After eight weeks in icu in a induced coma, I awake being paralised from the waist down, oh bugger I thought.After four months I have relearned to walk and speak again(love those traciotomies) but am left with severe nerve damage to my perinial nerves and am in constant leg pain, even with a boat load of gabapentin and cocodamol.
Work is completely out of the question (I own and run a pub in Yorkshire England). Any advice on treatments and medications would be greatly appreciated.
Paul the Steampacket Inn Knottingley....
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Misterpaulwood
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I used to get severe cramping - see if you can get your mineral & vitamin levels checked - ICU can leave us depleted.
My cramping was so severe I’d pass out and had four staples in the back of my head thanks to that one.
I took magnesium sulphate - worked immediately.
Vitamins B-1, B-6, and B-12have been found to be especially beneficial for treating neuropathy. Vitamin B-1, also known as thiamine, helps to reduce pain and inflammation and vitamin B-6 preserves the covering on nerve endings.
You could ask for some Oramorph (liquid morphine) for the leg pain - I'd be very reluctant taking 'boatloads' of anything with paracetamol in.
Oramorph is a stronger painkiller in the same family as the codeine in your CoCodamol but without the paracetamol (highly liver toxic in large doses) - your liver will thank you!
Codeine is an opiate - what it is about morphine you cannot tolerate?
True opiate/oid allergy is very rare, if you cannot tolerate - say - morphine you may find you are ok with dihydrocodeine or oxycodone. If you suffer hives and itching with opioids it doesn't mean an allergy - most of them create a big old histamine release but that is controllable with Loratadine or similar.
I'm not a medic or nurse, but I do have rather too much knowledge regards opiates - more than is good for me if I'm honest
hi Paul. I had muscular issues with my legs after ICU. I contacted my local Occupational Health/ therapy team (you can do this via your gp, or if they don't help, the outreach team at your hospital ICU). I had no idea what Occupational therapists did- I assumed it was something def not for me!
Anyway, through them I got a free physio that gave me appropriate and specific advice for the particular issues and limbs I was struggling with. The Occupational therapist gave me non physio advice which was invaluable. They were both amazing and made a major difference to both my body and my spirit
hey there. Have someone get you a heavy duty massage machine. I used one on my neck to numb up the nerves going down to legs after recovering from a sepsis coma. Gabapetin was a life saver as I was getting taser shocks in both legs and feet. Getting off gavapentin was tricky and not easy. Once the meds are out if your system you have to push yourself every day to swim and walk in water if you can. I was told I would never get out of ICU and yada yada. Today I drive but still walk with cane… best Dan Shea USA Virginia
funny story about my metal tach. I sneezed and it flew out of my throat and across the room. Doc was just walking in and says “we’ll we won’t be needing that anymore “…… 😂…. I was shocked thinking what the heck😮
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