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Re: Persistent bone pain despite complete response

by lwem on Sun May 13, 2018 8:17 am

Bob,

Fantastic reply! I will share all your tips with him, thank you!

lwem
Name: Laurie
Who do you know with myeloma?: husband
When were you/they diagnosed?: April 2015
Age at diagnosis: 68

Re: Persistent bone pain despite complete response

by Bob_D on Sat Jun 09, 2018 9:34 pm

After 3.5 years after diagnosis and in remission with < 1% plasma cells per a recent biopsy in May 2018, I’m still trying to learn how to reduce my pain levels. Beyond the pain mitigation physical aids and techniques that I use every day, I found that how I use medications can make a difference on reducing both my muscle pain and bone pain.

I would get muscle pain everyday in the spine, lower back and a “vicegrip” waist in addition to the weekly dexamethasone wear-off / withdrawal symptoms of muscle weirdness / weakness lasting a few days if I didn’t take 50 mg tramadol every morning, which takes effect in 2 hours. After the tramadol has worn off in 6-8 hours, I take more tramadol or, for faster relief in the afternoons, I take only alcohol, which has a muscle relaxing effect in 15-30 minutes. Six days after treatment, I take one 5 mg dex pill, one day ahead of schedule in the morning, and reduce the dex treatment that I would take on the next day by 1 pill. This advanced dex pill provides muscle relief within 6 hours.

For the bone pain that I get from lesions (recently detected by a CT scan) and from the weekly “treatment-induced bone pain” lasting a few days, I stop taking tramadol and take 5 mg or 10 mg of oxycodone, which provides bone pain numbing effects in about 1 hour and it lasts about 6 hours, but I only take this opiate for a few days to avoid addiction and undesirable side effects.

All this helps, but I still am looking for more ideas on pain relief.

/Bob_D

Bob_D
Name: Bob_D
Who do you know with myeloma?: me
When were you/they diagnosed?: March 2015
Age at diagnosis: 59

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