Pain management

[lesleyg]

Does anyone have some suggestions for pain management? At the moment I'm taking paracetamol + Endone. I use heat as much as possible at night (wheat bags). Also keep my legs up where possible.

Lesley

[devonshiredumpling]

Ah, pain management...

I've become what I suppose is a 'functioning addict' due to all the meds I take Sadly the only effective meds for me are opiods. So, I take:

Co-codamol 30/500 as a general pain reliever. It's good for most things and takes the edge off of joint pain. When things are sort of okay this is what I rely on.

Lately things have been much less than okay so, on top of the co-codamol I also take Tramadol. I hate this drug - it either makes me high as a kite or so sleepy that I cease to function in any real way BUT it does help enormously with my major problem - urethral ulcers.

AT nights, when the urethral ulcers are bad, I use heat and that helps a great deal (although it doesn't do much for the night sweats!)

[lesleyg]

Hi Di

Again we sound very similar (night sweats). The urethral ulcers sound terrible - I thought they would be just painful when passing urine. I have had one fairly bad bout of rectal ulcers (only gave me real trouble when I went to the toilet). I was wondering if I did have a urethral ulcer though - when I sit down too quick I almost have to jump up again because of the pain (this gets better or worse depending on a flair).

I can't tolerate codeine - used it years ago after a car accident - vomited my heart out. I was working for a doctor at the time and he said to avoid it from then on.

Lesley

(So far I've tried Digesic and Endone - brand names).

[devonshiredumpling]

Urethral ulcers were my 'presenting symptom.' I was passing blood in urine and doubled up in pain but they could find nothing wrong just 'some scarring that looks like the result of ulceration.' Right!

One day, back at the GPs again for the urethral pain I happened to say 'I don't know if it's relevant but whenever my waterworks are bad my joints are painful too.' Luckily, the said GP had done a rheumatology study day that included Behcet's. The Behcet's part of the day was, he said, prefaced with 'now one you are unlikely to see in the entirety of your career...

As for the pain - yes, it hurts when passing urine, it hurts like stink then, but it also hurts at other times - sitting down, changing position in bed. Strangely enough, sitting down firmly and putting pressure on the part helps - it's agony getting into position but once I'm there the pressure seems to help. Then, of course, I have to get up...

Your sitting down too quick sounds fairly diagnostic to me.

[lesleyg]

I've been examined visually but I think it might be too far in. It comes and goes, sometimes much worse than others but always in the same spot. If it gets any worse I'll see about an examination. Have to go for a colonoscopy in two months - so many things to think about.

Cheers

Lesley