Autoimmune Diseases: Patient Experiences
Writings by Current Case Study Patients:
- Periodically, accounts from our various patients will be presented here. Although patients are required to maintain a
journal of their status starting weeks prior to beginning the drug regimen and continuing throughout treatment-- the publishing here is strictly
voluntary and demonstrate the progress and status of patients in their own words.
(68 year old female- previously bedriden due to Fibromyalgia)
This scenario, more or less, continued for next several years.
Severe knee pain sent me to an orthopedist, who did a knee replacement. Severe lower back pain sent me to a different orthopedist,
resulting in the same scenario - X-rays, MRI, physical therapy and pain medication. The generalized muscle pain continued with no relief,
except when using a pain medication. I was taking more and more pain medication to obtain relief and of course the doctors would not
prescribe any larger doses. I broke my ankle in December 2005. This resulted in post traumatic osteoarthritis.
At this point, nothing relieved the pain. So generalized muscle pain and more severe osteoarthritis pain became a way of life.
After a course with a pain management doctor, my own general doctor was willing to take over the medication and now writes me a prescription for
Vicodan ES, which is meant to last me one month and usually lasts me two weeks, with the last two weeks with no medication. I do also have a
prescription for Tramadol, which kind of takes the edge off of the pain, but other than that, I just hurt.
Published with the permission and at the requestof Patient #45.
(ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)