After another frustrating trip to see yet another resident M.D. at the healthcare facility that my insurance will pay for, I feel the deep need to write about a serious thing. This latest M.D. finally admitted that I have a herniated disc due to the positive Laseague's test, and the fact that I am now suffering some really dreadful sciatic pain. (The distribution of the pain suggests that I actually have two herniations now-but who am I to point this out to a 'professional'?) When I say dreadful pain, I mean that I won't be getting out of bed today except for the emergency of having to pee and I am going to lie here holding it for as long as I can. I may have to pee standing up too. I refused another x-ray, because it would be useless for imaging the extent of protrusion and I know I don't have any spinal fractures. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16538211 I do have osteophytes, according to this new Doc's reading of an old x-ray. Duh! I spotted them on the last one myself! Ironically, they were never mentioned until now. This Doctor suggested physical therapy, and ibuprofen for pain relief and to bring down the 'inflammation'. Well, hello-did you not read my history Doc? I can't take NSAIDs! I love my liver, kidneys,and gastric mucosal cells! I do not like tinnitus one bit at all, or swelling, seriously red palms, and feeling generally weak, dizzy and nauseated with horrid stomach pains. That is what NSAIDs do for me. My intolerance for NSAIDs came about from desperate attempts to gain relief. I was prescribed a whopping dose of Naprosyn a few years ago for-you guessed it-back pain. I took the horse pills for a month straight, with no pain relief, but hope and then I began to experience the adversities mentioned above. I ditched the Naprosyn and switched to OTC Advil and the same things happened. I ditched the Advil and resorted to plain aspirin and discovered that plain aspirin does the same thing to me! When I complained to the doctor of the time about stomach pain(which started first)-he gave me another pill to counteract the stomach trouble, rather than attempting to find me a less harmful pain reliever. I was also having numerous asthma attacks and no one considered that the NSAIDs were the reason behind them! Several months after I ended all NSAID taking for pain relief, I stopped having asthma attacks. I have not had one since! (except for last month when I got so desperate from the fever & headache of influenza that I took a dose of acetaminophen which was not good for me in that I woke up wheezing with a slightly swollen face and extremely itchy legs)
So, why are NSAIDs poisonous? Well, look at the enzymes they affect, and what those enzymes do: http://www.albany.edu/faculty/cs812/bio366/Cyclooxygenase_ppt.pdf Prostaglandins are not bad things. When NSAIDs mess up our prostaglandins, all sorts of harmful body imbalances happen. Although, allegedly, the inhibition of these prostaglandins should not mess up the body balance of individuals with normal kidney function. I beg to differ since my kidney function has never been described by a medical professional as abnormal. Here is some more disturbing information about NSAIDs: http://updates.pain-topics.org/2010/03/nsaid-dangers-may-limit-pain-relief.html, http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=56690, http://gi.org/guideline/prevention-of-nsaid-related-ulcer-complications/. NSAIDs can have a role in extremely short term relief of symptoms-such as for fevers-but definitely not in all instances! EX: Stevens Johnson Syndrome linked to Ibuprofen: http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js7918e/2.4.html#Js7918e.2.4, http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/02/14/massachusetts-teen-awarded-63-million-in-motrin-lawsuit/ Inflammation is not really our enemy, although it can be unpleasant. Inflammation in most cases is the result of the body trying to heal its self. When inflammation is present without injury, or invasion by pathogens, it can be a bad thing. An example of run away inflammation is the inflammation that occurs with autoimmune diseases.http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/ss07/inflammation.html, http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/general/inflammation So, how can I cope when I can't take the poison? A whole lot of Netflix, patience, and the application of some sensible principles. Here is where I found some information that is the most logical so far:
http://www.drbookspan.com/BackPainArticle.html Dr. Bookspan makes a whole lot of sense!
How can you cope without giving in to the all too common NSAIDs? That's a tough question, especially for chronic pain sufferers, and especially if you want to function as fast as it can be made to happen. (And who doesn't want that?) First, in the case of injury-listen to your body! If it hurts, avoid it. Consider whether or not that NSAID is actually helping you get that good night's sleep. If it is, great! If it isn't, then there is no point in continuing with it or increasing the dose, is there? Really? Why is it that physicians can prescribe much larger dosages than are allowed to be sold over the counter? Do NSAIDs magically become less toxic by virtue of a doctor's authority to exceed dosage limits as set forth for the general public through FDA guidelines? If you have a stomach ache, heed it-because that means the NSAID is killing your gastric mucosal cells. Yeah, the doc can prescribe a drug to limit acid production, but does the doc have a drug to keep your cells from dying?(I'm still researching on this one) So where does this leave you? Well, if you truly can't stand the pain, narcotics may be a consideration for a short term burst of relief. (I can't take those either due to violent projectile emesis, dizziness, weakness, and blood pressure suppression of bizarre quality) Or, perhaps some sort of sleeping pill just to get some sleep? (beware of the Ambien and other pills of this type-you don't want to go on a hypnotic midnight rampage of which you will have no recollection) What about SSRI's? I have already written about those poisons. Tricyclic antidepressants are equally toxic. Whatever your desperate decision, it will always be you, the patient, that bears the risk of harm. Yeah, I'm here un medicated with a healthy little liver and kidneys, hopefully heart as well, and I'm cherishing these organs. My activity level is not awesome, but I'm into Sherlock this week, and hopefully I'll be able to walk around enough to make a soap variety that I have been contemplating for a few days tomorrow. If not, I'll write it down and try the next day. For me managing pain-is managing the things that cause pain, since I refuse to be poisoned to death. I'm still saving my sitting power-for the toilet, and for driving the kids to school in the morning(only 20 minutes of dangerous position). Does it give me a 'tude? You bet and that's why I wrote this. Safe pain relief is an unsolvable conundrum it seems...Or would the great and terrible pharmomedical industry merely like for us to think so? If you have to take your NSAID, do so sparingly and may you never suffer serious bad effects as significantly many have.
So, why are NSAIDs poisonous? Well, look at the enzymes they affect, and what those enzymes do: http://www.albany.edu/faculty/cs812/bio366/Cyclooxygenase_ppt.pdf Prostaglandins are not bad things. When NSAIDs mess up our prostaglandins, all sorts of harmful body imbalances happen. Although, allegedly, the inhibition of these prostaglandins should not mess up the body balance of individuals with normal kidney function. I beg to differ since my kidney function has never been described by a medical professional as abnormal. Here is some more disturbing information about NSAIDs: http://updates.pain-topics.org/2010/03/nsaid-dangers-may-limit-pain-relief.html, http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=56690, http://gi.org/guideline/prevention-of-nsaid-related-ulcer-complications/. NSAIDs can have a role in extremely short term relief of symptoms-such as for fevers-but definitely not in all instances! EX: Stevens Johnson Syndrome linked to Ibuprofen: http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js7918e/2.4.html#Js7918e.2.4, http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/02/14/massachusetts-teen-awarded-63-million-in-motrin-lawsuit/ Inflammation is not really our enemy, although it can be unpleasant. Inflammation in most cases is the result of the body trying to heal its self. When inflammation is present without injury, or invasion by pathogens, it can be a bad thing. An example of run away inflammation is the inflammation that occurs with autoimmune diseases.http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/ss07/inflammation.html, http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/general/inflammation So, how can I cope when I can't take the poison? A whole lot of Netflix, patience, and the application of some sensible principles. Here is where I found some information that is the most logical so far:
http://www.drbookspan.com/BackPainArticle.html Dr. Bookspan makes a whole lot of sense!
How can you cope without giving in to the all too common NSAIDs? That's a tough question, especially for chronic pain sufferers, and especially if you want to function as fast as it can be made to happen. (And who doesn't want that?) First, in the case of injury-listen to your body! If it hurts, avoid it. Consider whether or not that NSAID is actually helping you get that good night's sleep. If it is, great! If it isn't, then there is no point in continuing with it or increasing the dose, is there? Really? Why is it that physicians can prescribe much larger dosages than are allowed to be sold over the counter? Do NSAIDs magically become less toxic by virtue of a doctor's authority to exceed dosage limits as set forth for the general public through FDA guidelines? If you have a stomach ache, heed it-because that means the NSAID is killing your gastric mucosal cells. Yeah, the doc can prescribe a drug to limit acid production, but does the doc have a drug to keep your cells from dying?(I'm still researching on this one) So where does this leave you? Well, if you truly can't stand the pain, narcotics may be a consideration for a short term burst of relief. (I can't take those either due to violent projectile emesis, dizziness, weakness, and blood pressure suppression of bizarre quality) Or, perhaps some sort of sleeping pill just to get some sleep? (beware of the Ambien and other pills of this type-you don't want to go on a hypnotic midnight rampage of which you will have no recollection) What about SSRI's? I have already written about those poisons. Tricyclic antidepressants are equally toxic. Whatever your desperate decision, it will always be you, the patient, that bears the risk of harm. Yeah, I'm here un medicated with a healthy little liver and kidneys, hopefully heart as well, and I'm cherishing these organs. My activity level is not awesome, but I'm into Sherlock this week, and hopefully I'll be able to walk around enough to make a soap variety that I have been contemplating for a few days tomorrow. If not, I'll write it down and try the next day. For me managing pain-is managing the things that cause pain, since I refuse to be poisoned to death. I'm still saving my sitting power-for the toilet, and for driving the kids to school in the morning(only 20 minutes of dangerous position). Does it give me a 'tude? You bet and that's why I wrote this. Safe pain relief is an unsolvable conundrum it seems...Or would the great and terrible pharmomedical industry merely like for us to think so? If you have to take your NSAID, do so sparingly and may you never suffer serious bad effects as significantly many have.
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