I'm still having pain issues and it affects my quality of life severely. Currently, I take oxycodone 15mg every 4 hours I'm awake for breakthrough pain and wear a 75 mcg/h fentanyl patch. And all that, plus some medicinal cannabis, barely touches the pain. A pain level of 7 is a good day for me.
My doctor suggested we add Cymbalta to the mix of the other many and assorted medications. I was all for it. I felt no difference the first few days except nausea, so I lost a few more pounds and didn't want to eat. Well, that side effect went away about 5 days into it, and much to my surprise, I started feeling much better. I managed to do 40 minutes of weeding a day (Alex's yard makes me jealous). Well, then the next side effect took hold: dizziness. I was not prepared for this at all. I found myself on the floor twice, and that wasn't where I started. I contacted the doctor and was told to discontinue immediately. One doctor told me to try taking a liter of saline to see if that abated my issues. Unfortunately, it did not. The medication took roughly a week to get out of my system, and now the pain is back with a vengeance. The dizziness remains at a much lower level, however. I also have hypotension, so random dizziness is an issue, but I can tell when it's coming. Cymbalta gave no warnings and was just random.
I managed to get a lot done, but now I have zero energy again to complete my yard projects.
I guess the good news is I managed to change my appliance before my laziness forced me to do it. I also started Remicade and have my second loading dose tomorrow. Last time I went, my bag sprung a leak 10 minutes into the 2-hour infusion. So, for about 3.5 hours, I held a washcloth over my leak until I made it back home and did a full change.
I hope the Remicade is part of what was making me feel better, and that this next dose will allow me to continue in my yard.
I've weeded the biggest mulch bed and am prepping it to plant my mother's ashes under a rose bush. She loved roses, and when I moved across the country, I wasn't able to dig up and bring her rose bush with me. It's bothered me for years. There will be three rose bushes, with her being the middle rose bush. Her variety is called Rio Samba. It's a coral-colored rose. Mom's were yellow, and I don't care for that color. And on either side will be a rose called Dark Night that has yellowish petals with deep red tips.