Quote:
Originally Posted by Dion
For the past 8 years my brother has been dealing with back condition called Spinal Stenosis. Over that time the condition has gotten worse and worse. He's had 2 operations on his neck and 3 on his back, with the last one being this past weekend. He's been offered opioids like Oxy numerous times to help relieve the nerve pain he is experiencing and he always says no to that #### as he knows that will create another problem. He just uses Tylenol.
My brother is one of the toughest SOBs you'll ever meet. He doesn't like to complain and basically solders on and deals whatever curve balls life throws at him the best that he can.
A few weeks ago his attitude changed and he said to me in a phone conversation that he doesn't know what he did to deserve all this. His back reached a point where he can't walk with a walker or walking sticks. Last Thursday morn he tried to get out of bed to get to the washroom and fell. His wife tried to help get him back in bed and she struggled doing it. After another fall she had him taken to the hospital where his Surgeon moved up the latest surgery to the weekend.
It's been hard on me watching him suffer through all this over the years.
Sorry, I just needed a place to vent.
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Maybe he needs to re-consider his pain management options? I'm not familiar with spinal stenosis, but I had a condition that caused extreme pain a couple years ago and combinations of Tylenol/Advil did nothing. Fortunately in my case, the situation resolved, but it got me looking into pain management.
Yes, opioids can be a big problem, but the solution isn't forcing people to suffer with nothing but Tylenol. These options do need to be carefully managed, but if he's in that much pain, it might be worth discussing his concerns and looking into them with a medical professional who specializes in pain management.