Back pain medication – Can Prescription drugs for chronic back pain mask brain tumors?

Greg has had a low back injury for more than ten years. It causes such as sciatica and back pain and later, a disability.
We know that people handle pain in many different forms. Some recognize that pain is a temporary thing, or can be treated naturally. They understand that their body wants to be good, and sometimes only needs a little help to get back where it feels good.
Others, like Greg is a low tolerance for pain or an addictive personality type, or for other reasons on painkillers and muscle relaxants long term. Some become addicted to the drugs.
Unless one is dying in hospice, the dependence on pain medication is never a good thing for many reasons. But it can mask a serious problem, like a brain tumor?
In the last few years there have been times when Greg seemed on medicines. His eyes were half closed, his speech was slow and so were his thoughts. The family always had an over-use it for prescription pain medication, even though Greg always denied. His doctor would only prescribe pain-killing drugs, muscle relaxants in quantities, the last two weeks.
Greg began with something that seemed like seizures or mini-strokes about a year ago. He remained in hospital for several days while tests were carried out. The neurologist said: "This seems to be seizures, not strokes." His doctor, a had him under the threat of drugs, said: "Do not worry, buddy, I will help you and you will never be another mini-stroke back." The doctor failed to diagnose the neurologist.
Greg went home and sat on his pain medication. The doctor treated him with typical medications to prevent mini-strokes, and TIA’s.
Greg is still the "beatings", several per day, every day.
At the urging of family members, Greg asked his doctor for a referral to a neurologist. The doctor said: "You need to get more exercise." His diagnosis was, probably because he is also concerned with a record of prescription drug use instead of the symptoms. He did not order new tests.
Family members insisted on seeing the original neurologist, said: "I do not know what it is, but it is definitely not TIA’s. TIA’s not act like this. You just randomly occur once in a while, not every day, and already not several times a day. "He wanted to refer to Greg University of Michigan Hospital for further tests.
But Greg still trustworthy doctor, had said: "I’ll take care of you, buddy."
The last visit to the neurologist May, too late anyway.
The family is always one of its symptoms, which looked like about drug use were about drug use. But she had concerns about this "TIA," which still continues.
Greg’s speech was mutilated last week and he ended up in the emergency room of a hospital. He was at Oakwood Main in Dearborn, where there is an excellent neuroscience department.
The biopsy showed an incurable, inoperable brain tumor.
What if Greg was not using prescription medication for his back pain? The symptoms would have been very clear. Nobody would have thought, "It’s just too much medicine leads him to look and act like this."
Could this tumor was successfully treated by the operation a year ago? Two years ago?
The medicines for chronic back pain caused family and even doctors overlooked the obvious.
Greg is now in hospice, dying.
On a happier note …