Fentanyl patch- life saver!!

KristynRuth86 · October 2010

So! Wednesday is my LAST treatment (PRAISE JESUS!) On Thursday my mom went with me to my rad aptmnt b/c I was suffering so bad and had already lost 15 pounds. She told the Doc that she is certain they wouldn't even let an animal suffer the way I was suffering and that there had to be some sort of relief they could offer me. I had hardly even eaten in 2 weeks b/c it felt like I was swallowing nails even to take a sip of water. They had prescribed me hydrocodone, but since I was always on an empty stomach I would just throw it right back up and it would burn so bad. So, with my mother's bluntness in his face he reccomended these "pain patches" called Fentanyl Transdermal System. They said it could take up to 3 days for it to kick in, but thank the Lord it only took about 24 hours. I put it on yesterday morning and this afternoon I had my first meal in almost 2 weeks! Some Ramen noodles and a strawberry shake lol. I couldn't taste it, but at least I got full! I'm sure all you experienced survivors probably have already heard of these, but I thought maybe if some of you were just going into this whole new world of not being able to swallow it could be something you could ask your Dr. about. It blocks your pain receptors in your brain so you don't feel the pain you have. There are some pretty dangerous side effects so do read up and research it, but so far so good for me! I hope everyone is doing well! Take care!

stevenl · October 2010

Pain
Hi Kristyn,

It is very important to stay ahead of the pain. Your body cannot fight the C if it is fighting pain. I was prescribed Fentanyl also but I didn't have to use it very long.
Very effective pain medication.

Glad you are almost finished with your treatments. Things will slowly get better for you.Prayers are being sent for you.

Best,
Steve

miccmill · October 2010

stevenl said:
Pain
Hi Kristyn,

It is very important to stay ahead of the pain. Your body cannot fight the C if it is fighting pain. I was prescribed Fentanyl also but I didn't have to use it very long.
Very effective pain medication.

Glad you are almost finished with your treatments. Things will slowly get better for you.Prayers are being sent for you.

Best,
Steve

Kristy
So glad you got some effective pain relief. Go mom!

I saw how very important this was with Glenn's treatment. He didn't use the heavy hitting narcotics for long but it was the most important piece of his treatment for awhile.

I'll be thinking about you this week as you wrap up.

Good luck,
Lisa

D Lewis · October 2010

Good news.
Go Mom, on the effective pain relief!

Kristyn, it seems like you only just started! I'm so happy to hear that you are so close to the end. Come on, Wednesday! I'll be cheering you across the finish line. Then, let the healing begin.

Deb

sweetblood22 · October 2010

D Lewis said:
Good news.
Go Mom, on the effective pain relief!

Kristyn, it seems like you only just started! I'm so happy to hear that you are so close to the end. Come on, Wednesday! I'll be cheering you across the finish line. Then, let the healing begin.

Deb

Am really glad that the
Am really glad that the patch is working for you.

forme · October 2010

wonderful
Hi Kristyn Ruth,
So glad that your mom was able to speak for you. Us Moms have to stick together......
I will be sending you positive healing energy on Wed. I am so glad that your pain is under control.
Peaceful healing
Lisha

timreichhart · October 2010

forme said:
wonderful
Hi Kristyn Ruth,
So glad that your mom was able to speak for you. Us Moms have to stick together......
I will be sending you positive healing energy on Wed. I am so glad that your pain is under control.
Peaceful healing
Lisha

about them Fentanyl patches
My radiation doctor also gave me 3 25mcg of them Fentanyl patches for my pain but after the first patch I could not take it anymore because I was throwing up and got very nausea with the patch on. So I asked my doctor to give me hydrocodone pill form and also in liquid of codeine to deal with the pain and them pills and the liquid worked for me great. As of right now I am starting eating solid foods again after 8 weeks post treatments so life is great.

susan0803 · October 2010

timreichhart said:
about them Fentanyl patches
My radiation doctor also gave me 3 25mcg of them Fentanyl patches for my pain but after the first patch I could not take it anymore because I was throwing up and got very nausea with the patch on. So I asked my doctor to give me hydrocodone pill form and also in liquid of codeine to deal with the pain and them pills and the liquid worked for me great. As of right now I am starting eating solid foods again after 8 weeks post treatments so life is great.

Fentanyl patch - would like to know side affects please
Hi Kristyn,
I'm glad the Fentanyl patches are helping you and you are getting some relief! Mostly thanks for reminding me that I need to look up and understand the side affects of the patch(I guess I was just going to pretend that the patch, when/if my husband Joe gets one, would have no bad side affects).

Anyway,
Can you or others post here what their side affects were from a Fentanyl patch? From the post from Tim, it looks like nausea certainly is one of them? Some web sites mention breathing issues, hypo/hyper tension to name a few more? Are there others that I should pay attention to if it happens so I know what to prepare for?

Also it's SO good that I did do research because it says do NOT eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while on the patch. I would not even thought of that so I'm very glad I looked it up now.

Thanks.
Suzanne

Vivi C · October 2010

Glad to hear
So glad to hear that the Fentanyl patch is working for you. Praise Jesus is right! I also had to use them starting the last week of treatment and for several weeks post tx. I just went off them and did not have any difficulties. I went from 25 mcg to 12 mcg and then just off it completely. Hang in there and God bless. Viv

KristynRuth86 · October 2010

susan0803 said:
Fentanyl patch - would like to know side affects please
Hi Kristyn,
I'm glad the Fentanyl patches are helping you and you are getting some relief! Mostly thanks for reminding me that I need to look up and understand the side affects of the patch(I guess I was just going to pretend that the patch, when/if my husband Joe gets one, would have no bad side affects).

Anyway,
Can you or others post here what their side affects were from a Fentanyl patch? From the post from Tim, it looks like nausea certainly is one of them? Some web sites mention breathing issues, hypo/hyper tension to name a few more? Are there others that I should pay attention to if it happens so I know what to prepare for?

Also it's SO good that I did do research because it says do NOT eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while on the patch. I would not even thought of that so I'm very glad I looked it up now.

Thanks.
Suzanne

Hi Susan, they gave me a
Hi Susan, they gave me a pamphlet to come along with the patches and I will write exactly what it says for side effects:

Remove your skin patch and call your doctor if you have any of these serious side effects:
-weak, shallow breathing
-severe weakness, feeling light headed or fainting
-cold, clammy skin, or
-pale skin easily brusing or bleeding

Less serious side effects may include:
-nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation, gas;
-dizzines, drowsiness, anxiet, sleep problems (insomnia)
-muscle stiffness, back pain
-itching, blistering, redness, or swelling where the patch was worn or;
-increased sweating, urinating more than normal.

I'm on 25mg, does anyone know if I have to switch to the 12 mg first before I quit? Or can I just go off the patch with hopefully no problem?

Hondo · October 2010

Hi Kristy
Sorry to hear you are having so much pain, but I think you are on the right track now with the pain patch, got to give Mama a big hug for that.

You will pass the finish line on Wednesday and we will all be cheering you on, God bless and keep you in His care

rozaroo · October 2010

Vivi C said:
Glad to hear
So glad to hear that the Fentanyl patch is working for you. Praise Jesus is right! I also had to use them starting the last week of treatment and for several weeks post tx. I just went off them and did not have any difficulties. I went from 25 mcg to 12 mcg and then just off it completely. Hang in there and God bless. Viv

Krystin!
I am happy you got something for your pain relief. It sure help's when you have someone going to bat for you. I find the health care professionals tend to stick with what they know but not everything work's the same for each patient. I was on liquid codiene but not for very long as I had a feeding tube. I was sick to my stomach quite a bit but gradually over came that. In time it all get's better & at least you can finally get in some nutrition.

sweetblood22 · October 2010

rozaroo said:
Krystin!
I am happy you got something for your pain relief. It sure help's when you have someone going to bat for you. I find the health care professionals tend to stick with what they know but not everything work's the same for each patient. I was on liquid codiene but not for very long as I had a feeding tube. I was sick to my stomach quite a bit but gradually over came that. In time it all get's better & at least you can finally get in some nutrition.

Krystin
Getting off the patch you must wean off. DO NOT ATTEMPT to just go off of it. The withdrawal is brutal. I was on 75mcgs and i was in unbearable pain when my pain peaked. So I am really happy that you are getting relief with the 25mcgs.

KristynRuth86 · October 2010

sweetblood22 said:
Krystin
Getting off the patch you must wean off. DO NOT ATTEMPT to just go off of it. The withdrawal is brutal. I was on 75mcgs and i was in unbearable pain when my pain peaked. So I am really happy that you are getting relief with the 25mcgs.

Sweet
Ok thank you so much Sweet for that info. I was unsure how that worked!

CLRRN · October 2010

sweetblood22 said:
Krystin
Getting off the patch you must wean off. DO NOT ATTEMPT to just go off of it. The withdrawal is brutal. I was on 75mcgs and i was in unbearable pain when my pain peaked. So I am really happy that you are getting relief with the 25mcgs.

Pain patch....
My other half ended up titrating up to 100mcg on the patch. His side effects were minimal (initally nausea but who knows if that was from the medication. His blood pressure was lower than normal but his breathing was fine).

Sweetblood is 100% correct...do not stop the patch abruptly. Mike weaned off slowly (Went from 100mcg to 75mcg for a week and then dropped to 50 and so forth)

It's a great drug and i'm glad you are getting pain relief!!

Hang in there and stay strong.

luv4lacrosse · October 2010

YOUR MOM IS A HERO
Kristyn, I am on the Fentanyl Patch also. 150 Mics/ changed every 3 days. I use my OXY only as needed.
It has worked well for the pain, but did not ease the suffering of all of the side effects I am going through. I have had the worst of the side effects for about 2 weeks now and my Doc's say it may be 4 more weeks past treatment before I feel better. I had a feeding tube placed two weeks ago today, and have lost 50 LBS. since this journey started.

Your mom acted in your best interest, as you have to be the advocate for your care. I have found that in most cases, if you ask for something, they will accommodate you. My wife is an RN and when she does not like what is going on, she steps in.

Hang in there, we are almost home.

Mike

TheDane · October 2010

OMG!
I just got mine yesterday and I'M SAVED!

I have had SEVERE sores all through my mouth, throat, and tongue since day 9!
Both of my Onc's could not hide their surprise when they saw how bad I was only 9 days in.
Already I could take nothing but water orally, and the pain was radiating out into my ears and I could hardly talk.

10 hours after putting on the Patch I felt WAAAAAY better. And I'm not knocked out or sick like the Morphine made me.
I can function, pay attention, think clearly......man....good stuff.

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh...............

TheDane · October 2010

KristynRuth86 said:
Sweet
Ok thank you so much Sweet for that info. I was unsure how that worked!

Hooked
Yeah.....this stuff is STRONG.

Although I hate to use the word...I am considering myself a "junkie" now so that I take the weaning-off process seriously.

Pam M · October 2010

Happy Last Rad Day
Krystin,
Wow - I know it seems like treatment's been going on for months to you, but to me it seems like you've barely begun. Glad I'm wrong. Hope you can celebrate in some way tomorrow - it's the last day you're doing something that is harming your body (yes, I know - it's a "good" kind of harm). Here's hoping for a boring recovery for you.

Pam M · October 2010

TheDane said:
OMG!
I just got mine yesterday and I'M SAVED!

I have had SEVERE sores all through my mouth, throat, and tongue since day 9!
Both of my Onc's could not hide their surprise when they saw how bad I was only 9 days in.
Already I could take nothing but water orally, and the pain was radiating out into my ears and I could hardly talk.

10 hours after putting on the Patch I felt WAAAAAY better. And I'm not knocked out or sick like the Morphine made me.
I can function, pay attention, think clearly......man....good stuff.

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh...............

Happy You're On Drugs
Dane,
Good to hear you've knocked back the pain and are able to maintain your faculties. Hope this is just the start of a series of lucky breaks in treatment.

sweetblood22 · October 2010

TheDane said:
OMG!
I just got mine yesterday and I'M SAVED!

I have had SEVERE sores all through my mouth, throat, and tongue since day 9!
Both of my Onc's could not hide their surprise when they saw how bad I was only 9 days in.
Already I could take nothing but water orally, and the pain was radiating out into my ears and I could hardly talk.

10 hours after putting on the Patch I felt WAAAAAY better. And I'm not knocked out or sick like the Morphine made me.
I can function, pay attention, think clearly......man....good stuff.

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh...............

TheDane
Sounds like me, I was a hurtin pup after only several days. But I still couldn't eat or drink even with the patch I was in so much pain. God that sucked. Hang in there people.

Fentanyl patch- life saver!!

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