I thank you for your kind words and I also learned the hard way through pain medication addiction.  I now only take the meds when needed and have reduced the quantities drastically and yes you're right the pain doesn't seem so bad when my brain works properly.  That was what I was trying to portray in the story.  I don't take any where near what I'm sure some do, or for that matter, what I used to consume and I still get the treatment.

Anyway, I'm glad you read my little dribble and best of luck to you in all you do.  You sound like a lady with alot of strength.  Thank you!

Kymm

 Gloria Goerish <goulash@...> wrote:

Dear Kymm, I read with interest your message, I have to tell you how proud
you made me feel to read your story and I personally think you deserve the
whole store so you can have all the lolipops you deserve. Thanks for sharing
Love @ hugs Gloria
----- Original Message -----
From: <cherokee@...>
To: <pain-in-the-law@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, February 07, 2003 11:22 AM
Subject: [pain-in-the-law] Re: Where's my lolipop?


> Dear Kymm,
>
> I have only been suffering for 10 yrs with my spinal injuries and
> 1.5 dozen surgeries and procedures. However, I was on MS Contin
> 120mg. daily for 3 years and I have to say, if there is a way for
> you to reduce and change or get off those types of drugs, it would
> behoove you to do so.
>
> When we take those kinds of major narcotics for a long period of
> time, our natural bodies ability to handle pain is greatly
> diminished. Thus, things hurt even more then they would if we were
> not taking them.
>
> I also got very tired of missing out on most of my life as the short
> term memory was shite and all my memories went into the same big
> bowl. I could remember some of them, but had no idea as to a
> timeline.
>
> I am not without pain by any stretch of the imagination, but I do
> recognize damaging pain from just daily pain. I still have heavy
> meds at my disposal if things get out of hand, and to occasionally
> take the edge off, but I have noticed that my ability to handle the
> pain is much different now that I am off the daily mass doses of
> those previous meds. (Morphine was not all I was on either.)
>
> I try to swim,(upper body), at the YMCA, which has a lift to put me
> in and out of the water, and try to get a good massage 2-4 times a
> month to keep the spasms and shooting pains to a lesser point. I
> check my posture and shrug and roll my shoulders all day to keep
> those muscles from tightening up and creating more problems as well.
> I finally got a lift for my truck just last month, so I do not have
> to put my WC in and out of my truck and upset my body even more.
>
> Anyway, yes, these folks have little clue of which they speak of,
> but it might be in your best interest for you to look into changing,
> altering and/or reducing these meds that you have been on for so
> long.
>
> I will be honest, that for me it took God's hand to get off that
> last 30mgs of morphine, due to heart problems it had caused, but I
> did get off it. I think in the last 2 years I have had 2 30 mgs
> doses of morphine since I stopped them. Now I take Lortab (2) and
> either Soma (2) or some other anti-spasm med that is prescribed and
> at that point, stop doing any activity, and let my body rest.
>
> This has worked much better than previously going until I dropped
> due to not knowing I was over doing since the drugs were masking the
> pain I needed to know about. And I might add, all those meds never
> did take the pain away, they just numbed my brain enough eventually
> that I was too brain numb to care as much.
>
> Well, I hope that you are able to change some things. I alway try to
> alter my meds every couple of prescriptions anyway, but that is
> because I do not like to have my body build tolerances to anything,
> or build up immunity to anything. I suppose it does not matter much
> now though. My doc only has to write me a 30 day supply about once
> every 3-5 months, I use so little now.
>
> And here is your lollipop   :-)    ()
>                                     \
> Be well,
>
> LT
>
>
> >
> > I have suffered from chronic pain for over 20 years due to a
> spinal trauma and multiple fusions and surgeries throughout.
> Anyway, I just got home from my pain managmenet doctor and somehow I
> felt as though I should have been handed a lolipop when I left.
> >
> > As usual he asked how I was feeling, only half listening, because
> my condition rarely changes and never for the better or maybe
> because he's just bored.  We got to the part of the appointment were
> he needs to write prescriptions.  Now the questions start.  And the
> tone of his voice changes to that tone that's reserved for fathers
> and authority figures.  "So, how are we doing with the
> medication?"  "Are there any concerns we should be aware of?'
> and  "Do you think it's time we started tapering you off the
> medication?"  First of all I wasn't aware that "we" were in this
> together and second I resent that his concern lies more in his fear
> of my doing something stupid with my medication than with my pain.
> I realize there are those that abuse their medication, however he
> knows my condition, he's seen my xrays and  must know I am in
> extreme pain the majority of the time.  After I assured him I was
> being a "good girl"  (I even degraded myself and used that term) he
> wrote my refills.  I don't feel embarrassed or bad for taking my
> medication normally but when I leave the doctors office I feel like
> a scolded child .
> >
> > When I left his office I went to the pharmacy and went through the
> whole thing again.  "Do you know how strong this is?"  "We'll need
> to call the doctor to verify that he wrote this".   "You really
> should try to get off this stuff".  You'd think these people knew me
> the way they judged me instantly.  I really wonder sometimes how
> those who hurt more than me handle it.
> >
> > Anyway, I never did get that lolipop!!
> >
> > Kymm Cummins  klcglc10@s...
> >
> >
> > Kymm L. Cummins
> > klcglc10@s...
>
>
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