Flexeril!

[Battis]

Well said.

[white eagle]

the old sad story
well he looks fine how can he be in pain
Yeah rite

[HATCH]

It's good stuff and it works, however it knocks me out for 8-10 hours at a time and gives me really fuzzy brain if I'm awake.

My suggestion to you is to take it before bed time. I eat a piece of bread and drink a glass of milk then take it.
It lets me sleep all night and in the AM, I don't hurt as much.

[Omega]

I have experienced a bit of pain, I broke my femur on a parachute jump, my tib/fib and blown ankle on another jump (yea I kept jumping), blew my back out (just a disk) on another, shoulder...yea, you get the picture. The femur didn't hurt much, I broke it at noon and it wasn't until 5 pm that they gave me something for the pain, morphine, and when they pushed the plunger down into the IV it just relaxed me a whole bunch. It wasn't until I got the morphine that I realized I had been in a bit of pain. When they moved me from the ER to a room, I felt every crack in the floor, and when they closed the elevator door on my leg...yea, that made me jump a bit. They had to reset the traction device to get me into the elevator.

With the tib/fib, I had to come off the drop zone on a Ranger Special Operations Vehicle (RSOV), that was a joy. But at least then they injected me with something, don't know what, but it didn't do much for the pain. I was laying on my back in the ER but everyone thought I was on my stomach, all the on-duty staff just had to come by and take a peek under the sheets.

With those injuries I came to realize that your body will shut down the pain receptors and only when they move you do they kick back in, at least it did for me. The level of pain can only be measured by other things you have personally experienced, and can not say what others feel, even with the same injuries. The meds, when I take them, make the residual pain tolerable, and sometimes you just forget you are in pain, until you remember of course.

[MT Gianni]

All Flexerill did for me was make me ill. Mr Dr prescribes a generic Skelaxin [Metaxalon] That I take when my back flares up. He told me the key is to take it with food and an OTC inflammation reliever, Asperin, Tylenol, Ibeprofin or Naproxene Sodium. I might go a month between pills or eat them for a week straight but they don't make me sick to my stomach.

[RogerDat]

When I handled a lot of weight as part of my work every so often I would get a back spasm. Nerve was pinched so back muscles would lock up trying to "splint" the injured area. The locked up muscle caused nerves to get irritated which leads to more muscle spasm. Flexeril at night before bed would allow the muscle to relax and break the cycle over a period of a few days. But those spasms tended to be upper back, maybe between kidneys and lower third of shoulder blades and did not have an underlying damaged disks/vertebrae just too much muscle getting too tight. Chiropractor would have to put ice bags on back for at least 20 minutes because back wouldn't crack unless all the muscles were too numb to resist. But again that was for acute incident of injury more than chronic condition.

After 20 years working mostly as a desk jockey I had a herniated disk, followed by bone spurs that left one branch of nerves pinched like a figure 8 on an MRI. Surgery this spring for it, helped but things have been back sliding a bit of late, still not bad enough I can't sleep but is enough to wear me out from the steady pain. Will see what comes next. I really felt good after surgery but sort of wonder if that was due to only working 1/2 time and zero lifting, no bending and no twisting. Felt better so did more and now I'm slowly finding I can't stand for as long without pain. Advil not getting as much relief as before when it was good for 100% a few weeks after surgery.

This stuff with lower backs tends to be long term so good advice to do exercises which over time can help and try to hold back on the pain pills a bit so those drugs will be effective when things are really bad. People build up tolerance to narcotic pain meds. Taking them for a long period they tend to get less effective. I think there is something to be said for "knowing" you have a way to relieve the pain if it gets too great but not taking enough that you overdo because you don't feel the hurt you are doing.

I don't think anyone can tell someone else where that point of "wise" pain management lies. To my way of thinking if addictive drugs allow you to continue participation in life with manageable pain that is all between you and your doctor. Frankly it bothers me when they talk about an opioid crisis all the time and use it to create regulations about how your doctor can prescribe your pain medication. One can abuse legal drugs such as alcohol OR not abuse them. Heroin and morphine are cheap and effective. And addictive, however as several posters have mentioned over time one's body adjusts and they can function on a drug that left them stoned initially. I guess I figure one is no less safe casting when distracted by pain then they are on a well tolerated dose of pain killer.

Good luck for a speedy recovery TG. And same for my wife who had pretty bad back pain and spasms come on over the weekend. As they say, getting old is definitely NOT for sissies.

[MaryB]

I had an old lady screaming that at me at Walmart last time I went. I pulled into a handicap spot, put my tag on the mirror then did my slide around on the seat so I can land on my right leg getting out(left sometimes buckles no warning and face planting is no fun). She sat in her car with the window down telling me that "if you can stand you aren't disabled so get out of my spot" routine. I ignored her and limped into the store where I can use the cart as a walker to hold me up. By the time I was done in there I could barely make it into the truck seat, had to use my hands to lift my left leg in. I can extend my left but can't lift or retract it very well and after walking it gets worse. My neighbor was with and she told the old lady where to go LOL she used the scooter when we got in the store, her knees are about gone. I will walk until I can't, then go under the knife again but this time around means a fusion and the problems 5-6 years down the road that can bring...

the old sad story
well he looks fine how can he be in pain
Yeah rite

[Lloyd Smale]

50 years ago people to it as normal to be sore or in pain once in a while and even constantly when they got old. Today people over medicate for a hang nail. They take narcotics for a pulled muscle!

It's human nature and it's one of our bad traits. Everyone has a different threshold for pain. If you have/had children it's readily apparent. When my son scrapes his knee up you'd think he's dying. When I almost cut the entire pad off my thumb I considered gluing it together before going to the hospital for stitches. No one can judge another's pain and it's quite foolish to do so.

[dragon813gt]

50 years ago people to it as normal to be sore or in pain once in a while and even constantly when they got old. Today people over medicate for a hang nail. They take narcotics for a pulled muscle!

I agree w/ what you're saying. W/ modern medicine why would you suffer in pain if there was relief available? It doesn't make you more of a man to live w/ pain. Narcotics are a whole different issue. The doctors are the ones that have caused the opioid epidemic. Those types of drugs should be the last resort. But they are prescribed to often.

[Battis]

50 years ago would put us in the 60s - yep, no drug abuse back then.
Opiates are not new - Bill Hickok had a fondness for opium dens, as did many others.
Check this out:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/f...me-medicines#1

[TexasGrunt]

My wife ended up taking me to the ER on Sunday because I was really hurting. Spent two days in the hospital while they did some imaging.

Back is pretty toasted. Six eroded vertebrae and four partially herniated discs. Compared to the imaging I had done five years ago you can easily see the degradation in my back.

I'm back home now and actually feeling half way human. Went to the range with a buddy this morning and watched him shoot. Felt good to get out of the house.

Had to add that the two outside toes on my left foot feel like they are on fire all the time now. Not a real pleasant feeling.

[MT Gianni]

50 years ago people to it as normal to be sore or in pain once in a while and even constantly when they got old. Today people over medicate for a hang nail. They take narcotics for a pulled muscle!

Or have surgery. I was told if you are over 50 and wake without any pains or aches you should strongly consider that you passed away during the night.

[smokeywolf]

When you've had the back muscles spasm several times, you learn the feeling at the very beginning of a spasm; felt that 2 nights ago. Was right next to a chair and sat down. Had Mrs. smokeywolf bring me a Metaxalone and Ibuprofen. Stayed in the chair for 2-1/2 hours until I was sure that both had kicked in. Have moved very carefully since.
When I have a muscle in my back go into spasm, I'm in bed for at least 2 days and on Oxys and Ibuprofen.

I've never taken the Flexoril. Only med I've ever taken that absolutely knocked me out was Atarax

[MaryB]

I get that on top of my foot right behind the toes... been bugging me all day... I know my back is out a bit from the pain radiating to that side in my low back

My wife ended up taking me to the ER on Sunday because I was really hurting. Spent two days in the hospital while they did some imaging.

Back is pretty toasted. Six eroded vertebrae and four partially herniated discs. Compared to the imaging I had done five years ago you can easily see the degradation in my back.

I'm back home now and actually feeling half way human. Went to the range with a buddy this morning and watched him shoot. Felt good to get out of the house.

Had to add that the two outside toes on my left foot feel like they are on fire all the time now. Not a real pleasant feeling.

[Battis]

Too much pressure on the nerves leading to your ankles/feet/toes can eventually cause drop-foot. Trust me - you don't want that condition.

[smokeywolf]

Tibial and Peroneal nerve are the ones in the sciatic bundle that go down the leg (left leg on me) and on me causes pain behind my knee and a perpetual cramp in my calf.

[RogerDat]

Tibial and Peroneal nerve are the ones in the sciatic bundle that go down the leg (left leg on me) and on me causes pain behind my knee and a perpetual cramp in my calf.

I get the front of the thigh and hip, with a bit of top of foot thrown in by another branch. Pain radiates down leg as I stand for any length of time. Better after surgery but not as much better now as then. But I have been doing a bunch of stuff. Feel better, do more, feel worse. But for myself I agree with the idea (in principal) of not trying for 100% relief, will take a bit of discomfort if I can avoid pins, or heavy duty meds. I would not however live at a life altering pain level all the time to avoid "bad" drugs.

Heck my knees have been bad since I was in my late 30's but I was too young for knee replacement, they would wear out and I would have been having them replaced in my late 50's and the second set is not as easy as the first.

MaryB I feel for you. High pain makes stuff most people take for granted into an ordeal. I know I will have to pay a price for some activities and based on how I have to assess "will it be worth it" for some activities such as yard work or projects I can't imagine how much harder it is to deal with that for something like a simple trip to the store.

[MaryB]

Have it left side, drag that foot a lot.

Too much pressure on the nerves leading to your ankles/feet/toes can eventually cause drop-foot. Trust me - you don't want that condition.

[MaryB]

After 11 years it just becomes a part of life. Bad days I get little done, good days I can do a lot. I brew beer and those 6 hour brew days do a real number on me. The last 40 minutes is a lot of heavy lifting the way I am currently setup. Soon as I finish the brew shed project (pics are here http://imgur.com/a/RLzUX ) I will only have 8 feet to move full buckets instead of 80 feet... and I will have a sink to rest stuff on as I clean. Going to add a few hooks in the ceiling with pulleys for things like lifting the mash kettle down to empty it(about 40 pounds of wet grain plus a 20 pound kettle). Older I get the more I think of ways to do things easy instead of hard! I need to get a different mash burner and build a tip stand so I can just pull the pin and the kettle pivots to a waiting container... down the road as I have more funds and learn to weld better! Yup I am learning to weld in my late 50's! Day I stop learning is the day they bury me!

I get the front of the thigh and hip, with a bit of top of foot thrown in by another branch. Pain radiates down leg as I stand for any length of time. Better after surgery but not as much better now as then. But I have been doing a bunch of stuff. Feel better, do more, feel worse. But for myself I agree with the idea (in principal) of not trying for 100% relief, will take a bit of discomfort if I can avoid pins, or heavy duty meds. I would not however live at a life altering pain level all the time to avoid "bad" drugs.

Heck my knees have been bad since I was in my late 30's but I was too young for knee replacement, they would wear out and I would have been having them replaced in my late 50's and the second set is not as easy as the first.

MaryB I feel for you. High pain makes stuff most people take for granted into an ordeal. I know I will have to pay a price for some activities and based on how I have to assess "will it be worth it" for some activities such as yard work or projects I can't imagine how much harder it is to deal with that for something like a simple trip to the store.

[smokeywolf]

I've gotten more creative (and careful) about moving vises and rotary tables on and off the mill table. Also, use a dolly now to move wood for the smoker, from my truck in the front, to the smoker in the back.