[Trespasser]

Ok I have been diagnosed with a herniated disk between L4 and L5,
Narrowing of the left hip joint, arthritis in same joint, and bone spur in same joint. The herniated disk apparently causes pain in the same joint, and below.

Suffice it to say my left hip freaking hurts.

I have been instructed by my doctor to exercise as much as I can.
I have a bike and would love to ride it, good exercise, low impact, and fun enough so that I would actually do it frequently.

The problem is the pain prevents exercising.

The catch 22? Every pain med I have ever taken has caused severe itching. Not a little itching, but the kind of itching that prevents you from doing normal activities like cooking, sleeping, making this post, etc. All the opiate pills and the fentanyl patch cause severe itching. (I have had the morphine pump after 2 surgeries and a kidney stone, and never had any itching, what gives???)

Non opiate meds have had the same effect, ultracet included.

Now, i can reduce the itching to semi tolerable levels by taking, as prescribed by my doctor, benadryl, atarax, ranitidine, allegra, singulair, zyrtec,and a couple of others I cant remember at the moment... all of them about 15-20 minutes before taking the pain medication. We started off with benadryl and worked our way up until I could tolerate the itching. I also use benadryl cream, aveeno cream , and hydrocortizone cream, none of which seem to work.

Great you say, problem solved, go ride your bike.
Just one problem... I am asleep within an hour of taking the antihistamines and painkiller.... and its hard to exercise while you are asleep, lol.

BTW... taking all those pills is wreaking havok on my stomach.

I don't know what to do and I am frustrated. I really want to exercise, and I do not enjoy sleeping 18 hours a day.
On the flip side, the pain is tremendous.

My doc has given up trying to find me a painkiller that wont make me itch, and the allergist he sent me too has given up on treating the itch.

It's like I took a bath and then a shower in poison ivy, minus the rash, with extra itch in the nose and scrotum.

Please, help me....

[Trespasser]

Or you could just ignore me completely.
Did I say something wrong?

[butchy yost]

I dont think that you said anything wrong, its just that no one here is likely to come up with a solution if your doctor and an allergist can't.
Why not continue with morphine if that is the only opiate your system has been able to tolerate?

[Trespasser]

Originally Posted by butchy yost

I dont think that you said anything wrong, its just that no one here is likely to come up with a solution if your doctor and an allergist can't.
Why not continue with morphine if that is the only opiate your system has been able to tolerate?

My Doc is conservative, always starting with the lowest strength etc etc. I doubt he would prescribe IV Morphine... besides I wouldn't want to get addicted, and probably couldn't exercise while on it...