Pain relief

[Beckybabe]

We are at the end of our tether and need some advice ,my partner has had failed lower back surgery and is now in constant pain .He has chronic depression , chronic pain syndrome anxiety issues ,he is currently taking morphine for the pain having tried an endless list of other drugs pregablin,tramadol as well as antidepressants ,and meds to make him sleep .None of the above is working and he is still confined to the bed most of the time .Does anyone have any suggestions as we are getting desperate?

[Hidden]

Sports physio, bowen, massage, Chinese medicine, craniotherapy, in fact anything alternative. They will strengthen the body, and reduce pain. Ask the physio to check for trigger points (look them up its complicated).

Meditation and mindfulness will help with depression and anxiety and can be accessed on-line.

Pharmacist can help with meds. Aim to get off the morphine ASAP as it is extremely addictive and destructive. There's a very fine line that will be crossed where the pain that is felt is due to withdrawal and not the original pain. It will be causing some of the psychological problems too.

Chronic pain rarely responds to pain kilkers because they are designed for acute pain. The body builds up resistance which is why you need stronger and stronger ending up on clinical morphine and heroine. You become a legal junky because its very difficult to come off them. Also makes it very hard to treat any other conditions that may develop in years to come.

Morphine given for pain when other meds have not worked is rarely a sign of how bad the pain is, its a sign that the dr doesn't know what to do anymore and is just handing out pain killers.

[missrat]

Morphine and similar medications are established 'third-line' treatment for chronic pain and the risk of addiction is low, although care is needed in withdrawal.

On the other hand, additional methods of coping are useful. For me, TENS is the best, although it takes time to find the best program and electrode positioning etc. - your physio can help you with this. Mindfulness meditation is helpful - there are some great books on it and some good websites. Guided exercise may help. Pain management is a mixture of methods, and I wish you well.

Ann

[Boozybird]

Becky, he will need your help and encouragement as never ending back pain, as you can see is a nightmare and when you are at your lowest ebb you lose the will to live so your help and encouragement will help your partner get back to the land of the living.....no easy task unfortunately. He probably needs some hope and as the others have indicated above to get off the heavy drugs which just don't work. When you are in his situation you often just dont have the energy to get the right help at the right time. I would suggest you go see the GP and demand a referral to a pain managment centre where hopefully they can offer some light at the end of the tunnel. Rehab. The more you waste away in bed, the worse the pain but its not just a question of leaping out of bed and training for a marathon it takes skill and care to help people come to terms with the pain and immobility. Yesterday, there was some hope in the news for some back pain sufferers who may be helped with a long term course of antibiotics - they are calling it a cure - typical media! But perhaps your partner is someone who could be helped by this treatment. I'd go bully the GP on his behalf and be strong! Hard for you too! best wishes,

[Boozybird]

There is a good post below this one from someone called Peter moore talking about his experience of pain mmmgt. Have a look - 'so so tired' is the title of the post.

[JackieWann]

Hey I feel for ya ((hugs))) on here we all talk about our pain ,and reading your post made me

Realise that our partners must feel so helpless ....if you could take the pain away you would

And we know this ...xx

Have you asked gp about being revered to a pain clinic,see if the can help find meds that will

Give some relief also they may look at alternative stuff..

I use morphine patches ,there so much better than tabs,it works well for me ,but l also do

Guided meditation ...it really does help me when the pain is too bad,and l think it's worth a thought .....have you thought about healing ? Again worth a thought

[Beckybabe]

Thank you for your suggestions I spoke to our gp and we have been referred for pain management again as the last time we saw them is prior to his surgery .I have also bought my partner a tens machine ,anything is worth a try