after 14 years being treated for peripheral neuropathy I am now told I do not have it and will need to be reassessed , at my visit to my consultant 3 days ago he went on about the positives of this result , which made me very upset as my pain in my wrists is of the scale , 24 hrs a day , if they were broken I would think they would be less sore , I begged him to prescribe a drug for me which I could use during a long flare up like this along with pregabalin etc,visiting my GP the following morning , I was then offered Ketamine , which I did take for a long time , it was very addictive and had trouble getting off it, but I was not in a state to refuse , three days later apart from making me very drowsy , no benefit of late can anyone Help or do you suffer similar pain
i/m a retired male south scotland
Written by
wilson1948
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Very frustrating for you to experience a wrong diagnosis and still having to deal with severe ongoing pain. It will no doubt take a while before you get back into the system for a new diagnosis but this may lead to a better course of treatment. I guess the GP didn't want to get your hopes up but he did say it was good news.... Anyway, cold comfort when the present reality is coping. Does heat help you at all? Heat wraps? I really benefit from those sticky heat patches for my back. Also, have you tried Duloxetine which is an anti-depressant that is used to treat pain? I have been giving it a go for a month and it seems to have some benefit. Hard to describe exactly as the pain is still there but it seems to affect me less. Anyway, I'm sure others will have more help and advice for you. Stay strong. Best wishes..
Many thanks for that will respond further later , take care.
I am a 48 year old recently retired Police Officer. I have had 6 years of back pain and last year was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my hips as well as other joints. I am hooked up to my TENS machine as I write.
For me there are a number of elements to consider about pain.
1. Only you know what it is like as you are the expert on you.
I have a wonderful wife and family who understand me. They listen to what I need when I need it. I have a great GP who is not only sympathetic but is also willing to explore every avenue to manage my pain. I am stubborn and am my worst enemy for trying to fight through it when sometimes I just need to give myself permission to have a break.
2. There is a physical side to it, this is treated by various methods & medication.
I am currently on morphine patches which last for 7 days and on the whole they work for me. Yes, there are side effects but they are preferable to the pain. I have found that regular visits to the osteopath and acupuncturist also have a positive effect. I take various supplements such as Fish Oil (good for the brain), Glucosamine (good for the joints) and a good multivitamin.
3. There is an emotional side to it, this is the more difficult bit that is sometimes ignored albeit unintentionally.
I am the sort of person that always wants to be able to do something about things. In my mind I have a toolbox of options for dealing with my pain. If one tool does not work then I try another one. I have not yet had to deal with the situation of none of the tools work! I try to focus on what I can do as opposed to what I cannot. I take anti depressants which take the edge off the negative emotions. I have had therapy where I found that talking about things helped. All I know is that it is unwise for me to neglect this side of my health.
I hope that my reflections are of some use to you or others who are in daily pain.
thanks so much for taking the time to respond , I will read your response a few times over the next few days , you say a lot of common sense , and I will digest your suggestions , I know within myself that I am at an all time low , and my pain is at an all time high , until now I have been able to give myself a kick and work through my pain but every little thing I do , like drying my hands ,generates more pain . again many thanks and hope things continue to go well for you
See a massage therapist. There is a chance that some of the muscles in your forearm , wrist and hand have over contracted. Over contracted muscles cause pain. So by working on the muscles to lengthen them there is a possibility that you can reduce the pain.
The effect of muscles on pain is not something consultants know very much about.
could you just confirm ,I googled massage therapists in my area , and all that came up was in relation to sports injuries apart from beauty treatments i/m reluctant to wait on an NHS appointment but may have too
You are now in the area where you need to speak and network with people to find out who is good and who is bad.
What you have could come under sports injury. You are looking for someone who can look at the muscles and determine if they are over tight and if they are do something about it.
So a massage therapist who can look at sports injuries is a possible way to go.
You are looking for someone with sensitive hands. Someone who can feel what is not right and guide the muscles to be right. A therapist who works well with one person may not work well with another.
I wish I could help you more, but I only know my own local area.
You can find out if there is a McTimony chiropractor in your area. You can find out if the McTimony chiropractor is able to do anything about your wrist. Some McTimony chiropractors are able to work on areas other than the spine because of their sensitive hands and knowledge of how muscles and bones behave.
Many thanks again , checking the net , there is a couple of sports therapists in Carlisle ,which is just over the border ,I will check will my local Gp first to get his opinion , he has known my symptoms over the years
everyone should go via a physio at some point, after struggling to put foot on ground for 4months, only 3 days of physio is showing a difference and the over reactions to movements have improved
Hi there Wilson 1948. You must be worried to have your previous diagnosis taken away after so long. It leaves you so uncertain. I do hope that you can see someone soon who can tell you what's wrong. It must be so limiting. Can you use your hands at all in spite of the pain? I cannot help with medicine suggestions as I only take ibuprofen but I do sympathise with your need for help. Keep strong . Things will get sorted out for you. Don't let anyone tell you that there is good news while you are suffering. Tell them to do something about it. Have you used your wrists very much in gardening for example. When you say that it hurts to dry your hands It put me in mind of the pain I get with arthritis.
though it has been very painful for many years ,I have always until now been able to do a fair bit in the garden and wee jobs around the house , as long as when I took a flair up I could just abandon things until I felt better , but the last couple of months it has just got worse and worse, eg I got a brand new greenhouse delivered last Monday morning ,I have painfully opened one carton as it was so painful using the knife I know we get older and a bit weaker but with 24/7 pain it is hard to find anything you can do. anyway enough about me . I would like to thank all you guys for your comments , Ian
Over 14 years I am guessing that you have tried many different things to help your pain and can only try to imagine what you are going through now. I was hit by a car 11 months ago today and that already feels like forever ago, so 14 years is hard for me to imagine. I developed CRPS in my foot as a result of an accident and by the time I was diagnosed on 30 July it was in my whole foot and ankle except for my toes and now it is half way up to my knee. I know the condition is different but CRPS is also a nerve illness (or is that disease). Physiotherapy has helped me and is readily available on the NHS. I dread going because I know it is going to hurt (occasionally he is gentle and spares me but mostly it hurts) but in my heart I know that it is the only thing that loosens my ankle and keeps me able to move at all albeit in my limited capacity. So if you have never tried physio then definitely give it a go as they have several different techniques that they use from gentle massage, not so gentle massage through to downright manipulation, exercises, ultrasonic machine which sends pulses through to the muscles and acupuncture. Also they will work on the area around your spine or neck so not constantly touching your painful wrists. The other thing they have helped me with is desensitizing my foot. Five months ago I couldn't bear the slightest touch to the top of my foot, no shoes, socks, not even a sheet could touch my foot without me squealing or crying but they made me touch it - I hated him for it at the time - but maybe not quite once an hour like I was meant to, but at least twice a day and at first as slowly and as gently as I could I rubbed lotion into my foot. Maybe I am the biggest wooss in the world because I cried each time for months but I am glad I did it. It took a long time but if I absolutely have to I can now wear a shoe for a short time without crying and (that means I get stared at a lot less) I can now get around a small supermarket on my own leaning on the trolley for support and can drive the car for up to three minutes at a time without crying. It isn't far but in 3 minutes I can get to my mum's house, the local shops and physio without having to rely on someone else and that in itself has made a huge difference to my life. Sorry that is a very long explanation but what I am trying to say is that the physio hurt so much that it would have been very easy to give up but I am glad that I persevered. It is hard to explain because I don't think the pain is any less but you just kind of get used to it and light touch becomes tolerable.
On the drugs front , I would agree with a previous poster and say that if you have never tried an anti-depressent drug for your nerve pain then that is definitely something to discuss with your doctor. There are many different varieties and you may have to try a few to find one that works for you. After horrible side effects on Gabapentin (an epilepsy pill rather that an anti-depressent) the pain consultant switched me to nortriptyline and told me that he chose that particular drug because it is known to have less side effects but what is good for one person may not work for another. Again at first I didn't think it was helping at all and it was 4 four weeks before I started to see any benefit so yet again we have to be patient and not give up too quickly (and isn't that frustrating in itself)!
I hope you find something that works for you very soon.
Thanks for that Jo , Makes me wonder what I am complaining about , but seriously over the years I have been diagnosed with many different drugs , some did ease the pain for a while ,I am on pregabalin and have been started back an Ketamine to try and get some relief , not a drug I like taking as it is addictive and has had a lot of bad press of late. but once again thanks so much to u guys for your comments , I think it is good to spread your views and reinforces there are folks suffering like you or perhaps more
I suffer with RA and am at present enduring a painful flare up. Was given deepo medrone injection last week and it had no effect. I take codeine phosphate and paracetamol 4 times daily which takes the edge off the miserable pain in both wrists and hands. As you say I would probably be in same pain if wrists were broken. Diazepam helps me sleep otherwise am awake on and off most of night. Knees are painful too. I feel for you and you are not alone believe me
Hi ,yes I sympathize with you its 3-45 am been awake for hours , over the past 14 years i have been prescribed most if not all drugs , some had effect over the years but the pain I am experiencing for the past couple of weeks is of the scale , at the moment I take Pregabalin , Diazepam and have been advised to go back on Ketamine to try and stem the pain but alas no better , sorry for going on a bit .and hope thinks get better for you
A massage therapy might help you with your wrist pain. I can't avoid it sometimes to feel the same thing especially if I get busy from work. But I just make sure to see a therapist who are expert on it and the pain juts got away. I have a magnetic bracelet as well which a friend of mine gave me. It helps me a lot too. I wear it to prevent joint pain especially in my wrist. Anyway, you can always ask for a second opinion from other health professional about it to make sure everything is okay and you're not risking your health.
I have at my disposal codeine, tramadol and good old para. just learned to use which ever best for high level of pain, I think anyone here would agree that when pain actually makes you tremble then steroids always the answer! Whether long or short term.
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