Pain, pain, pain

[lucii]

Hi guys,

I've been on prostap injections for the last 3 years with livial addback and I've had absolutely no pain or endo symptoms at all. On the 28th June I got a sudden onset of pain and was admitted to hospital, I had a week of intravenous antibiotics and then a laparoscopy in which they removed endo and adhesions but (for reasons I don't know) they left my left ovary stuck to my bowel and pelvic wall. I was discharged from hospital 2 days later.

Since then I've been in absolutely horrendous pain, I've been taking paracetamol, diclofenac and codeine. I've been to my GP twice and back to A&E but nothing is helping. I'm a student nurse and I'm supposed to be on my final placement before qualifying. If I don't get my hours finished by the 10th of September I'm not going to be able to graduate and I'm going to lose my job...

Dose any one have any advice for me at all, please. I'm really desperate? xx

[Flowerpot23]

Hey. That sounds awful. I'm kind of in the opposite position. I'm currently on tramadol, naproxen amitriptyline and paracetamol. Up until 2 weeks ago I was also having morphine patches. I'm due to start my training as a paramedic in September and I've been told I have to come of the opiate drugs or else I can't do the course. If you can get your gp to prescribe you morphine patches (the ones I had were called buprenorphine patches) it would probably help you. They really took the edge off the pain and allowed me to get on with daily life. X

[Petunias]

Hi Lucii. What an awful situation to be in. It sounds like your surgeon wasn't skilled enough to deal with your endo and has left it. You need to be under the care of an endo specialist - see bsge.org.uk for the list of accredited and provisional centres. I know none of this helps you short term manage your predicament with uni but only from the point of view of getting your endo treated effectively. If you have constipation probs as a result of where your endo is then consider coming off the codiene - but you'll already appreciate that! Other than that keep going - through gritted teeth don't let endo beat you! Rest well when you're off an just take a shift at a time. I remember struggling through my theatre placement with trigeminal neuralgia so I fully fully sympathise. XX