A little back info: I had a major car accident in 2006, and came out with what I assumed was nothing more than a seat belt shaped bruise. I declined offers to go to the emergency room, as I thought I was fine, but a few days after I found that I was in increasingly bad back pain. By the time I found a doctor and was put through physical therapy, most of the muscles in my cervical and thoratic spine had atrophied to some degree, and this limits my mobility and gives me daily pain. Since 2006 I have been on both Ultram and Flexeril to control pain, but they are both doing a whole lot of nothing.
I plan on seeing my doctor today- how should I approach the topic of receiving stronger pain meds without seeming like a junkie? It’s not as if I’m asking to be on morphine… I just want to be able to do things my peers are doing. Being 20 and in pain all the time is pretty depressing.
Posts Tagged Ultram
First, I’ve told a Dr. about it, but I am searching for more Info. Maybe someone else dealing with similar chronic pain/pain meds, etc. Any info is appreciate.
So, I have been taking Ultram ER for about 6 months. Recently My dosage was upped to 200 mg/daily by my pain mgmt doctor. Also I take Ultracet (tramadol) 37.5 mg (as needed every 4 hours).
I recently noticed, that I have had a strange phenomenon happening that I believe could be a possible side effect?
When I told my Dr’s they ran some tests but did not find anything really.
The symptom is hard to explain, but basically a couple hours after I fall asleep I am in a sort of awake dream. My whole body feels completely numb, I can’t move or snap out of it. Tingly everywhere. When I finally do awake, I still feel tingly, although the symptoms are subsiding significantly, and I stand up very dizzy to the point where I fall down almost. It was pretty scary and doesnt happen every night but more like once or twice every couple weeks.
Here’s some backgound on me and my coniditions as I realize there may be other causes. 24, male, fit, athletic, non-smoker, no recreational drug use. 2 years ago, my lung spontaneously collapsed. ER, placed a small chest tube to reinflate my lung. The tube failed. A second tube was placed in my chest. The tube reinflated my lung. As I was to be released, I fell very very Ill. After a week in the hospital running tests, a week in ICU, loss of 25% body weight (near death), another chest tube (3) they finally found I had a staph infection in an empyema on my chest wall/lung. They did an emergency thoracotomy (scraping the infection out of my lung, removing small piece of my lung, and scraping my chest wall). Released after 4 weeks hospitalized. 4 more weeks IV antibiotics as outpatient. Severe chronic pain following. 4 radiofrequency ablation treatments on intercostal nerves to remove (some) pain. Chiropractor, Physical Therapy, Post Op Pain Meds (Oxy Codone, Percocet, Lyrica, Celebrex, Ultram ER, Ultracet). 2 Years moderate-severe Post Thoracotomy Chronic Pain Syndrome. Well thats the basics.