pain patch question

[norcalmom]

Ive been having problems having my pcp write an rx to have my pain patch changed to every 3 days to every 2 days. The patches work for me and on the second day I start to feel the pain return and by the third day I am miserable. I feel like Ive been on a rollercoaster. Two days having good days and then I hit a wall and feel bad by the third day and then it still takes a while for the new patch to start working. Has anyone else had this same problem?

The other problem is that the generic brand is different than the other generic brand I use to get and it doesnt stick almost at all and I always instantly have to put some type of tape around the patch and it doesnt look so pretty most of the time it still comes off.

My last question is when Im on the pain patch I have had some pretty bad pain due to sciatica that is going down my leg/knee and to my feet and the patch doesnt seem to work much for that pain. Being on such a strong med. should I not be feeling that kind of pain at all?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

[Tbackpain1]

I'm also on a q48hr change for Fentanyl patches. Its pretty common to have the patches run out of steam before the 72hr mark, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. There is some lag time between the removal of the old patch and the kick in of the new patch, but there should be enough under the your skin to tide you over, and if not, you may need to speak with your physican about a break-thru medication (short acting narc, often fixed combo drugs).

With regard to the generic Patches. I get the Sandoz generic, which is the one that looks exactly like the brand name patches. I specifically request those at the time I drop off my prescription, because for me, the Mylan does not work. Mylan patches are the other generic out there, and while many people like them, I do not care for them at all. The pro side is that they are smaller, but for me, the cons far outweigh it being smaller. I'm allergic to the adhesive on the Mylan patches, they do not stick, the capillary action (how your body takes in the medicine) does not work for me and I've heard the same complaints from others.

Just be sure to ask your pharmacist specifically for the Sandoz Generic in your patch dose at the time you drop off your prescription. When I first started getting them filled in that manner, I would also call a week ahead of time and speak with the pharmacist in charge to make sure they would be ordered. After a couple of months I didn't have to call anymore, because they knew I would be coming in at the same time for the same thing.

Now, about the nerve pain from sciatica. Contrary to what many people think, all pain is NOT the same. Sciatica pain is nerve pain, and it may not respond as well as your other pain to the patches. There are other medications out there that can address nerve pain issues, but I think it would be good to speak with your PCP about this. It may be that you need a break thru medication only for when this type of pain flares up. And that pain could be caused by muscle spasms. There are soooooo many ways to approach treating different types of pain. I'm on a combination regimine, not just a single medication, even though I am on a "strong" narcotic pain reliever. Everyone's pain is different and has to be approached in a manner that is appropriate for their own situation.

Have you consulted with a Pain Management specialist? I only ask because often PCP's really have no education in prescribing long term pain management medications, and are often not prepared to go the distance with their patients, without some kind of recommendation from a specialist. Best of luck to you.

Theresa

[Mark N]

I don't have any experience with the patch but was going to explain the nerve pain and why your patch doesn't seem to control it but Theresa has done a really good job of explaining it. As Theresa said, it will take a different med to deal with the nerve pain you are suffering.

I hope you can convince your doctor to switch you over to a 48 hour prescription but if not Theresa's idea about a break through med would be the way to go. It is so frustrating when the med you are using works but our doctor doesn't listen to how it works for us, instead they are locked into the manufactures estimate of how long it last. This is also a problem with the time released meds like Oxy. I hope you get some help from your doctor with the patch and nerve pain.

[Maggie]

I wouldn't go so far as to make the statement that ...... "often PCP's really have no education in prescribing long term pain management medications,".

Most physicians do know about long term pain meds, but, the recent criteria, or mandates, handed down states that they must refer their patients to a pain management specialists if they are going to need pain control for longer than 6 months.

For that reason, I am sure you doctor will have no problem referring you. I also use the fentanyl patches every 48 hrs. It is well documented that the patches don't last but 48 hrs. for a large number of people. I'm sure you know this but, you have to hold your hand over the patch for at least 20 seconds to get it to stick good.
Good Luck
Maggie

[Pike]

Nerve pain is difficult … when I have sciatic pain it is only eliminated with an ESI & it works immediately with 100% relief.

I had a bout of piriformis pain in 03 ... I was in tears for 6 months and tried several meds that messed up my ability to function or drive & no amount of morphine would touch either of the described nerve pain issues.

The piriformis pain was taken care of after I was allowed to go to PT … I took their exercises to the YMCA pool and within 6 weeks the problem was resolved.

I cannot say enough about the relief I get from an ESI when done for the correct problem … nerve pain … the injections bring my pain levels way down, I am lucky that I do respond but I feel I am realistic about the back pain remaining even if at a slightly lower level.

For the lumbar pain … nothing … can give me as much relief as 30 minutes in a warm pool, I go almost daily, an hour in deep water is optimal as I can stretch and do things that are very painful without the benefit of less gravity on the spine …

I do not get relief in a Jacuzzi but sure do in a pool.

Our YMCA has a sponsored membership … it costs me $48.00 for 6 months.

I would not put much hope in pills for nerve pain … the meds destroy my ability to feel the joy of life & render me unable to operate a car safely.

Good luck

Pike

[tiva]

I also use the fentanyl patches, and have found that they don't last for 72 hrs. for me. As I started out on them, and was tapering up on my dose, I was given the choice of trying the next higher dose or going to q48 hrs at that time. I chose q48 hrs.

With regard to the generic patches, I've used the 2 generics available, from Sandoz and Mylan. I've found that the Mylan ones are more effective for me. They are the smaller thin ones. But you need to go with what works for you, whichever ones they are.

I've found that the best ways for having the patches stick well is to have very clean, dry skin. Then I cover the patch with my hand for about 30 seconds. When I first switched to the Mylan ones (my pharmacy did), I was running my fingers along an edge of the patch after I was done covering it... less than 30 seconds... and it rolled up on itself like a piece of tape... I think because the patches are thiner than the other ones. So I've found that if I have a thin article of clothing between my hand and the patch, while holding it down, and then making sure that the edges are stuck tight, the patches usually stick very well.

I think Theresa did an excellent job describing the different types of pain, and how different medications may or may not help it.

I also wonder if the sciatica pain could actually be a little worse than you are thinking? Please don't take my questioning in a bad way... Sometimes I don't realize that a medicine is helping that much until I miss a dose or so.

Also, just FYI, the fentanyl doesn't take away all of my various nerve pain; it just takes it down a notch.

Good luck,
tiva

[airedog]

Tegaderm can help with making patches stay on as can certain steroid sprays generally used for asthma (my wife was prescribed an inhaler for this purpose). At one time Janssen Ortho would supply a dressing that held the patch on, you may want to see if that is still the case.

Airedog

[Kathi49]

Pike,

I just wanted to say...know about that Piriformis pain! :eek: The thing is...I just didn't know WHAT it was until PT...and, there are also other issues. But you are right, once my PT worked on the Piriformis and basically released it a few times (along with deep heat ultrasound), the sciatic type of pain is gone! And I have had one ESI prior to all of that...it just didn't help too much...but again...other issues. And I wish I could get to a pool...it DOES help!

And I apologize for hijacking the thread here for a moment. I REALLY want to try the patch and have some. I am just scared of it. :eek: :)

[norcalmom]

Thank you all for the good advice. I still am having problems with my doc prescribing me the patch to every 48 hours. This doc is new to me because we had to move out of state due to my husbands job transferred him back home. When I first met my new pcp I had all my paperwork from my prior pcp and all papers from my pain management doc. When I mentioned that the pain doc had me change the patch every 48 hours the doc began to say I was wasting alot of medication. So I tried it her way and she did up the dose amount. Her thoughts were that maybe I wasnt getting enough medication. I thought I was getting enough, just that it wasnt lasting long enough. I still had problems with the patch lasting over 48 hours even with the increase. I wasnt looking to increase the dosage, but I definetly noticed each time after 48 hours the pain would start to return and then when I applied the new patch I was feeling sick by then. So after this last 30 days supply I asked her again, just yesterday and she told me she was not aware of a 2 day regimen for the fentanyl patch and that the constant release patch should continue to release medication into my body on day 3 as well (this was her exact words). She offered to change the prescription to the long acting morphine pills, but it is just soooo frustrating that I found a medication that works for me. I like the patch because I dont have remember to take the pills or just dont have to take pills period. One problem I have is waiting too long to take pills and then the pain gets real bad.

Does anyone have any advice about changing my medication to the long acting morphine pills?

The medical plan I have is an HMO and I am still waiting for pain management to get me in. It has been over 2 months now and no word from them. I am hoping that they can offer me more options than my primary doc can. I probably will change pcp. I dont usually change primary care doctors, but I think that I just dont have much confidence that this doctor is really listening to me.

This forum has been such a help for me. I am a newbie to the whole internet thing and this forum caught my attention. I have been actually reading many posts for a while and just recently jumped in. I am really greatful for all the advice anyone can give me.

[Pike]

My experience with patches is putting them on and removing them when a family member was ill.

The patch doesn’t seem to last 72 hours and if the patient is not terminal I do not believe there is an easy way to taper off if the time came … with most of the other opiates it can be very easy to taper down or completely off of the meds … morphine seems to be the easiest …

MSContin is a good med for me with constipation being the worst side effect by far but manageable with diligence … 3 times a day dosing could be an issue with a Dr that doesnt know better ... you could be in the same boat with a different medication ...

I was first prescribed MSContin in 11/97 at 120 a day and got great relief for several months at twice a day dosing, in 02, I was prescribed 60 X 3 and have done good with 3 X a day since.

I have occasionally asked my Dr to lower my script to 70 a month and have stayed there for about 6 months during good times … my Doc will – always has seen the need to bump me back up to 90 and does so without me asking even though I was hurting I just didn’t want to give in.

Friends & family usually tell me that I am hurting and when the Doc sees me I guess he sees it also but he never mentions it … my script is for 90 and not 70?

It has taken almost 10 years for my bowels to become acclimated & regular bowel movements to happen spontaneously without any medical assistance …

I can take 2 closer together early in the day when I have plans and still have one for when I get home and the pain is going up and would go too high without the relief.

I have never ran out or even low, the correct dose for the person seems to stop the issue of running low & being under treated.

Purdue makes the brand name, it releases fast in my stomach and leaves me hanging, Mylan acts almost identical as the Purdue … Endo makes a caplet that is longer acting that I prefer … Oramorph is another maker but my experience was with old tablets for only a month, there are a few longer acting formulations on the market I cannot speak about but a search can give you opinions.

As you can tell I believe time release morphine is a good choice with several advantages over everything I have tried but it is not for everyone.

That’s all I have to say about that … Forrest Gump …

Pike

[illusion129]

It's been a while since I've posted on the forum but with a SSDI ALJ hearing coming up I've been frequenting the site more and more to gain some useful information.

Anyway, on to the subject at hand...

My first long-acting medication for pain management was Morphine Sulfate. I started off taking Avinza, a 24-hour release capsule. It seemed to work well at first but after just a short time seemed to not work for the full 24 hours, so my doctor (PCP) switched me to Kadian, another extended-release Morphine Sulfate capsule.

The Kadian worked wonders every 12 hours, 100mg dose each time. I would probably still be on that drug 'if' the price of it, even with my insurance (a 20% co-pay) wasn't so darn high. In light of that, I asked yet again to be switched to another drug.

Then came Oramorph SR, something quite similar to MS Contin (the most comparable Morphine drugs). Oramorph, even being brand name, was cheaper than generic MS Contin tabs. Now Oramorph has a generic version itself which helps me save even more money! #60 - 100mg tablets only cost $18! A HUGE difference over the Kadian capsules, which cost almost $100 for the same quantity! And don't even get me started on the cost of Avinza...since it's the latest and greatest it's considered to be the most expensive of the Morphine Sulfate extended release versions.

As far as transferring from the Duragesic Patch to extended release Morphine, make sure that your doctor does not start your dose of Morphine too low. An equilanalgesic dosing chart can give you some insight as to interpreting how many MGs of Morphine you'd need comparable to how many MCG of Fentanyl you are taking. Of course they'll start you out at a lower comparable dose and titrate up, as recommended, but make sure you don't start out TOO low or else you'll be having some mighty bad pain flares.

If you do stick it out with this PCP, I recommend doing some research and also taking this particular thread in for s/he to read so that s/he can have some insight on others who must have their patch changed every 48 hours.

If s/he still doesn't want to do q48 hours, asking for a break-through pain medication is not out of the question, especially in your case. It's for that added pain you get from over-doing it OR for use when you feel like your extended-release drug is wearing off before your next dose.

I, as stated, take 100mg of Morphine Sulfate ER every 12 hours, although I think dosing at every 8 hours would be more practicle now that I'm getting tolerant to the drug. My break-through medication is OxyIR 5mg, one capsule 4 times a day as needed for extra pain. This combo helps me out quite a bit, although I must say that it's no where near enough pain relief for me to go back to work let alone school.

I not only suffer from chronic pain but also a debilitating fatigue that has plagued me horribly for the past 3 years. It all started with the pain, mild fatigue...but as the years have gone by it's progressed into something even more horrible.

BTW, I'm only 21 now. This all started when I was only 14. It took years to get any kind of help (narcotic wise)...and narcotics are the 'only' thing that seem to help my pain. My nerve (damage) pain is controlled by Xanax and Cymbalta. The Cymbalta also helps my mood 200%!

If nerve pain is a big issue for you, I'd recommend asking your doctor for samples of Cymbalta. It not only helps with depression big time but as stated, helps with nerve pain too. It's FDA approved for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy but my doctor thought it may help me, even though I do not have Diabetes...she was right!

Whew...hope you didn't mind reading all that! I can get quite long winded when trying to explain things to people because if I don't spill it 100% I confuse myself and then get lost in thought(s).

Here's wishing you the best!!

P.S. - If all else fails, DO switch PCPs. No one should have to suffer the debilitating pain caused by ANY condition. A doctor that under-treats patients should be held just as liable as those that run "pill-mills". It's not fair to persecute the doctor that is lenient and helps patients by prescribing high-doses of narcotics yet not do anything about a doctor who WILL NOT help control their patient's pain. If you don't get anywhere with a new PCP, get a referral to a well-known pain management center/clinic in your area. You may have to go through several other pain management options before "drugs" are brought up but it's worth exhausting every option...

P.P.S. - Even if you were on something STRONGER than Duragesic you'd probably still feel the effects, at least somewhat, of the nerve pain (sciatica). Remember, the goal isn't total pain relief but relief enough to at least live a sane, half-way normal life. Good luck!

[norcalmom]

Ive been trying to hang in with this pcp and try to keep the patch on for 72 hours and it is getting much harder now. I am not sure if I need to bump the dosage up again because now after the 2nd day I am feeling miserable. I start getting hot/cold and feel like all my nerve pain has doubled and just want to jump out of body. I am probably getting tolerant to this medication or maybe what I am feeling is withdrawl because I feel after the 2nd day I really am not getting much medication. I really think that this patch works wonders and I have problems taking oral medications so I am afraid to switch medications. The patch I am taking is the 100 and the medication my pcp wants to switch me to is ms contin. Does anyone know if they prescribe more than a 100 patch? Or would changing medication make more sense than to up my dose. When I have changed the patch early somewhere after the 2nd day but before the 3rd I dont have any of the above issue with the sudden nerve pain hitting me hard or the hot/cold chills. I would rather not go up on the dose, but this doc I have is set that changing the patch earlier than 72 hours is not resonable. I have taken cymbalta and it does work well on me but I cant seem to get up to 60 mg without having side effects such as changes in my personality. I am thinking about giving neurontin a try again because I am feeling nerve pain pretty bad now even with the patch. Also the doc I am pretty sure would not give me break through pain meds because she told me that the patch is to replace the other pain meds such as vicodin. The last visit I had regarding the sciatic pain she told me that I need to be on some type of anti-inflammatory and because I cannot take the regular anti-inflammatories she put me on prednisone. I tried it for 3 days and almost ended up in the er because of the sever stomach pain I had.The symptoms I was experiencing the doctors thought it was my gallbladder. But after having an ultrasound everything was normal and after stopping the predinisone the pain went away. Right now I am at the point where I dont want to go to the doctors and I am tired of trying new medications, but I am paying the price with all the flare up I am having lately. I know that taking pain meds wont take away all the pain, but when it does work it makes life much tolerable. At this moment I feel like I am on a rollercoaster ride feeling semi-normal to feeling sick as dog. Has anyone had the hot/cold feeling and pain returning suddenly after the 2nd day on the patch? Any imput would be greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who responded this forum has been a life saver for me.

[Pharmacist.steve]

It is not unusual for a patient to need to change the patch every 48 hrs.. for some unknown reason... some patients .. the patch will not last for 72 hrs and they start into withdrawal... after 48-60 hrs...

[Tbackpain1]

That hot-cold feeling is the flushing that you can experience when you're going into withdrawls. Its part of an overall response that the body goes through...mostly caused by your sympathetic nervous system. That flushing is one of the first symptoms I experience when I've forgotten a dose of meds, which is usually followed with headachy, overall malaise and can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

I really think your doc is being an absolute turd about this, simply because prescribing it for every 48h is against manufacturer guidelines. Docs prescribe against manufacturer guidelines and make off label uses on a regular basis. I don't know what all of your other medical issues are, so I don't want to assume that there are not other health issues influencing his/her decision. I would think that after 2-3 patch changes and you're complaining that your pain control is decreased on the third day that your doc would offer some alternative besides going up in dosage.

Yes MScotin is a good PM drug. I had terrible GI side-effects from it that made its use unbearable, so I was switched to the Fentanyl patch. Again, I really hate to say this, but I feel that PCPs are not equiped to handle treatment of CP issues, simply because they don't know the "ins and outs" of the specialty. Any PM doc you talk to who's got a brain in their head knows that long acting medication forumlas often do not last as long as the manufacturer claims.

Good luck.

Theresa

[Kathi49]

Theresa,

You are very knowledgeable about these patches. :)

Now for my dumb questions...

My PM prescribed the Janssen brand...not Sandoz or the other one. And it is for 12 mcg. I have NOT tried it yet for various reasons (mainly the heat). Is the Janssen brand then the real deal and not generic? Sorry, there is so very little I know about these. And do you know roughly what 12mcg would be as compared to Vicodin 5/500. My PM is saying it is roughly equivalent to two Vicodin a day.

I want to try it. But what do you do if you can't tolerate it? I know it builds up so I am little concerned about it.

Sorry for the questions...I just don't know as much about these as I think I should before trying it. Geesh, I really feel stupid but I want all the information I can get before I put one on.

[Kira]

I had a similar problem when I was on MS Contin... it wasn't lasting the full 12 hours. Luckily my PM doc knew that there were people who needed more frequent dosing and simply changed it to every 8 hours for me.

The MS Contin didn't work for me, though, and I ended up switching to fentanyl patches, which work a lot better. I change them every 72 hours.

Before my last dose increase with the patches, though, I was noticing that it "ran out" before it was time for a new patch. When we increased the dose, though, I stopped having that problem.

There are a lot of people who have to change the patches more frequently than every 72 hours, though, and it sounds like you might be one of them.

I wonder if a different brand of patch would last longer for you? There are a couple of different delivery systems for the different brands of patches... the little pouch of gel for the Duragesic ones, vs. the drug directly in the adhesive/patch matrix for the Mylan ones. I prefer the Mylan ones myself, but that is because the adhesive doesn't give me rashes (the Duragesic adhesive did).

[Kira]

Kathi,

The Janssen ones are the brand-name Duragesic. It should say "Duragesic" somewhere on the box or on the little packets the patches are in.

I am not sure about the equivalent dosage in hydrocodone. Maybe one of the Steves (Dr or Pharm :) ) will come along and tell you. There are some narcotic equivalent calculators and conversion tables online if you want to do the math yourself. Just remember that the patches are MICROGRAMS, not MILLIGRAMS... so 12 micrograms would be 0.012 milligrams.

I will try to remember to look it up for you later if no one answers.

[Peter B]

Kira,
I may certainly be wrong but, I find it hard to believe that your doc has never heard that the patch is ineffective at q72. Of all the extended release meds, the patch is the most often cited for ineffectiveness. Just my opinion.
Have you looked at the patch after 2 days? Is it empty? If it is you may want to show the doc.

Have you thought about requesting an immediate release med? I cant' think of any other remedy for the problem.

Pain free days,
Pete

[Pharmacist.steve]

Kira,
I may certainly be wrong but, I find it hard to believe that your doc has never heard that the patch is ineffective at q72. Of all the extended release meds, the patch is the most often cited for ineffectiveness. Just my opinion.
Have you looked at the patch after 2 days? Is it empty? If it is you may want to show the doc.

Have you thought about requesting an immediate release med? I cant' think of any other remedy for the problem.

Pain free days,
Pete

Even after a patch is "spent".. it still contains ~ 40%-50% of the mgs/mcgs that was originally in the patch... that is why discarded patches can be dangerous to kids/pets that may chew on them...

[Kira]

Pete, I think you're mixing me up with the person who is asking the question (norcalmom). :o

My doc is pretty good and my guess is she would work with me if the patches weren't lasting the full 72 hrs. What I was trying to say was that when I was on MS contin, it wasn't lasting the full 12 hrs so my doctor changed it to every 8 hrs... With the patches, when it seemed like they weren't lasting the full 72 hrs, we tried increasing the dose first because I was needing a lot of breakthrough meds, and that fixed the problem of the patches running out early, too. But I am sure that if they still weren't lasting the full 72 hrs, my PM doc would have worked with me to find a dosing schedule that worked. She seems to know her stuff, and I like her.

[Kathi49]

Kira,

Thanks! It does say Duragesic on it. I am such a dunce though because I got so caught up in reading the insert that I didn't even notice it was Micrograms and not Milligrams. Theresa straightened me out though and I think I should be okay with it. I am just waiting until the latter part of September for a number of reasons. But I do thank you. :)

[Wren]

norcalmom,

I had a whole entire post written out to you, and then I opened up a PDF file and my browser crashed. Ah, such is computer life.

Basically, I was saying that I don't think it's a good idea to switch meds when you've found one that works for you.

Different pain meds affect people differently. Some people -- myself included -- have to try lots of different ones before finding the right one. To me, the "right one" is the one that maximizes pain relief with the fewest side effects.

Do you think your doctor would be open to information about the issues with Duragesic not lasting 72 hours? Perhaps you could print out this thread or find some reliable online sources to print out and give to her.

If your doctor is not open to this information. Then I would look for a new doctor.

I have read that the patches last about 60 hours, so some people change them every 2.5 days -- every 60 hours. But if it's quitting on the second day, then the 48-hour period would be better for you.

Are you aware that there are two generics? While it seems most prefer the Sandoz, which is the same as the brand name Duragesic, there is a subset that prefers the Mylan, saying that *it* has the smoothest delivery.

The Sandoz patch is (from what I have read) identical to the Duragesic name brand. The Mylan has a different delivery mechanism -- it does not have a gel reservoir and the patch is smaller.

Here are some links that discuss the issue in detail:

http://www.hospiceblog.org/2005/02/update-generic-duragesic-patches.html

And here:

http://www.hospiceblog.org/2005/01/generic-generic-duragesic-is-going.html

I also think you need to get the dosing period under control before you know what dose is right for you. When you are going up and down, experiencing withdrawal every third day, you are not stable, and thus it's hard to tell if you are at the right dose. But it *is* possible to go above the 100 mcg patch. This is done by wearing 2 patches -- for example 1-100 mcg patch plus 1-50 mcg patch.

-Wren

[Wren]

I'd like to add a couple more things.

I just read the prescribing info for Duragesic and it says that some patients might need to change the patch every 48 hours. I mean it's right there in the prescribing info.

Duragesic Prescribing Info (See page 31):
http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2005/19813s039lbl.pdf


As for the equivalencies between the fent patch and hydrocodone.

The 12.5 mcg patch is about equal to 45 mg hydrocodone, which is quite a bit stronger than 2 Vicodin (5/500) per day.

-Wren

[Kira]

From page 31 of the prescribing info (linked to by Wren in the previous reply):


The majority of patients are adequately maintained with DURAGESIC® administered
every 72 hours. Some patients may not achieve adequate analgesia using this dosing
interval and may require systems to be applied every 48 hours rather than every 72 hours.
An increase in the DURAGESIC® dose should be evaluated before changing dosing
intervals in order to maintain patients on a 72-hour regimen. Dosing intervals less than
every 72 hours were not studied in children and adolescents and are not recommended.



I would print out the prescribing info, highlight that paragraph, and show it to your doctor. That is a pretty solid source of evidence (coming straight from the pharmaceutical company), and hopefully your doctor will pay attention to it.

[satchelle]

I've been off and on here for years.....way back to the first forum
crashed, then to the newer one and now I believe this one. I don't recognize many names on tonight but my name has always been Satchelle for those that remember me.

I', not real sure why I am checking in tonight....we usually all have a reason whether we need some support or just want to share some good news regarding docs being cooperative or insurance finally deceiding to pay. As most of us on here we have had some sort of battle with chronic pain and all the extras that come long with it, some good and some bad. I remember Fred and the "pharmacy guy" and the other guy that was a vetinarian he answered questions about peoples sick animals. I really remember erin ENJ for some reason. i guess we hadalot in common. Sorry to sound so sad and blue but I know you all know what each of us is going thru in our own unique way and my family is just being there in their normal way but sometimes we need a little extra of them (no what I mean) and I have a real hard time asking for what I need I know you guys and gals are there and even if you don't remember me thats ok cuz you are reading this now so your thoughts are with me. 'm just sad and feeling hopeless tonight---I promse I would never do nothing stupid-I have babies that still need me for awhile and I will never leave them with out MOM-or have DAD try to figure out all the MOM stuff they could never figure out (hair, make-up, panty liners LOL. I guess we all have to have a pitty party sometimes and this one is mine. No worries, I'll be back with all my happy goofy stuff usually do.
Maybe god will bless you with a painfree night tonight----enjoy while you can!
I"ll be hanging in there..........Satchelle.