Walter,
The opioids are a deception. I was on full-time pain killers for a long time for a broken back but they just stop working after a while. So they kept increasing the dose. Opioids are great for short-term pain but not worth a crap for long-term. When I got off all the fentanyl I was on my pain level was about the same. The only time I really got relief was when I took the pills for flareups.
The patches are the single best way to develop a dependency on them. Taking pills on a regular basis comes in second. I take morphine now just for flareups, but I try hard not to take it on any kind of schedule and track every one of those things I take.
Please, please do not move to fentanyl. I had to learn other ways to deal with the pain and I know it sounds trite but if you want to avoid a dependency on the pain killers it's what you have to do. Meditation, exercise, accupuncture.. anything else. The fentanyl destroyed my career, my marriage and my health.
I'm sending good thoughts your way, brother.