Neuropathic Pain

I find it very interesting to see the pain managed so successfully with non-narcotic drugs. I’ve been in pain for years supposedly from my arthritis although my case is quite complicated. But isn’t everyone’s case different and complicated in other ways?

NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) helped the pain but this was far from complete. And these types of drugs are not meant to be taken forever. The ideal case is that you get an acute inflammation from something eg spraining your ankle and you go on the NSAIDs for 10 days to aid with the healing.  Arthritis, however, is not an acute situation but rather is chronic. People go on the NSAIDs because of the pain and the drugs help to different degrees.Unless the patient is persistent about their level of pain, it often stops here. And the patients’ don’t know what is “normal” pain from arthritis. The one thing that they do know is they can’t manage many “normal” daily tasks and this can impact their quality of life (QOL) to varying degrees.

CT Scan: Prep and Scan

CT Colonoscopy Preparation #2
Do not use this preparation if you have had a recent heart attack, kidney failure, severe diarrhea or bowel obstruction. If in doubt, consult your Physician.
Click here for Video

Requirements: From Surgeon or hospital: 1 Bottle of Ez EM Readi Cat 2.1% w/v
1 bottle of Telebrix (60mg)
From the Drugstore: 2 bottles of Citro Mag (magneusium citrate), 1- 10mg Ducolax suppository

Day before Exam
NO Solid Foods
Clear fluids that are not red in colour
Coffee and tea okay without milk – no dairy

At 3PM- one bottle of citro mag. Stick close to the bathroom. Drink at least 4 large glasses of fluids

At 6PM- Drink 250mL Readi Cat. Drink remaining bottle of citro-mag. Drink at least 4 large glasses of fluids throught the evening.

At 9PM- Mix the Telebrix with fluids and drink it. You may continue to drink clear fluids until midnight.

The day of the exam
NO fluids or food until after the exam.
2 hours before the exam insert the Ducolax suppository. Retain at least 15 minutes.
After the exam resume normal diet and drink extra fluids.

for Video recorded by user’s WebCam on Thu Mar 13 08:08:19 MST 2008

Pain Control, Pilates Reformer and Recovery

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2nd Round of Magnesium Citrate

Still dealing with an impacted bowel.

Purpose of Viddler

So why video blog anyway?

http://www.viddler.com/darmorrow/videos/3/

Recorded video

Second bout of magnesium citrate. Is the bowel segmentally affected by the L1/L2 laminectomy? The neurosurgeon says no but what will the surgeon have to say. I’ll find out next Friday. I feel like I’m on a doctor merry go round. I was always afraid of falling off that when I was a kid. Not much has changed.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/darmorrow/videos/2/

Good News but more Magnesium Citrate :-(

Had a second x-ray. Really started cramping and my doc wants me to see a surgeon. YUK! Went to see her again because nothing from the surgeon – I could sit her forever in pain waiting. Because of the cramping now she was able to give me meds that have helped tremendously.

The second x-ray totally ruled out a blockage which is fantastic. Still wants me to see a surgeon. Could be twisting in the lower colon from the surgery I had in 1994…

Ordered a second purge and clear fluids though to clean out the colon. Still too much stuff hanging in there. Have to contact the neurosurgeon now to make sure it’s not the result of complications for the Laminectomy…

Pain Medication Can Catch You Unaware

As much as I have tried to keep my pain medication down to a reasonable level- I am taking 60 mg of MS Contin twice a day and the very occasional 4mg dilaudid- I have failed to control the constipation. I’ve been feeling nauseated for about a month. Thought it was the flu. Hate going to the doctor for every little ache and pain so didn’t. But my stomach or rather lower bowel was very sore and there was a lot of pressure right around my belly button. It finally got so bad that on Monday I went to see the doctor. My regular wasn’t in but the very nice man I saw thought it was an emergency so that’s where he sent me. He thought it possible that I had an ulcer that had perforated.

I spent almost 5 hours in deplorable conditions that Lion’s Gate calls Emergency. They took my blood and after 4 hours took a urine sample. That’s about the same time I saw the doctor. The machine to analyze the urine was broken so it had to be sent to the lab which would take 2 hours. I was examined (not as thoroughly as I was by the clinic doctor) and told that this was not an emergency situation. Didn’t know what it was but didn’t think it was an emergency. So I said – so it’s the flu? No. He sent me back to my doctor and not tomorrow…I was in a lot of pain.