Posted by TexasChic on May 19, 2006, at 20:00:23
In reply to So the job hunting starts..., posted by NikkiT2 on May 19, 2006, at 13:09:54
I had daily pain with TMJ problems and horrible pain with my period that started lasting all month.
First the period pain. Ever since I was 15, I had excruciating pain that would make me throw up for two days every month. I somehow figured out how to put myself to sleep when it was at its worst, I still don't know how I did that. My mom never took me seriously until she saw me almost pass out by the toilet. Of course everyone thought I was exaggerating about cramps. One doctor my mom took me to said I needed vitamins. Another lectured me on the evils of teenage intercourse (I was 18 at the time and had just lost my virginity). I have to say, despite her short comings, my mom really did try.
I had a laproscopy (looking at things through you belly button - actual surgery). I took Lupron shots which put me in a medically induced menopause which caused CONSTANT nausea as well as hot flashes and night sweats (but didn't stop the pain). I had a MRI (or maybe a catscan) done. I was going to get a nerve block when my doctor said not to, that she could treat me. I tried every non narcotic pain medicine imaginable. My doctor finally, very sparingly prescribed hydrocodone. I didn't like to drive under the influence, so I took one in the morning when I first got to work, then another after lunch, which would wear off in time for me to drive home and take another. Its not a good way to live, but it was the only way I could get through. I would horde it like a miser. I broke them in half and quarters so that I only took what would bring my pain into a tolerable category. It never got me high or anything, it just decreased the pain to a dull roar.
When I told my doctor, who I'd been going to for the past 5 years, that I still had pain and needed to continue the hydrocodone, she accused me of being a 'pill seeker'. She said I fit the profile, mainly because of the depression she was treating me for. Also the fact that I started crying when she said this fit this 'profile'. I never went back to her.
I lived my life this way for a long time before I finally found the answer. I now take birth control without taking any days off - meaning I never have a period. This saved me. People tell me it doesn’t sound safe. They just don’t understand. I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for this treatment. I don’t care what it does to me. But I‘ve researched it and thankfully its supposed to be very safe. Knowing I will have to take birth control indefinitely is what motivated me to stop smoking. I figured more than one stroke/blood clot/heart attack/cancer causing factor was tempting fate.
As for my TMJ pain, I had a wonderful doctor who did jaw surgery after two and a half years of braces (I was 30). It also saved me. When I tried to call back not long afterward, I was told he no longer did TMJ treatment because insurance just wouldn't cover it. I strongly believe he treated me for free. I never had to pay for the MRI I had, and he never charged me a copay. I now have screws in my jaws, and my TMJ pain is gone.
So, long story short, I know about chronic pain, although it seems very remote to me now. If I had that kind of pain again, I don’t know if I could handle it. When I was young I didn’t know it could be any different. Now I’m a big believer in the fact that being dependent on pain medicine is not the same as being addicted. It may be a while before the rest of the world believes that though.
Sorry for the rambling. I just felt the need to share my story.
-T
poster:TexasChic
thread:645914
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20060513/msgs/646062.html