DrugBuyers.Com: Memory Loss

Hi everyone!

As I have previously posted I am new to the site and would like to say that I am so grateful for finding such a great place for info and fun! Thank you for allowing me to hang around.

I have reviewed the introduction and read over some of the comments on proper posting. But if I make mistakes or am inappropriate in any way, please forgive me in advance and know that I welcome ALL "compassionate" advice and criticism.

My first question...just this morning I was confronted with a horrible truth that I have been suppressing for over a year now. I am DEFINITELY suffering from short term memory loss! I am 43 years old. Have chronic back, leg and foot pain due to four spinal surgeries in '96 that for the most part, were not very successful. They were not elective surgeries as they involved a congenital problem with the sheathe surrounding my spinal cord and a rare sacral cyst that had eroded my sacral bone to the fracturing point. As a dental hygienist (on and off disability since '96) my profession has taken a toll on my body and it is now very difficult to stand in one place OR sit for very long at once. I have been taking a very strong opioid since '98 after trying a 4 week inpatient pain management program, TWICE, where they take you off all narcotics and teach you to "cope" with the pain via other means and methods. After 3 months following my "graduation" from the program, I developed high blood pressure and retinopathy in one eye which left me seeing things around a big black circle. My physician suspected that the excruciating chronic pain might be to blame for at least some of these new conditions. Needless to say, I went back on medication. I've also tried lots of other things such as acupuncture, yoga, meditation, biofeedback, etc

Since then I have had decent pain relief with the strong narcotic that I was given in '98. I have taken no breakthrough medication at all. ever. However, I have tried many many other drugs for my condition. From anti depressants to anti inflammatories, all of them...everything. I'm now on zoloft, blood pressure medication, and some otc meds as needed. I started developing tolerance to the "strong opioid" last year as the dosages kept having to be increased to the point of now trying another narcotic a few weeks ago. (I'm not sure if I can discuss specific meds) Its an "old faithful". Well, its not being very faithful to me. ha!

I am having only slight relief, I suppose from my tolerance. My pain management doctor has told me that he is not willing to go any higher with any medication. THAT is how tolerant I have become. So, I guess its no surprise that I now have to come to terms with the fact that I DEFINATELY have short memory loss. My partner says that we discuss things from only a week ago that I have absolutely NO memory of. Something came up this morning and I mentioned it and was told that we had JUST had two or three conversations about the very same thing about 10 days ago! Athough I might add that they WERE very BRIEF conversations! Again, I had NO recollection at all. It was "new" news to me!

Can anyone give me input on this that won't scare the heck out of me? My partner will be graduating from chinese medicine/herbalist/acupuncture school in Dec and says that taking single herbs as we do here in the US is ludicrous. ie. the action taken this year prohibiting the use of Ma Huang. She says that herbs were not meant to be taken singly, in even small doses! They are meant to be combined, in smaller doses with OTHER HERBS...not western drugs! She will be putting together a concoction for me as soon as she gets her license but is skeptical whether my meory will "return" significantly as long as I remain in chronic pain with meds, etc.

SO, now that I've written a novel...I would very much appreciate ANY comments on this. I am truly concerned and have absolutely NO idea what to do from here concerning both my memory and my "end of the line" tolerance for meds!

HEEEEELP!

P.I.B.

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Know Thyself