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CoolBreeze · 02-05-2012, 03:01 PM

Hi. I'm a firm believer in pain meds. There is no reason a cancer patient should have to suffer with pain that will likely not go away on its own. And, if it does go away, than pain meds can be stopped. Cancer patients rarely become addicted to pain meds. Their body might become dependant but it's very easy to taper down and stop. It's addiction that causes the craving to take drugs, and that is a mental state.

Your mom is probably opiate-naive so she can likely take a low-dose of something that will help relieve her pain. I can't say what that would be. I personally, who have been taking opiates for a while, take 20 mg of oxycontin in the morning and at night. I'm allowed one in the afternoon too, don't always take it. I also take hyrdomorphone for breakthrough pain. The truth is that I would do nothing but sit in a hot bath all day if I didn't have these pain meds to help me function and sleep. I think your mom ought to consider it.

There is nothing heroic about living in pain when there is medicine that can help. Addiction is not a problem for Stage IV cancer patients.

02-05-2012, 03:01 PM	#9
CoolBreeze Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 562	Re: bone mets and pain...does it go away Hi. I'm a firm believer in pain meds. There is no reason a cancer patient should have to suffer with pain that will likely not go away on its own. And, if it does go away, than pain meds can be stopped. Cancer patients rarely become addicted to pain meds. Their body might become dependant but it's very easy to taper down and stop. It's addiction that causes the craving to take drugs, and that is a mental state. Your mom is probably opiate-naive so she can likely take a low-dose of something that will help relieve her pain. I can't say what that would be. I personally, who have been taking opiates for a while, take 20 mg of oxycontin in the morning and at night. I'm allowed one in the afternoon too, don't always take it. I also take hyrdomorphone for breakthrough pain. The truth is that I would do nothing but sit in a hot bath all day if I didn't have these pain meds to help me function and sleep. I think your mom ought to consider it. There is nothing heroic about living in pain when there is medicine that can help. Addiction is not a problem for Stage IV cancer patients. __________________ http://butdoctorihatepink.com 08/17/09 Dx'd. Multifocal/multicentric IDC, largest 3.4 cm, associated ADH, LCIS, DCIS HER2+ ER+/PR- Grade 3, Node Negative 10/20/2009: Right mastectomy, reconstruction with TE 12/02/2009: Six rounds TCH, switched to Taxol halfway through due to neuropathy 03/31/2010: Finished chemo 05/01/2010: Began tamoxifen, the worst drug ever 11/18/2010: Reconstruction completed 12/02/2010: Finished herceptin 05/21/2011: Liver Mets. Quit Tamoxifen 06/22/2011: Navelbine/Zometa/Herceptin 10/03/2011: Liver Resection, left lobe. Microwave ablation, right lobe - going for cure! 11/26/2011: C-Diff Superbug Infection, "worst case doctor had seen in 20 years" 03/28/2012: Progression in ablated section of the liver - no more cure. Started Abraxane, continue herceptin/zometa 10/10/2012: Progression continues, started Halaven, along with herceptin and zometa. 01/15/2013: Progression continues, started Gemzar and Perjeta, an unusual combo, continuing with herceptin and zometa 03/13/2013: Quit Gemzar, body just won't handle it. Staying on herceptin, zometa and perjeta. 04/03/2013: CT shows 50% regression in tumor, so am starting back on Gemzar with dose reduction, staying with perjeta/herceptin/zometa. Can't argue with success! 05/09/2013: Discussing SBRT with Radiology due to inability of bone marrow to recover from chemo. 06/07/2013: Fiducial placement for SBRT 07/03/2013: Chemo discontinued, on Perjeta, Herceptin and Zometa alone 07/25/2013: SBRT (gamma knife) begins 08/01/2013: SBRT completed 08/15/2013: STABLE! continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin, Zometa 06/18/2014: *** NED!!!!*** continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin, Zometa 01/29/2014: Still NED. continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin. Zometa lowered to every 3 months instead of monthly. 11/08/2015: Progression throughout abdomen and lungs. Started TDM-1, aka Kadcyla. Other meds discontinued. Remission was nice while it lasted. 5/27/18: Stable. Kadcyla put me right back in the barn. I have two teeny spots on my lungs that are metabolically inactive, and liver is clean. I’m beating this MFer. I was 51 when this started and had two kids, 22 and 12. Now I’m 60. My oldest got married and trying to start s family. My youngesg graduates from Caltech this June. My stepdaughter gave me grandkids. Life is fantastic.