Any suggestions for coping with pain

[joyw2]

The pains I have been having have sometimes been excruciating and I try to avoid pain killers as much as possible. My treatment with chemo has not yet started - I seem to have 3 good days then 1day of pain and feeling bloated. Any suggestions for easing the pain and does the pains fade once chemo starts and if so how long before it kicks in. Would appreciate any remedies which have worked for you.

Joy

[Pimkin81]

Hi Joy

I too try to avoid painkillers wherever possible but if there is something I have learnt from this illness sometimes you just have to take them! If you can nip the pain in the bid before it starts to build it helps. Otherwise I have found warm baths and hot water bottles helped a lot with the bloating and fullness. I know it is so uncomfortable. I had surgery before starting chemo last week and luckily the pain has not returned. From what I have read chemo does provide relief for many many people. It might be worth giving your specialist nurse a call- mine have been a lot more use than my GP in terms of helping manage symptoms and side effects!!

C

[joyw2]

Thanks for replying - after posting Iooked at other questions that people had posted and after reading them I felt quite disheartened most of them were still tolerating pain after - your reply has lifted me somewhat and I have always used a hot water bottle especially on my back. Will let you know how I get on.

Joy

[Hidden]

My view: Stop avoiding painkillers. In the normal scheme of health its a good idea to minimise their use - once something like this hits, in my view a more short term pragmatism should kick in. If and when you get past this, regulate them back again, of course it's a good idea.

But when experiencing definite, clear and identifiable pain you need a proper pain management routine. I also incorporated hotties (cherry stone cushions you can chuck in the micro are excellent as they take only a few minutes) plus decent heavy duty double Tramadol, interwoven time wise with diclofenac which is time release) and paracetamol. All can be taken simultaneously though you have to closely time your meds.

After the op, after the chemo, I've dialled those back easily over time so I now can be my old 'minimise drug' self... I take the very odd Tramadol when the adhesions are really aching, maybe once a week or less, but that's it.

Just my view but: you do not have to experience pain unless you choose, in most cases....

Love

Sue xxx

[Hidden]

I can only endorse what others have already said, but like you I am not one to take any type of pain killer, (I know it's daft but this is me) I found applying heat amazingly successful and bought an electric throw (one you can use in your lounge) not a blanket but a throw mine is a brown fleece and has quite a few heat settings on it, you can buy them from Argos but cheaper on Amazon, I also bought cheap hand warmers (the ones you get from Aldi's) and tucked them in the back of my pants (as I had a tumour resting on a nerve on my hip) that worked when I had enough energy to walk around.

Love and best ishes x G x

[hf1a]

I have other reasons for avoiding most pain killers. Owing to past duodenal ulcer, I can't tolerate aspirin or ibroprofen based drugs. My main problem is the severe bloating, as my ovarian mass is so huge (in April it was the size of a melon, and is bigger now), and if I have any of the codeine based drugs, they will make me constipated. It is difficult enough to go to the loo as it is, as the mass is pressing on everything. They also tend to make you feel sick, which is happening to me anyway. So that just leaves paracetamol, which doesn't really help the pain. I am still awaiting my op (1 week to go!), so I am will have to see how I feel then. Certainly I agree with the principle of taking pain-killers as soon as you need them so the pain doesn't build up too much.