Dorsilfin

Well long story short, ive been on Percocet for 3 months.. and now on vicodin for close to 7 months. its very very unpleasant taking them, but its worse when i dont.

I take a week every month to go cold turkey to make sure im not having addiction problems. My doctor commends me on doing that. Im on the PK's because of a ripped and herniated disc in my back along with a Broken bone called a Pars Defect.. something about the verdibre antlers being snapped. Anyways Since my accident ive lost 62 pounds and brought myself down to 170 and im feeling good about that, The weight loss hasnt helped the pain but none the less I still feel strong for coming this far.

ONto the point. This winter, Id like to spend some quality time on a trainer building muscle, doing training and intervals and workout stuff to build some serious muscle this winter, because little did I know that once I started riding, I was hooked and want to get into racing. However yes ive lost a ton of weight and im def attributing it to riding, but also not eating because of the pain killers etc etc.

If i stay on them to keep myself going, Do they have effects on my body past eating my liver and eating less then normal? Will it effect muscle building and any of that science stuff?

luker

ah, crap. Where's patentcad when he could actually provide some useful advice?

cedricbosch

On a somewhat-related note, I heard that taking an aspirin after a workout can have a positive effect on recovery. Is this true?

dcbikeguy

Talk to your doctor. Don't listen to the BF idiot squad.

patentcad

Opiates do not slam your liver. That's the good news. They will impair athletic performance and I can't imagine they're good for you. That being said, you can take opiates for decades, some people do. I was on oxycontin for over three years for my back pain. Ultimately I discovered a way to live with the pain and ride my bike. The hardest part was giving it a try, and it wasn't easy, I wrestled with the idea for many months before I went cold turkey and tried. I wasn't sure I could do it. But I don't know if I could have mixed exercise and opiates. I commend you for doing so, and for trying to avoid physical addiction by going off the meds each month. That has to suck.

How are those weeks off the meds dorsil? Are they torturous? Could you picture yourself going without the meds completely? I don't place any judgment on people using pain meds, I wasn't on them to get high, and it doesn't sound like you are. They really did suck, the side effects were nasty, but I don't know how I would have gotten to my desk to run my business for years without something to take the edge off the constant pain in my lumbar spine. Now the cycling/stretching helps. But part of it is that I've simply gotten used to being in chronic pain. Reduced pain thanks to endorphins, but it never really goes away completely.

Dorsilfin

the weeks off are two fold. The pain sucks. but usually around day 3 of being off them my appetite returns and I eat like a champion for a few days before finally giving in and going back on them.

I did push myself to 2 weeks once without a single pill. but its a quality of life thing at this point. After a few days off, my mood changes I get snappy and rude with people, which In the customer service field is not a good thing. So I know im not going to die from the pain if I went without them, but to keep my job I have to be happy go lucky every day.

The riding helps, short rides boost my metabolism and just kinda makes me feel energized and less concentrated on the pain. long rides if i dont take anything i stop enjoying myself around mile 50. thats the sucky part I love riding but when the pain sets in while im riding i stop enjoying it.

I just wish the doctors would come up with a plan aside from Fusion. at 26 ive told them no way in hell if I can still walk am I going to let them do irreversable changes to my spine.

patentcad

I've had two fusions. The C6/7 neck fusion in 1999 worked like a charm, I'm still riding a road bike daily with my neck in extension (the most stressful position you can assume given the injury I had) with no problem after nearly 10 years. The L5/S1 lumbar spine fusion did nothing to alleviate my pain, but I'm convinced that was because they don't really know what's making my low back hurt.

So it can go either way. The biggest issue with lumbar spine surgery (or any back surgery) is that fusing one level can lead to weakness above or below and further problems later. That did not happen with my lumbar spine procedure - even though it didn't work at least it does not appear to have had complications, and after 7 years with 3.5 years of cycling my doctor thinks I'm in the clear (i.e. if it was going to be a problem I'd have had one already). The longer you can wait @ age 26, the better. But for my money if you're living on Vicodin, and you can't figure out a way to live without opiates to control your pain - I'd probably be getting 3rd and 4th opinions on surgery - and then finding the best guy and getting it done. Once you're on full time opiates, you are there. But every case is different. The most important thing - and key factor that will determine the outcome - is how sure your doctors are they have diagnosed the source of your pain. With my neck they had done that. With my low back, apparently not. And I sort of suspected the latter even before I had the surgery that didn't work out. But I was also on pain pills and didn't know what else to do.

For me the largest part of dealing with chronic pain and living with it has been accepting the fact that I'll be in pain for the rest of my life, and finding a way to live with it. I'm grateful I was able do manage that, and your pain may well be so bad that's not possible. Hope you can find a way out.

Have you tried Pilates, Yoga, physical therapy, etc.?

Dorsilfin

4 months of 3 times a week Physical therapy.. nada.

I do stretching every morning now, and some light pilates to try and work my core. My thing is now, ive lost 62 pounds. I can go harder and get stronger.. This is just another step in the game for me.

This winter im planning on Man den style, and just working out every day. do some core stuff and really get myself ripped in the mid section in hopes that the muscles will get strong enough to take over the majority of the work holding things in place in my back.

patentcad

The core exercises really do help my back pain dorsil.