Question: Pain

I am a male 52 y/o semi-retired engineer and a 29-year chronic pain patient. My pain is mainly through my upper & lower left leg (aching) with stabbing pain in the top of my left foot, and occasionally aching/burning in my left groin. The best diagnosis I have been given is some type of injury to a nerve root or roots in my lower back. I have been through hell trying almost every conceivable treatment including back surgery, steroid injections, physical therapy, chiropractic therapy, acupuncture, dozens of different drugs & drug combinations. About 12 years ago, my doctor zeroed in on a combination of medications that have worked extremely well to manage my pain. These are: Neurontin 600x3, Prozac 20x1, hydrocodone 10-650x3 (changed recently to 10-325x3) & XXXXXXX 350x3. Although I still always have some pain, it is tolerable & I am able to get on with my life. My problem is that after 12 years, my pain specialist of 3 years abruptly quit all his patients (moved practice). With only 2 weeks before my bi-monthly appt., I find out I have a new doctor who will not continue my meds as in the past. He doesn't like prescribing XXXXXXX I asked why and he stated that it combines with hydrocodone to form a molecule that can be dangerous. I asked in what way (since I have been taking that combination for 12+ years - I was very concerned). He said it can be addictive to some people. I explained to him that during the past 12 yrs I have not had to increase my daily dose, except for occasional but rare times when I experienced flare-ups (break through pain), and wouldn't that suggest that my body is not addicted to it? He avoided the question saying only that he doesn't like prescribing it, if at all possible.

My delimma is that I lived in a small city with limited choices for pain management. I believe that the most important result from treating chronic pain is 'quality of life' first, followed by controlling the pain. My quality of life prior to this change was great, relatively speaking, for a chronic pain sufferer. Since the med change, I have been basically bed-ridden unable to do any physical work. The only way I can get any relief is to stretch out and remain as still as possible. I am at my wit's end and don't know what to do. Can you explain to me why I can't continue a medication regiment that has worked so well for 12+ years w/o any adverse effects? Sorry for the long-winded lead-up to my question.

Dr. XXXXXXX
Thank you very much. I appreciate & respect your opinion. I guess what I don't understand is why a medical doctor, such as my new pain specialist, would deny me the quality of life that I struggled for so many years to achieve? In the past week he has had me try 2 other muscle relaxants, Zanaflex and Robaxin-750, and neither has had any effect whatsoever. I have been basically stretched out in bed for almost a week, unable to work. Prior to this, I had been building & finishing a small woodshop and now I can't even tape & mud the drywall. I don't wish to live this way, and yet I don't have any alternative that doesn't include a 250-300 mi (one way) trip in a car. Driving/riding in a vehicle exacerbates my pain more than any other single thing I can do. My former job for 31 years required driving 100-200 mi some days or sitting at a desk for 10-12 hrs/day, the 2nd most unpleasant position for my pain. I was able to survive this for 8 years with the medication regimen I was taking before. Now I can't evencope with a semi-retired lifestyle. If you have any suggestions whatsoever, I would be very grateful. Thank you.