Weird complications from pain medications?

[jentop]

Wow, another horsewoman who has also experienced vertigo, mold sensitivity, fentanyl reaction. I feel for you! I had recurrent, chronic vertigo for over a year. (I think that my spine is now somewhat twisted from sleeping on only my left side for so long to avoid the vertigo.)
Anyways, I also had 2 level cervical and 2 level lumbar DDD with cord compression in the cervical. I was lucky enough to be able to afford the recent 2level ADR surgery in Germany which has made my daily life so much better. I also felt sick or dizzy or just not right nearly everyday before the surgery. It was scary to get out of bed each morning not knowing if I would immediately upon standing up feel like puking. I really think it was to a great degree myelopathy related.
I also feel that the diet suspicions are very valid. I don't know what to tell you other than to try an elimination diet. Also, avoiding sugar is really important too. Despite all my problems, my inflammation marker (CRP)is very low, which I attribute to all the supplements I take-ie; fish oil, CoQ10, tumeric, etc etc. and my attempt at eating healthy.
Good luck with getting your surgery approved. I really think it will make a huge difference in your life and is so much a better option than fusion.

[Katie]

Hi Jen,

So you have horses too? How did you manage before surgery? My dear husband has taken up the slack for the small farm, and I live for the day that I can play with my girls, and make them do a little work for a living at last. I used to do combined driving, and the equipment has been sitting inside, waiting for a nice trip through the trails around us. I have been very afraid to do much of anything after having the diagnosis of extreme risk to quadriplegia from any small bump or fall.

I have changed my goals to have surgery in NYC with Dr. Fabien Bitan, after seeing him last week. He wants to do hybrids, with a combination of fusion and ADR at both cervical and lumbar levels. This is the only way I can see getting approval by the provincial insurance, as they are so adamant against multi-level ADR. His explanations of why to use both made a great deal of sense to me, and I am happy with the compromise. It is amazing what happens when you 'click' with a doctor! The confidence level grows and the way ahead finally seems clear.

Can you explain what an inflammation marker is? I am very close to eliminating almost everything except very basic foods...no preservatives, chemicals, grains of any kind, yeast, etc. I do have a weakness for some sugar, and am fighting hard to get off that completely. It is just a craving for some kind of carbs, I suspect.

Thanks so much for verifying the vertigo, etc. I truly have felt like I have been going nuts. Who else has weird symptoms like this, after all...my local doctors certainly think I'm tripping down the yellow brick road.

Dr. Bitan seems quite confident that many of my problems will disappear after the cervical area is looked after too. It is interesting to hear you say that the myelopathy is the source. I was bouncing between that and the medication sensitivity.

This is exactly what I was hoping to receive...confirmation that others have gone through similar symptoms, and there is hope at the end. Thank you so very much.

[Jakea222]

Well I was upped on dose on lyrica and it knocks me out - and just before I feel like I am in some time warm where everything is going in real slow motion - ans slows reaction time and complete fractions of a second are gone --- I drove a golf cart up to take an employee to her cart and was slowing down to let the valet park a car and the next thing we are in eachother! I said it was like I was playing a game and I was going to blow you up by hitting you and he was actaully fooling around - but fraction of a second was gone...

[Katie]

Wow, Lyrica put me in another time and space as well. It was hard to describe, but I did not like 'losing time' like that. I got off it after a couple of weeks of that.

My PM doctor tried me on amytriptiline (spelling?) to help reduce the pain as well, but it gave me horrible nightmares. Of course she didn't warn me about that, but finished my sentence for me when I went in for an assessment after she prescribed them. "How are they working?" "Awful, I said, I am awake all night because..." "...of nightmares?", she said. A rare side effect, apparently, but I was one of the lucky ones, again.

Is anyone aware of a toxic buildup from these drugs? They are simply chemicals, after all. I am starting to feel like a farmer's field that has had too many loads of fertilizer...take that any way you like

[melodyl]

My experience with narcotics confirms your belief that they could be the cause of many of your problems. I was on almost every pain medication available for 4 to 5 years prior to a revision lumbar surgery and then a 3 level cervical ADR surgery. A combination of fentanyl patches and short acting oxycodone helped with the pain....but the side effects made life challenging at times. I could deal with the daily fuzzy feeling.....but sometimes....for no apparent reason, I would be overcome with exhaustion....so extreme that I could hardly get out of bed or off of the couch. These episodes of fatigue usually lasted for 3 to 5 days. During them, I had zero appetite and felt depressed. When I talked to my G.P. about the symptoms, he suggested it was from a build up of the medication in my body. Sometimes my body and organs processed the medication without causing problems and other times it built up and pretty much knocked me out for a few days. My last surgery was over 3 months ago and I have tapered off of most of the pain meds I was on. My energy and appetite are increasing with each reduction of the narcotics! Although the withdrawal symptoms have not been fun.....the return to life without a bunch of narcotics in my body is well worth it! I took off my last fentanyl patch 4 days ago (Yeah!) I bet you will feel a whole lot better after surgery and recovery. Good luck! Keep everyone posted on your situation. Melody

[Katie]

Melody, thanks so much for confirming my suspicions. It feels good to have someone relate to these weird feelings. I can't wait to get off these drugs too. I'm not sure what I hate worse some days, the side effects or the pain itself....pretty bad!

I hate this feeling of Russian Roulette when trying a new medication...when will I have to pull out the Epi-pen or call the ambulance again? I think it's harder on my poor husband than on me at times like that.