A magnesium supplement that I use on and off... It is primary for getting rid of muscle spasms and charlie horses...And that lead me to pay serious attention to the VitD/calcium/magnesium triumvirate (can't absorb any without all three), and potassium is in there too, for the sake of magnesium... All of which I must find as naturally as possible... pills work very poorly for me.
If I start getting that 'worms under the skin' feeling, I know I have to get on magnesium. I am on it for a week to ten days or so (it gives you the squirts when you've had enough), and then I am fortified for a month or two, and have hardly any spasms or charlie horses at all. If it doesn't work, something is off with vitamin D or calcium... And I eat a lot of sweet potato and banana to keep potassium levels up there.. Wild meat, natural forage and garden fresh foods make a huge difference.
Some people have medical problems that cause pain constantly all day. You and I are two of those people. There is plenty of alcohol in this house but I have not gone down that road except for the time of drinking the wine. Medicine is developed to help people - not to create addicts. Use them according to the prescribed dosage and if they create a problem instead of helping, get the dosage fixed by doctor.
I agree with you, but it ain't all that easy. After a while it turns into a maintenance program, and folks stop looking for answers. I was bouncing around high doses of norcs, vikes, and oxys, swapping them up for effectiveness, and losing the game. I am much happier now, and more functional without all that. I still hurt, and probably always will, but it is very much reduced, and very bearable, so long as I don't let it take off and take over. The nice part of that is how effective opiates are when I do need em... half a Norco 7.5 lights me up, where I was taking 6 of them a day, and still having trouble with pain.
Different strokes and all... But it is working for me.
