Worse Than The Disease

[ladysprite]

So, since Friday I've been dealing with a diagnosis of spinal injury and nerve compression to my right arm. I've been put on meds, and I've got an appointment to see a neurologist today.

Unfortunately, my body doesn't deal well with drugs. I tend to live pretty cleanly, all things told. I don't smoke, I don't drink, and the most aggressive indulgence I have is occasional low-dose ibuprofen. So when I do get slammed with meds, they tend to hit me pretty hard.

I started out on vicodin and flexeril, which left me semiconscious all weekend. When the pain didn't get better, they added prednisone, which then made me drink like a fish, while still leaving me thirsty and dry-mouthed enough that I lost most of my voice.

When I had to go back to work Wednesday, I had to stop everything but the pred. So at my pre-referral appointment with my doctor yesterday, she prescribed me tramadol and a different muscle relaxant, that I started last night.

I haven't taken anything yet today, but I am a shambling wreck. Shaking, cold, uncoordinated, dizzy, stumbling, emotionally volatile like nothing I've ever experienced before, nauseated, weak.... I tried to go to work for the morning, at least, but was sent home after just two hours, when the staff realized I could barely hold a pen to write my notes, and was on the brink of tears

If it's a choice between this and a non-functional right arm.... I'm really not sure which is worse. But at the moment I'm strongly leaning towards the drugs being the greater evil.

Comments

[arachne8x.livejournal.com]

A lot of muscle relaxants have terrible side effects. I haven't found myself able to tolerate all that many of them. Good luck sorting this out.

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

It might be time to visit Barry.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, this is primarily a bone problem, not a muscle problem. But thank you for the suggestion!

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

I know, but as you know, those two things interact. Some people can have bad MRIs but little pain, and others can have the opposite. As least a Barry work over is less damaging to your system than muscle relaxants and can be more effective. (Says the person who got the reaction to an X-ray many years ago about what horrible car accident I must have been in.)

[calygrey.livejournal.com]

If muscle relaxants are having any positive effects, then so will Barry.

Flexerel is quite a drug; totally knocks me for a loop too.

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

::hugs::

You are in my prayers.

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

Flexeril has bad side effects for me - I'd urge you to consider not taking any muscle relaxants and just doing pain meds, unless you're having spasms, to see if they're what's causing the problems. (Obviously, talk to your doctor re: this.)

Most pain meds don't have too much loopiness built into them - YMMV, of course - but I know that muscle relaxants are bad news for me.

[siderea]

Oy. Just to state the obvious for the sake of validating it: Some people, especially some people who don't take a lot of meds in their lives, require much, much, much smaller doses for the same effects. As someone who once wound up on half the child dose of a rx medication, to good effect, it's worth taking up with your prescriber. Or, you know, just cutting down yourself to see if it makes the meds more tolerable while adequately effective. In case you're thinking that would make you a Bad Patient, it doesn't -- if you tell your prescriber.

[quietann.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same thing, especially since ladysprite is tiny anyway. Most med dosages are calculated based on a "normal size adult", who probably outweighs her by 50% at least.

[citabria]

Re: the prednisone, did they give you a standard prednisone pack? Where you start by taking larger doses and gradually work your way down to one pill a day?

If they did, and if you started taking prednisone on Monday ... today is right about where what I call prednisone psychosis hits -- even for those of us who have a higher tolerance for meds. I wish I'd read this earlier -- I'd have called you right away to reasurre you about this (I may call you in a few, just because). I can almost guarantee that this reaction was about the prednisone.

I don't get why your doc is giving you tramadol when the Vicodin was too much for you, but ... I guess she had a reason.

I predict that the prednisone's effects will be better by Monday. Until then, just hold on. {{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}

[black-rider.livejournal.com]

They may be able to give you an epidural, and inject steroids directly along the nerve path... It's not pleasant, but it's incredibly effective.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

*big hugs*