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Chronic bone and,jpint pain

In a 51 yr ki,dfemale.  I've been diagnosed with osteoarthiritus and having a hard time,finding meds that will continually help thru my pain management doctor.  I was on 30mg Percocet every 4 hours.  It was decided I needed to be on something stronger opposed to Percocet or Norco that only lasts a few hours.  I've tried morphine 30 mg twice daily as well as 15 mg, extended release twice daily.  I'm unable to take that on a,regular basis bc I sleep on either dose and,can't just sleep all the time.  Tried fentanyl patch and,after wearing,approx 24 hrs i itch all over.  They suggested EMBETTA....I've never heard of it but no one locally had in stock so back to morphine I am.  I hate this.  Having a flare up with knees swollen, hips hurting, deep pain traveling from hips to ankles up and down both legs and my 3 middle,toes on each foot are numb as well as the uederneath all TOES on both feet.  Here's the kicker....the balls of my feet hurt so bad I can't hardly stand nor wall and I'm moaning and crying trying to hobble around opposed to simply knocking myself out with the morphine.  My joint pain is deep and pain will travel up and down my legs causing horrific pain.

Any suggestions for pain meds could take for this?  I'm also on neurotin 1200mg per day and cymbalta 60mg per day.  Those help but when I ha e these flareups they are unbearable.  I go to my pain Dr Thursday morning and would love suggestions.

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Avatar universal
Hi Andrew.  :)

I'm going to ask you to please go to the top of this page and click on the "green" Post a Question and copy or paste your question as a new one as this thread belongs to Nanameaux.  :)

I want you to be able to get the same help that Nanameaux is receiving on her thread.  You'll get a lot more help with a thread of your own.  

Thank you and I'll (as well as others) will be looking forward to helping you.  
                                  ........      Sherry  :)
Helpful - 0
15982814 tn?1444436741
Oh my. So sorry for your pain. I have severe peripheral neuropathy in both feet: toes completely numb, balls of feet numb, but horrific burning pain "inside" of the feet. Tips of some fingers are now starting to go numb and sting and burn also. The pain is nearly unbearable at times.
I have moderate diabetes for which I take metformin twice a day, but my Primary Docs says my diabetes really isn't bad enough to be causing this severity of neuopathy, and thiks that a motorcycle accident I had 10 years ago may have damaged me somehow, so I'm now getting an MRI and CT scan to see if I have some back problem that is manifesting itself this way.
Been on Gabapentin (neurotin) , about 1000mg a day for a few years now with no noticeable effect. Docs say just keep taking it - can't hurt you!!
Recently tried Cymbalta for a couple of months with no noticeable effect.
Bought the special support shoes, and the inserts. I really don't like to wear shoes at all, but that's not really an option.
Docs prescribed hydrocodone/apap, which does help in the short term, but only because it's "blocking" the pain to an extent.
A friend of mine gave me a tube of Voltaren (he has arthritis), which I am about to try tonight.

Primary Doc referred me to a pain clinic because he said that was a better option, and he was concerned about managing my pain with narcotics over the long haul.
Wow, what an experience. I could tell immediately that I was branded a drug seeker practically from the time I walked in the door. Guilty until you can prove innocence apparently. Bring all of your medicine bottles in every visit and have a drug test every visit. And, unfortunately, there seems to be no real way to prove neuropathy or the severity of the associated pain.
The doc at this place is a CNP, which I assume is a Nurse Practitioner. Seems to be the highest qualified medical professional this office employs.
She asked how bad the pain was and to describe it. I said I hate to use extremes and say a "10" (although it is at times), so I'll say 9.

My kickers: over the last few months, there is a throbbing pain in my feet, heels, and running up into my calves. Could be from the way I have to walk - limping and such. Don't know, but it adds to the overall pain level significantly.

Kicker 2: The MRI showed a "mass" on my kidney. Just gets better and better :)

WOW, I REALLY DIDN'T INTEND FOR THIS TO TURN INTO SUCH A LONG RANT. Guess I needed to vent. Sorry.

Bottom line: does anyone know of anything which will help this neuropathy that I'm not already trying?

P.S. doc prescribed Lyrica at my request, but my insurance denied it, and the cash price was $600.00 a bottle (monthly supply). I can't afford that.
I've heard and read that if neurotin isn't helping at all, Lyrica is a long shot anyway.

HELP Please.

Andy (54 years old)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
So sorry, i hit send too soon. Here's the rest of my reply.

First, I want you to know how sorry I am that you are suffering with Osteoarthritis the way you are!  As you know the pain NEVER lets up know matter what you do.  All we can hope for is to lessen the pain as much as we can for as long as we can.

I'm 69 yrs old and I, also, suffer from Osteoarthritis as well as Degenerative Disc Disease in the entire spine.  I have arthritis in both hips, 3 implants in the left hip alone and getting ready for my first in my right hip after I go o n a trip later this month.  I, also, have arthritis in my fingers, knees and anywhere else it likes to go. :(  I'm fortunate that the Fentanyl patch worked for me and I'm not allergic to the adhesive. Can't imagine what I'd do without it. I take Percocet for the break-through pain. Even with all those meds I settle for pain levels between a 3 to a 5 on a good day and there are still days, where as you and everyone else on here, I'm stuck with pain levels that are 9, 10 and sometimes off the charts.

I've, also, had Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA).  I've had it 3 times and each time I get anywhere from 1 to 2 years relief.  The best results was in the lumbar area as it STOPPED the shooting pain down my legs and into my feet to the toes.  You need to ask your Dr. if you're a candidate for it.  IF you are I would highly recommend you think about doing it.  

I hope that you can get relief from your suffering. You don't deserve the pain that you are in!

I hope that you will continue to be a participating member and use your knowledge to help others on here. :)

We look forward to your updates and to seeing you on here.  :)

Best of luck .........Sherry. :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I, too, want to let you know that we're glad you have found this Pain Management Community.  You're definitely in the right place to try to get some help.  All of us are Chronic Pain Patients (CPP), also.

I also, suffer from Osteoarthritis as well as Degenerative Disc Disease in the entire spine.  I have arthritis in both hips, 3 implants in the left hip alone and getting ready for my first in my right hip after I go o n a trip later this month.  I, also, have arthritis in my fingers, knees and anywhere else it likes to go. :(  

Everyone on here has given you excellent advice.
Helpful - 0
1855076 tn?1337115303
Yor description of your arthritic pain could have been written by me!  It is somewhat unusual to have so many joints affected. My mom suffered terribly with the same.  I'm also in my early fifties.  My arthritis started in my twenties.  In 2007 I had a joint replacement in my thumb.  Unfortunately the implant itself failed (in most people that had it.). I had 8 more surgeries that resulted in me developing RSD/CRPS.  In the meantime, my arthritis has progressed in the other joints with my neck probably being the worst of it at the moment.  It's caused three disks in my neck to collapse causing nerve impingement.  I've lost so much range of motion I no longer drive.  

I also have arthritis and bad pain in my toes.  I think you're the only other person I've heard about that has that problem.

You might want to ask your doctor about trying Viltaren gel.  It's a topical prescription gel NSAID.  I've found it helps take the edge off in conjunction with other things, though in truth, lately I'm having more bad days than good days.  

The suggestions of talking to your doctor about an NSAID is a good one.  I don't know where I'd be without my prescription 800 mg ibuprofen.  I find it helps other medications/treatments work better.  They can be tough on your stomach if taken regularly so usually it's advised to take something like Prilosec to protect your stomach.  NDAIDS tend to work better than Tylenol as they work on both pain and inflammation.

I've used a lot of methods to help with the pain:  injections, alternating heat and ice, pain meds, and rotating ibuprofen with Tylenol, and the Voltaren gel or a compounded gel.  Basically it's trying to piece together a bunch of things to get some relief.

One thing that might help with your feet, albeit just a little, is to roll your foot on a tennis ball.  I'm not sure if it really helps but it doesn't hurt.

You've found a great website here for support.  It has a lot of very knowledgeable, empathetic people on it.
Helpful - 0
547368 tn?1440541785
Hi Nanameaux,

Welcome to our Pain Management Community. I am glad you found us and took the time to post - but sorry to learn of your uncontrolled Chronic Pain.

Embeda (Brand Name) is LA (long acting) morphine sulfate pellets and naltrexone HCl, - naltrexone HCI blocks the effects of other opiates and alcohol. If I remember correctly it was recalled for awhile and that may have been why it was not available.

MSContin  - also LA Morphine Sulfate but without the naltrexone HCI. That's the difference between the two Morphines.

Are you on a NSAID? They are usually the first medications ordered to reduce the pain of arthritis.

A burst of oral steroids may also help reduce your present flare, you may want to discuss the possibility with your physician.

Gabapentin (Neurotin) was not effective in treating my nerve pain. Lyrica has been a much more effective drug for me. You may want to discuss this with your medical provider also.

I hope something we have said has been helpful. Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. I wish you well.

Take Care,
~Tuck

Helpful - 0
7721494 tn?1431627964
Hello Nanameaux. Embeda is a morphine-based analgesic in a abuse-deterrent package sold by Pfizer.

Morphine is morphine -- I don't understand why they'd switch you to Embeda.

Where is your osteoarthritis -- in all of those joints? This is quite unusual.

NSAIDs are effective against some of the arthritic pain, and reduce inflammation. Are you taking any NSAIDs?

How about cortisone shots into the knee or hip?

Have any nerve blocks been suggested?
Helpful - 0
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