Weighing the benefits VS the complications (pain meds)

Let me just start by saying i have been taking narcotic pain meds for 1 year now pretty much straight since my surgery,, please don't judge as i am being honest here. Just 2 months after surgery i started having severe back pain followed by left leg pain like needed being scraped down my leg. I finally had a MRI in June of last year which confirmed a herniated disc at L5-S1 with a pinched nerve as well. My foot goes numb if it's up, or my other leg is lying on it, or even if i am umm on the potty too long. I was referred to pain management by my pcp.

I started seeing my pain management center in October 2013. I was given a spinal injection which didn't work.. it was my second one within 3 months. I was offered tramadol for the pain but that never worked for me. Then i was given vicodin i took that a few months 5/325 and it stopped working it was barely touching my pain. Saw my doctor again he said he doesn't want me on narcotics the rest of my life because i am too young to have to be on this forever. I agreed, and asked him about surgery. He said if my orthopedic thought my issue was an easy fix they would have already referred me out for surgery. I have had an ulcer in October as well. Well my doctor wrote me a script for percocet 10/325 to take 2 pills a day. I've been on that since October. I cannot walk, bend, or stand for too long without being in pain. Problem is i do NOT want to get addicted to this medicine. Addiction, runs in my family. My mom almost had irreversible liver damage from taking too many tylenol with codeine's she was addicted taking upwards of 10+ a day. I watched her deteriorate, and her life fall apart, her marriage fall apart because of her addiction. Once my dad left i told her she needed help and to be admitted she listened and she has been off of pain meds over 5 years now clean! She almost died the doctors said if i didn't get her in when i did she would have died. They had to give her special iv medicine to rid all that tylenol out of her body. Now here i am in the same predictament. Being prescribed pain meds LEGALLY but scared i will end up addicted to them like mom was. I have found myself on a couple of occasions taking more than i should have because the pain was too much! I don't want to tell my doctor i am in more pain because honestly i don't want higher doses and more meds and to become addicted. I get 60 pills a month now. Problem with these meds is yes, to an extent they help with my pain but they are also causing me to be severely constipated and retaining major water. I gained 17 lbs from being so backed up and water weight gain. I know it's the pain meds because when i go let's say 12 hours without them or VERY tiny doses like 2.5 mg i end up pooping everyday. When i take 20mg + a day i am constipated and start gaining weight. I've lowered my dosage on my own very recently and sure enough i am back down to 211 lbs from 227 lbs at my highest my lowest was 210 pounds a month ago... today and yesterday back to my regular dose and sure enough couldn't poop today and back up to 218 tonight. This is after taking miralax, 4 sennokot, milk of mag. Hoping i can go tomorrow but today i had the urge but just could not pu**** out... so frustrating! I don't know what to do because i am consistantly gaining weight while on this med, obviously not a real gain but still it's upsetting.. but i am also in pain! It's like damned if i do, and damned if i don't! My gastroenterologist, surgeon, primary care, and just about everyone else claims my constipation is solely caused from the narcotics. What would you do, if you were me?

I am sorry you deal with that pain. I can relate. App 10 years ago I was dealing with that, could not sit for too long, or stand. That was before my RNY and I was able to take antiinflammatory pain meds (that were since pulled off the market)  I also could not tolerate any narcotic pain pills.(they made me viletly ill). I got steroids injections, physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, massages, and acupuncture. Ice compresses and lasdt but not least - yoga.  I am reaslly tired now, but I also found solution to BM issues.   High coffee enema. Google thast or PM Me if you need some more info.

I herniated the same disc in 1993.  Same exact symptoms.  Prescribed strong pain killers, to no avail.  Physical therapy did not work.  Had the surgery.  Fantastic results.  walking that night in the hospital.  Never looked back.  Pain was gone, numbness was gone.  The longer you wait to have the surgery (a simple procedure) the more long term the damage and continued numbness.  IMHO.

I feel your pain. 5 surgeries later (16 yrs) I can finally be pain free, I suffered off yrs with back problems. Degeneritive disc disease and back broken in 2 places at the very bottom. I have pins and rods from tail bone to the thoracic. So I feel for you when it comes to pain meds. I tried everything out there except morphine. I am now pain free except when I overwork my back, I say get it fixed now before it gets worse.  

Thanks again everyone. I will mention surgery again. So many people tell me though I am too young for it and it sometimes doesn't work and makes things worse. I had asked my pain management doctor and he said if they thought it was an easy fix they would have already done it?? I also have degenerative disc disease they said that's seen on everyone though?