Pain in chest - any advice pls?

[Vip1]

Hello, I've written about my Dad, so just the short version this time.

He's got stage 4 lung cancer, and 15 months in, it's tough.

He's definitely feeling weaker than he was a month ago.

He's noticing that the areas where he was having pleural effusions (around the left lug) is causing him more pain. It feels quite tight (now that's it's healed and no longer having the effusions).

I can see it's hard for him to deal with.

What we do

- rub arnica around the area.

- and he takes paraceutomal 3-4 times a day and now, having spoken to the team last week, we're switching to Codomol 3-4/day. Hoping this will lighten things and help reduce whatever swelling/pain might be there.

I'll check with the hospital also exactly what the last scan highlighted about this area around my Dad's lung (in case that shows anything)

Any advice pls ..?

Would be really appreciated.

[SunshineM]

When I was in pain after my lung resection and then my lobectomy I was taking paracetamol 4 times but in between if needed I would take ibuprofen, check with your doctor. Sending get well wishes, it's horrible being in pain.. when I was just home, I was on a stronger opium type drug. Hope your dad finds relief. Xx

[Unicorn3344 in reply to SunshineM]

Sorry to hear your dad is in pain.My husband was prescribed Pregablin tablets for chest pain after his lobectomy.Unfortunately he had to stop taking them as he came out in blotches on his face as he was allergic to them .I don’t know if this is a common side effect but you could ask your oncologist if it would be suitable for your dad .Hope this helps hope he manages to find something to ease his pain.Take care xx

[Vip1 in reply to Unicorn3344]

Thank you Unicorn3344 & appreciate your kind words; will find out about the Pregablin; hope your husband got some relief in the end, Vip

[Vip1 in reply to SunshineM]

Thanks SunshineM & good to hear that gave you some good relief.

Can I ask did you take the ibuprofen for a while , & was it, 2-3 a day or something a little different ?

Thanks,

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Hello again Vip,

Sorry to hear about your Dad’s chest pain, this must be very difficult for him. Pain can have many causes, and is often a sign of illness or injury. Some pain post surgery/procedure, (for example chest drainage) can be expected and should be managed and reduce over time. New episodes of pain or longer term chronic pain should be assessed by his medical team so it can be effectively managed to provide the greatest relief possible for your Dad. Hopefully the switch to Cocodamol might help. Do not hesitate to discuss this pain with the team again if the co-codamol doesn’t help, as you can see from the other responses to this thread, there are many alternative medications available,

The NHS website offers practical advice for managing pain

nhs.uk/live-well/pain/ways-...

nhs.uk/live-well/pain/how-t...

Also britishpainsociety.org may also help.

Continue to support your Dad the way you have been doing, with comfort measures such as the arnaca, heat packs, pillow comfort and deep breathing exercises.

|I hope your Dad gets relief soon and that some of this info is helpful. If there is anything else you wish to discuss you can email ask the nurse at [e-mail] or call our free phone nurse led helpline number on 0800 358 7200 Monday to Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600

The Roy Castle Support Team

[Denzie]

From what you describe, it reads as if your dad is experiencing nerve pain along the intercostal nerve. Good alternatives to the pregabalin would be (lexapro), duloxetine (Cymbalta), paroxetine (Paxil) or buspirone (Buspar). These drugs work different from pregabalin (Lyrica and gabapentin) so he may not experience the same type of reaction. Talk to his doctor about trying one of these.

These are alternatives that are used in the US and may not be approved in the UK.

[Vip1 in reply to Denzie]

Thank you Denzie for your tips; will check with palliative care who we'll be seeing early-mid next week I hope