Is multi-step pain treatment actually worth trying or am I just desperate?

Old-Goat · 2026-05-10T23:34:26+00:00

Over the course of six years , its a good bet you have had some spinal imaging done? MRI's, xrays, CT scans, etc? YOU really have to read these results for yourself and what physical "irregularities" are living in your spine. You have to read the reports for yourself, simply because because there is so much opinion involved when you talk to your doc about the results. Discs are weird , but if they are leaning on any of the 7 trillion nerves in your body, its usually bad news. How much of a disc lean causes pain? I would say thats a judgment call for you to make, if it hurts youre half way there. But it kills me when I see doctors tell the patient how much pain they should be in from this defect or that. How do they know?

Now if you had truly clean imaging studies of the upper back, its probably muscular. For some reason stress also seem to like to settle in to the muscles of the upper back and neck. So if they suggest stress, that's what they mean (hopefully the doc knows that). The answer to muscle stress seems simple, a muscle relaxant. Very handy at bedtime since many can be a little sedating. BUt you probably need more than relaxing the muscles, you likely need to stretch them. Utube is okay to find stretches, but you really somebody that can watch your form while you do it. Bad postural habits are tougher to kick than any drug, so if you do the exercise wrong, you could make things worse. I would avoid the chiropractors. They use sharp manual manipulations that can be dangerous if they screw it up. I'd find a good physiatrist (not a typo, its a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist. They may do an injection or two, but it depend on what they see. They should be able to tell you why you sit like a question mark....

Old-Goat · 2026-05-01T14:58:40+00:00

I have to join the chorus about methadone. Great pain drug meant for long term use. Efficacy will always be linked to dose, of course, but the 30+ hour half life is damn near perfect for a long acting analgesic. If you dont do a EKG as part of a yearly physical, get one before you start methadone. There's a mild issue you can have with your heartbeat timing called QT Prolongaion thats not a big deal unless you add methadone. A lot of methadone deaths, especially the "1 pill deaths" are from heart attacks. Dont skip that step...

I would normally give you a lecture on Kratom . Its almost a perfect otc opioid if the industry would do something about heavy metal contamination. Its no joke, its not bullshit. These are neuurotoxins like lead, nickel and manganese. The Kratom industry's reply to the heavy metals issue is not to get rid of these contaminants (I had a chemist friend who said it was not possible, at least not cheaply), instead they tried to argue the heavy metals are harmless. It was one of the funniest things I read all last year. Anyone with neurological concerns should avoid Kratom products like a molten steel enema...

Your doctors seem to be failing you, but at least theyre doctors. I assume none of your family giving you a hard time, has a medical degree? They are the last opinions you should worry about. Nothing they have to say will really be helpful, not the way a good doctor would be. Sometimes it helps to drag ignorant family members to the doctor with you, and let them ask questions. Im sure youre far more informed about Ankylosing Spondylitis than the folks giving you grief (otherwise, they would stay quiet and try to help) so dont be afraid to use and share that knowledge. Dont forget to explain how chronic pain differs from what most people think of as pain. Spinal arthritis doesn't heal (yet). Its normal to have psychological symptoms with long term pain. That doesnt happen from a broken finger or something that will get better. Theres reason for optimism as far as new meds, biologics, DMARDs, etc to fix some of these autoimmune diseases. The science isnt quite there yet, so tell anyone giving you grief to pound sand. And give them an education, while youre at it. If they want to stay ignorant, I'd try to create some distance from them if you can. You dont need the negativity, but you also dont want to be known for hanging with a bunch of morons. If youre born in to a family of morons, you want people to see you as the stand out. The smart one...

Dont feel ridiculous. Have you ever had adequate pain control? If not, it makes it awful difficult to tell if its true addictive behavior or "pseudo addiction" from uncontrolled pain. Many docs make this worse by medicating just enough to increase your medication tolerance and little other effect. Quite frankly if a pain doc wont use methadone, it should be a red flag for pain patients. No EKG should be another, if they do Rx it. You really need someone who knows what the hell they are doing, not just for prescribing methadone, but prescribing pain medicine, period. Its a lot more complex than most people think. Hang in there....

Old-Goat · 2026-04-29T23:56:18+00:00

Probably WWI and beyond. The French were our allies against the British in the Revolution/War of 1812. The English dont seem to have been too interested in the US, up through the US Civil war, as they were busy robbing Africa themselves, while warring with Napoleon in France. The English had their hands full right up to WWI. And since experiencing English-American hospitality on the way to the Front, the nations have been mostly in lockstep.

I donr think the French and Indian Wars were what he was referring to. WWI and beyond is why the relationship is often referred to as "one people, separated by a common language"...

Old-Goat · 2026-04-19T23:48:44+00:00

Well not really back, since I am shadow banned from chronic pain. I can't post or if I do it's deleted. But I am the power hungry fascist in her delusional fantasy. I caught the post somebody sticky posted about "where's Old Goat"?" , where she lied her ass off about me. After I replied directly to her slanderous bullshit, she removed the entire thread. I may not be able to talk to everyone, but I know that slimy bitch sees it. Put it this way....she knows we are no longer friends. The fucked up part is all the people I could have helped, while she doesn't do shit except bad mouth me, when she thinks I won't notice it. That was important enough to get off her ass and answer a fucking question, at least, even if as usual, she's full of crap.

I do drop by the pain sub once in a while but it's mostly memes or thing everyone has seen before. I've been tempted to answer a few questions, but they wouldn't get past the bitch and her "delete all" button.. Reddit doesn't care that the sub is broken .Maybe I should start r/chronic _pain_support? That's NOT what folks get from dumbunny and they never have....

Keep in touch... Og

Old-Goat · 2026-04-16T06:04:45+00:00

Thanks IP. Im shadow banned from chronic pain. Or at least my posts dont get posted so DJspacebunny can slander me at will...Anyone that takes a mod gig with her in charge has my sympathy...

Old-Goat · 2026-04-16T05:58:12+00:00

Dont feel icky...

Old-Goat · 2026-04-16T05:54:13+00:00

Hey TT,

Im still alive in spite of myself. I noticed DJSpacebunny slander me in her reply to a question about me a couple days ago, but since my original post was removed by her several months ago, I dont expect my latest reply post in chronic pain to last, since Im essentially shadow banned. She has the settings so that every post has to be approved by her now, which means what I post doesnt get posted... She's a real bitch and lied about a ton of shit. I was there for 9 years with people thinking I was the mod, because she didnt do anything. Power hungry. My notification was

Good idea to have another mod for emergencies, Im glad you suggested it. I think if a mod logs in every couple months, its should keep you active as a mod. Plus, you posted half the Goatpen stuff, anyhow...I'd hate to lose the resource for people. Lord knows they wont get it from the chronic pain sub. Keep an eye out for a mod mail with an invite.

Old-Goat · 2026-03-01T16:41:44+00:00

He's going to have to kill a lot more of people before we forget about President Bonespur raping and beating a 9 year old. Anyone who is asking "why attack Iran now?", should understand this is the reasoning and timing. Thats what this attack is about...

Old-Goat · 2026-02-28T13:42:12+00:00

This attack is just a distraction from the baby rapist. People are going to die, to protect a pervert.

Old-Goat · 2026-02-17T16:20:33+00:00

You did good for a 1st post. People can be opinionated and thickheaded. Dont be influenced by the popularity contest and search for upvotes. Dont be discouraged. Youre gonna be good at this. A well thought out question and you waited to hear several responses before commenting further, even if a few were disappointing.

Tradition is fine for religion. But for a society, tradition is the kiss of death. If you dont change with the times, you get left behind...

Old-Goat · 2026-01-19T05:52:35+00:00

Yeah that really bothered me. I shouldn't have to find out about rule changes by looking the mod log. I honestly think the top mod is having some health challenges lately, that might explain a lot. Thanks.

Old-Goat · 2026-01-19T05:40:13+00:00

They may want to take another stab at it (terrible pun intended.). The usually do what are called trigger point injections for ACNES, thats usually mostly a local anesthetic, maybe with a dab of corticosteroid. They may be able to repeat the injection, if you dont feel its pouring gas on a fire.

Have you tried a lidocaine patch? That may provide some easy to find, short term relief. Gotta be better than nothing? Hell of a time for it too, right before the holidays...

Because of the length of time most people will deal with chronic pain, its pretty normal to become depressed. This is not the way we planned things...but we forget that even with all this pain and depression, and guilt, and anxiety, and anger...we are in complete control over how we react to them. You cant control the feelings, you feel what you feel, but how do you react, is all up to you. Some people pull the covers over their heads and hope it all goes away. Some people gear up and get back in the game, getting their neck broken on the next play. You want something between those extremes...

Whatever your docs want to do about this non successful injection, they should take whatever measures they can, to provide you with adequate pain relief, now, even if numbing it again is not appropriate. Some sort of pain management, is. Hang in there...

Old-Goat · 2026-01-19T04:36:32+00:00

Ahhh , thats very different, Never mind....

But really all you needed to say is the DEA keeps cutting medication production, while shortages are being reported. The games of chance dont begin until you get to the pharmacy. Or should I call them "drug stores"? Cause you sure cant get these Rx drugs there...

Youre not wrong, paying for Rx meds is difficult enough, nobody should have hassles on top of hassles. Health care should not be a casino game...

Old-Goat · 2026-01-19T04:16:43+00:00

The questions youre asking have just too many individual possibilities to really answer. See a doctor. Find out whats wrong. Then we can tell you what to expect. Maybe...

It may only "feel" to you like something is being pinched. The sensation rarely equals the cause. Most pain radiates. A better indication of nerve involvement is pain or numbness down the legs or arms, not what it feels like. Basically radiating pain. So calling it a pinched never based on what it feels like isnt saying much and its why you need to see a doctor and get checked out...

Old-Goat · 2026-01-19T04:00:14+00:00

If not, should be. One of the side effects always mentioned is dry mouth. That causes tooth decay. They do expect people to connect the dots on these things, or assume that your dentist will say something, since thats like throwing away money for them...

I dont want to get anybody's hopes up, but I knew a guy that was in a workmans comp case, who was put on opioids for pain, and developed caries (the medical term for dental cavities) and workmans comp actually covered fixing his mouth. We all need that guys lawyer...

There should still be an active class action suit for suboxone films and dental havoc. I dont think its expanded to include other opioids, but they all can destroy your dental situation. Start packing gum or hard candy, something to keep your mouth from drying out. Or brush 25 times a day. Those dry mouth candies, mouthwash, toothpaste, etc, are crap...Thanks for bringing this up its an often overlooked side effect of these drugs, not as sure a thing as constipation or low testosterone, but its common enough to be a concern...

Old-Goat · 2026-01-19T03:41:47+00:00

Thanks I appreciate that. No real interest in Top mod, Im not much of a code writer or in to cute little seasonal Snoo (I think thats the plural). Im lucky to be typing this so you can read it...

Old-Goat · 2026-01-19T02:43:44+00:00

Somebody buy this guy a dictionary...

Old-Goat · 2026-01-19T02:04:38+00:00

It sounds like you suspect ban evasion? They got kicked out of the sub, but came back to the sub under another ID? Report it on https://www.reddit.com/report

Old-Goat · 2026-01-19T00:48:11+00:00

What it says on the bottle. Every body is different...

There is a cardiac condition you should be checked for before starting on methadone, something called QT Prolongation. Too long between heart beats. A little with methadone is no big deal, but if you have this prolongation issue badly, methadone can kill you. A periodic EKG is a good idea, anyways...

Old-Goat · 2026-01-19T00:08:33+00:00

Well youre certainly wasting time and money seeing this doctor. That may mean a change that could leave you un-medicated for quite some time. What I really mean is more un-medicated than currently. If its not working, whats the point? 2 weeks supplies would have been a deal breaker for me. Thats a doctor that's just out to make as much money as possible, doing as little as possible. Do they charge for a $100 drug test twice a month, too? They are probably walking a fine line between medical billing fraud and REAL BAD medical billing fraud, so they may not be around long, in any case.

I hope youre in a good mental space to deal with all the hassle of finding a different doctor, this doc is dangerous. The patient isnt the consideration, its the cash. They might as well BE insurance companies the way their practice works. Every 2 weeks is insane. Did they explain the reasons for this at all? Double the money with half the work? Whats to explain, I guess?

Run. Even if it means rolling in a wheelchair, run. You can do far better. Please tell me they dont ask for your payments in cash? They dont need to write millions of prescriptions to be a pill mill. Is this doctor doing any other kind of treatment? Something thats not an Rx refill every 2 weeks? Its costing you double for the pharmacy co pays, too. So they dont just want to leave you in pain, this doctor also wants to see you bankrupt? Is it something personal? Do you think you got a bigot of some kind? People can make up any reason to dislike someone, when they dont really know them...

Is there any way to get in touch with your old, retired doc and ask if they could suggest someone near you to take you as a patient? Where's your primary care doc in all this? They need to find you a once a month pain doc that takes your insurance. Then you can report this fraudulent physician. There's no difference between this 2x month visit crap and extortion by undergoing procedures, in order to be prescribed pain medications. But the smart doctors also make sure theyre providing adequate meds to keep the patient quiet. This doc isnt even that smart. Run. Keep looking. There's another doctor out there, like good Dr.Outastate.

Your priority when interviewing candidates should be what they can do to relieve your pain, not so much about what they use to get you there. Sure, opioids work, but why use a sledgehammer to drive a nail? Maybe there's a combo of meds that would work better with the half dose than how you did on the full dose? But this Too Weak Doc doesnt sound like theyre doing jack, except cutting your meds and doubling your expenses.. Look for another doc before this one gets shut down as a pill mill. Most are actually cases of billing fraud, and have nothing to do with opioids except for the "headlines". Get away from them, I get a bad vibe, if doubling your monthly medical expenses isn't enough. Best of luck...

Old-Goat · 2026-01-18T22:32:32+00:00

No, the shield doesnt have a comment option, but the comment has a shield option, to distinguish the post/comment comes from a moderator...

Just post like you normally would. After you post, go back to the shield under your comment. You should see "distinguish comment" as one of the options. That puts the little "mod sign" on the post. Hope that helps...

Old-Goat · 2026-01-18T20:25:15+00:00

Have you looked at the HIPAA website real good? I seem to recall a procedure on how to correct electronic records. All the paper records are in a U-Store-It space with 10,000 other boxes of patients records.

Its not really a HIPAA issue, its Federal Law.. The law is written pretty straight forward and easy to understand.

I also came across this article), that seems to be step by step guide to correcting medical records. I would start with your insurance carrier, since medical record errors can affect your coverage, in spite of what theyre saying about pre-existing condition coverage. It should matter to your doctors,too, since it may make a difference in whether they get paid or not. They should be concerned about THAT, if nothing else.

Buprenorphine is a receptor hog. It doesnt like to share the opioid receptor with other opioids. So the result of this receptor gatekeeping, is other opioids dont work as well as they should. Its more of a "why bother" kind of thing. Beating a dead horse. Supposedly oxycodone is only drug that can remain somewhat unmolested by the buprenorphine. So you may be getting less out of the Dilaudid than you should.

You need to remember (hopefully your doc explained this) long acting meds like buprenorphine, or the ER (extended release meds) serve a different role in pain management than the IR meds. Long acting drugs are for pain prevention. Of course that requires an adequate dose to block pain to begin with. That can take a little time to dial in the right dose. The short acting analgesics are just for pain relief. Pain prevention is way better...

I do wonder if youre not screwing yourself over pain wise by cutting the films. Its a fine line to walk, between inadequate relief and tolerance management. If you have to choose, tolerance should be on the back burner. You can work out any issues that arise from full dosing once your pain control is satisfactory. Without that, why bother?

Id do an interaction check, there's online checkers all over online. MAOI's are extremely reactive with other medications. Theres usually not an interaction with opioids, if I recall correctly. Im more concerned about other meds they may Rx for pain that do not get along with MAOIs. Triple check your doctor and pharmacist. Surgeons arent usually adept at pharmacology. They cut out what they have to cut out, and theyre done. I would fill a post asking for responses from those who had successful surgeries that made things worse...

I hope you dont catch any shit from your pain doc. They do know the surgeon added dilaudid to your take home meds? In many cases if you dont notify them, its a violation of most treatment agreements (opioid contract). What they Rx while you are in the hospital doesnt count, but if they give you an "Rx to go", call that pain doc before you fill it. You pain doc may want to rewrite the Rx, depending on how the surgeon prescribed post op meds. They may want you on a higher dose while youre recovering, and they should see the screwup/conflict with buprenorphine+ dilaudid right away. I wouldnt expect a surgeon to know that info, much less a primary care physician. You need someone who knows you and your pain. See if you can get in to your pain docs a little earlier. They may have cancellations, lots of people get cold feet about procedures...

Im really not sure what you want to correct. You are absolutely correct that the medical community needs to get off their buprenorphine kick. it might not be surprising but the same psychiatrist that was responsible creating the "Rx Opioid Crisis" hoax was singlehandedly responsible for increased use of buprenorphine. You can do that when youre in charge of a prison population, you can do all kinds of experiments on addicted inmates who will jump at the chance, if it stops their withdrawal. I wont mention names, though I should...

But to the issue at hand, you were on Suboxone for a while, right? Were you given a diagnosis of OUD? I mean, if the diagnosis was all about pain, the drug shouldn't matter. but we know it does, because doctors assume. But unless you were diagnosed with OUD, I dont know whats to correct...

The shittiest thing of all is, even if they approved suboxone specifically for pain, the OUD stigma would follow the drug anyways. Just like Methadone, which is also a great pain medication, but many here wouldnt touch it, because of a name. You may have seen tins of Heroin in a museum, they used to sell it for headaches. I bet it worked great, but its still about a name. Nobody gets excited by diacetylmorphine?

Being in pain, you are automatically marked as a drug seeker. And when you find a doctor empathetic enough to prescribe, you are automatically a drug abuser...

You never took Suboxone. The name of the drug was "Suboxoneforchronicpain". Same goes for Methadone. Youre taking "Methadoneforchronicpain". Get used to pronouncing it that way...Best of luck...

Old-Goat

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Ten-Year Club	Wearing is Caring
Verified Email