Does anyone take pain medication regularly?

I have had a full esphogectomy due to serve achalisa which is a rear disease. They had to remove my spleen and gallbladder also and a quarter of my liver due to scar tissue. I have a feeding tube inplaced now to feed.

Sorry to hear that, I had 4 c-spine, 2 lumbar and 1 t-spine surgery, so some of things that work for me will not help you. They will not want to give you meds that may effect your liver, which will reduce what you can use. There are others out there that have your type of pain. Maybe than can come up with suggestions. I'll ask around, in the mean time you're not alone.

SSG Edward Evans you are so right when you said that you are in pain not you doctor! I sent a long post to PFC Joseph Levi if you want a little back history about myself. The one thing I did'nt mention was I've also had cervical surgery fuseibg two levels. My Dr. Hynes (the same as below) did the neck also and told the VA that four levels needed fuseing but the VA refused it and a year and a half later the other two collapsed. Now in three days I get my second cervical surgery right in the midst of the Corona-19 virus. The hospital won't even let my wife come in with me. Thank God my thorasic back is O.K., knock on wood. I don't even get my pain meds from the VA anymore after 30 years they got way to strick so I went to a private Doctor, much easier just cost more $$$. Good luck.

I have been going to pain management since 2010 for 12 herniated disks, I am down to 9 now with 2 major back surgeries under my belt and 1 outpatient trial surgery. I actually have an appointment on October 2nd for my spinal cord stimulator implant. I have been on everything under the sun! You name it I taken it all the way up to fentanyl patches!

PFC Joseph Levi
You actually get pain meds for your back ?
I have had 4 back surgeries.
The only pain meds my dr will give is flexeril, Ibuprofen, cymbalta.
I am facing another fusion but doc won’t do it due to me smoking which I know is bad but it’s hard to quit.
He is afraid to do a decompression because the dust might slip out and then he would have to fuse my L3-L4, L2-L3,L1-L2.
Refuses to give anything stronger than what I’m taking. Nor will he send me to pain mgt.
He is leaning towards a pain pump.

Thanks, for the info; never thought of that, but it makes perfect sense.

PFC Joseph Levi I had my first lumbar surgery in 1981 then followed up in 1986,1993,1994,2015 and finally I found the doctor I needed back in 81. Dr. Richard Hynes in 2019 he did an "Oblique Interbody Lumbar Fusion" from L4-5-S1 up to L2-3 with two titanium rods and four stem cell cages. First he cleaned up all the messes made by the other sugeons, one actually started working on the wrong side. He then made an eight inch insision in the back and intalled the rods. He then turned me on my side and made two six inch insissions and brought in a cardio therasic surgeon two move vital vains and intestines clear so he could use the second insission to install four stem cell cages. He extracted bone marrow from my hip and spun out the stem cells and installed inside cages. Now just over a year my lumbar is pain free!!! I broke my back in 1980 and was in constant pain (sever pain) his "OILF" surgery was fantastic. You said your surgeon would not do surgery because you smoke? I find that hard to believe, I've only heard of that one other time and my surgeon said that's an old wife's tell. Also your meds, you need to be very careful with the NSAIDs they will wreck your liver five times faster than tylonol. And Flexeril is a muscule spasum med and a neurophiny med (Spelling probley bad) but it is good for back pain for limited use. You also mentioned a pain pump, have you considered a spinal stimulator? My son fell off the wing of a C-130 and messed his back up. After seeing me take narcotics for most of his life he gave up on the pain pump and had the spinal stimulator installed. It has a remote controll to change the strenght and he loves it. Just somthing to think about, he did mention that the brand was important but I can't remember which one he got. Good luck soldier!