Pain Management Update

I went to see my PCP on Wednesday, Jan 27th.  She gave me a cursory exam, noted my post-surgical condition and forwarded me on to a pain management specialist.  I go the appointment for the next day.

I received a call from the PMS office Thursday morning confirming the appointment and asked me to download an 8 page questionnaire regarding my pain management history for my current pain issue.  It was VERY detailed and I ended up using about 10 pages (some pages required I print out more than one and I kept adding drugs I had been given in the hospital to little or no effect).

I saw the doctor at about 2:00 and he and I discussed the surgery, discharge meds, type of pain I was having, etc.  After the discussion was over, he noted that he was not impressed with the hospital's pain management process.  He prescribed 2 drugs for me to take.

Because I am having muscle tissue aches, bone aches, swelling and pressure pain, he prescribed oxycodone as an alternative to the medications I had been given that DIDN'T work. 

Because I am having burning pain along my incision and stabbing and shooting pains in my forehead and temple, as well as numbness, tingling and bizarre pins and needles, he prescribed Neurontin as well.

I have used the oxycodone (I got home and took 2 at about 4:30).  I discovered that 2 is about 1 too many and I got really dizzy.  But the pain went away.  I ate a sandwich and the nausea resolved itself and the dizziness died down a bit.  And the pain went away.  I lay down for a bit and, much to my surprise, the pain went away. 

Into the evening my pain stayed away until about 10:45 p.m.  I took another one at 11 p.m. and was able to fall asleep unaided by anything else.  I got 7 hours of sleep interrupted by my cats (to feed them) once during the night, when I took another pain pill, and I awoke with very little headache, though I still had my normal amount of swelling.  I am now in the middle of my day and I have not had another pain pill since about 4 this morning.  To summarize, I would call this a pain management success.

I have not started my Neurontin yet.  The drug makes me nervous because it is a long-term drug.  You don't take it as needed.  You have to titrate up to a certain level, then titrate back down when you want off it.  I'm not sure my burning, stabbing, shooting pains are bad enough to warrant such a long-term drug.  We'll see.

Does anyone else have any experience with Neurontin?  Let me know.

Again, I'm glad I went to go see a doctor.  Just knowing I HAVE pain meds that work make me feel a bunch better.