Hi all -
i am new to this forum, but unfortunately not new to back pain.
For the last couple of years I have been seeing a pain management specialist (orthopedic).
I have problem from top to bottom... Literally.
I have arthritis in various locations throughout my spine. A lot of it cervical and thoracic. I have a few bulging disks, and a herniated one at l5. I am scheduled in a few weeks for a discogram to analyze this latter further. I have been through the gamut of nerve blocks, sreoidal injections, radiofrequncy neurotomies. Each has helped the immediate problems. However as my doctor said, it's like peeling rotted laters from an onion... You strip off one layer, often only to expose another layer of problem that you were unaware of due to the previous pain over-riding it.
Throughout this, I developed a good deal of neuropathic pain in my back. I had this chronic dull burning sensation in all my muscles as if I had spent the previous day digging post holes (though of course I had not).
The doctor tried me first on cymbalta. This was developed as an anti-depressant, but discovered to be benificial in stopping neuropathic pain in some people. For me, it took the edge off a bit, but didn't really do the job.
Then along came the new product, lyrica. I switched to this, and the improvement is simply amazing. This is not to say it would be miraculous for everybody. But based upon my experience with it, it is well worth asking your doctor about it.
I am certainly still in pain and discomfort. But I no longer have the same chronic burning overall achiness.
I just wanted to pass this along in hopes that it might help others out there. Being that this is a new medication, many doctors might be unaware of it, or not be familiar enough with it to think of prescribing it.
Unfortunately I am still living on a regimen of msucle relaxants, pain relievers, and pain killers as needed. Thankfully I have a very high tolerance for pain... Sort of a mixed blessing.
Well... More to follow. I will most likely post again once i've had my discogram to share my experiences. Meanwhile, I would like to hear of other's experiences with this procedure. I think at this point, it's one of the few things I haven't gone through yet. If others are seeking information on any of the other procedures I mentioned, I would be happy to share.