Wellness

[fairydogmother]

as I've mentioned I'm having neck surgery Aug 28 to have bad discs and messed up vertebrae removed then a fusion. To decompress my spinal cord, which surgeon says will immediately relieve the nearly unbearable neck shoulder and arm pain. I have been living with it for six months as it gradually got worse. Now he has finally got me on a pain mgt regimen that is working to keep me comfortable until surgery. But man oh man am I loopy! I take 600 mg of Gabapentin twice a day and Tramadol 50 mg in between. The Gabapentin makes me extremely dizzy, uncooordinated, makes my vision blurry. Then the Tramadol makes me drowsy, yet feeling sort of euphoric. It's a huge blessing to have pain relief at last. But I can sure see how some ppl get in trouble with these things. Personally I don't like these sensations and am glad to only be doing this til the 28th. Needless to say I'm staying at home. Not driving! Impulse control is impaired and I'm way more tempted to shop online, more than usual. 😉🤪

[foxywoods]

@fairydogmother   the waiting is the worst! but keep your eyes on the prize, you will feel so much better in the long run.   I was up all night the days before my neck surgery, worrying but keeping busy.  I was a cleaning fool  Be careful you don't get kicked out before your 3 days inpatient in hospital.  If they deem necessary you can go to SNF: skilled nursing facility.  I did and it was good because they provide 24/7 care and meals.   After 2 days there, with nurse's help I could shower and wash my hair. (my hair was very long and a tangled mess, they had shampoo but no conditioner.)  I left for home after the 4th day. I wanted to be home for Christmas. I took Robaxin for muscle ralaxant and Zanaflex. both meds are also generics. Also Percocet, yes it is very strong but especially the hours after surgery. Take what they give you - one of the doctors said to me "don't be a hero" .

Sending Love and Light. 

P.S right now I can't sleep, my total colonoscopy is at 10:00 AM. Not done with 2nd round of vile, nasty drink - the prep.

[chrystaltree]

I've been taking 300mg of gabapentin twice a day for the pain from Frozen Shoulder and while I appreciate the relief from pain, it does make me sleepy and a bit out of it.  I had been taking 300mg in the evening as a sleep aid so I never noticed the effects.  My PCP told me that I can change my daytime dosage to 100mg if I want but I'm afraid that low dose might not work on my pain. I'm happy that your surgery is coming up soon.

[Jk9]

There have been several discussions on the board about gabapentin and it seems several people have side effects with gaba,  I know how awful nerve pain is and I encourage you to work with your md to be as comfortable as possible as safely as possible.  You don't want to fall before your surgery and may need to adjust your dosages a bit. It sounds to me like you've had to work on getting enough relief to keep you comfortable, and that you are aware of the side effects you are experiencing. I would let your doc know what and how you are feeling just to be sure that you don't need another tweak on the meds.   I too understand how folks can get in trouble on pain meds, but I also know that having pain isn't good either.  Best wishes on your surgery! 

[meallen616]

@fairydogmother,

[cheriere]

@fairydogmother 

Im so sorry to know you've been dealing with this type of pain.  I have some bad discs in my neck, but thankfully, they're not to that point yet.❤️

I do take the gabapentin.  At first, it made me feel the same way.  However, after a few weeks it didn't make me feel loopy anymore, thank goodness.  I do know people who just can't take it though.  They were having too many falls.

I really hope the surgery helps you.  I'll be praying for you.❤️

PS.  I laughed when I read the part about impulse shopping.  I've been doing that myself lol.😃❤️

[Jo1313]

Gabapentin does nothing for my pain 300mg 3x a day the Dr. added  Extra StrengthTylenol to that still nothing..

Tried Tramadol all I did was vomit from it..so we stopped that..

So I'm always hurting...some days I have 2 glasses of wine that helps a little...I don't drive.

[I am still oxox]

Gabapentin made me very dizzy and all out of sorts and I only took 300mg at night

[rockygems123]

@fairydogmother 

You are very wise staying home and being cautious.

After working with our volunteer group recently six of us went for drinks.  Two in the group disclosed they take Tramadol for their pain management and felt it was OK to drink alcohol.

Two margaritas later it was clear they were severely impaired.   

Very scary to witness and both think they're OK and they're not.

[We rescue cats]

So sorry you are having the medicine issues and sending you good thoughts and prayers for the surgery.