Advice

[Brew]

Hi all i am currently taking 150 mg tramadol slow release twice a day at 6am and 3pm also a 50mg tramadol fast release and 40 mg twice a day of Duloxetine at the sametime , my pain is around a 8 most days and at least twice a day goes up to a 9 with the lighting bolts down my legs and buttock pain most nights i take a diazepam to help relax me and help me sleep (not always helps) i work from 7.30am to 1.30pm daily and lucky its only a 3 min walk from my house, i don't know how long i can carry on with working and my doctor has no answer about that as well so taking it day by day, i know without the help for my medication i could not work at all ( i have tried and failed BIG TIME) but the tramadol is not taking away the lighting bolts pain at all but is numbing most of the day to day pain i was on amitriptyline but had to come off them as it cost me 2 night in hospital , i have been handling the extra through gritted teeth and sometime tears and anger and am unsure whether to ask my doctor for higher pain meds or given time for the Duloxetine to help with the Neuropathic pain, i am already worried if/when (but i doubt i will ever be pain free) coming off what i am already taking and the side effects in the long run, am i asking to much to soon? and am i making it worse by handling the extra pain through gritted teeth ? i feel its all coming to a head and not a good one i have been waiting 3 months so and got 2 more before i start "pain clinic"

[Calceolaria]

Contact pain clinic and ask for any cancellations to be put your way.

[Hidden]

That is far too much pain. Anything above a 3 is too much. By a 5 or 6 most people cannot even carry on a conversation or function. By a 7 or 8 most people are crying out and cannot even move or follow a simple direction.. they probably lost their ability to shower or care for themselves.

Get a hold of your doctor and get better control of your pain. It has to be done. Insist.

[Brew]

Thanks all for your input, i know what you are saying Yikes2 when the lighting bolts happen i end up on the floor in my office i do end up crying sometimes and have cracked a tooth because of gritting my teeth with the pain , my basic pain level is around a 5/6 most day and can handle it with the tramadol but slow its gone up with the lighting bolts and buttock pain, i have one leg and buttock bigger than the other and have lost over a stone in weight over the last 2 months , i will see if the pain clinic has any cancellations so i can get in early , think i need some physio on my left side to bring it up but i seem to be going around in circles with my doctor and trying to explain about the size difference and how i think its effecting my pain and walking and why i have losted muscle size, i did go on a swimming physio for 6 weeks from the pain clinic as the physio had concerns about the size difference but in the end it didn't work or was not enough

now they haven't said anything about it or giving me treatment or help with it , anyway maybe when i do go to the pin management seminars things will change

[rosewine]

I feel so sorry for you with that amount of pain a day it must be so difficult to work and I admire you for keep on going. Some years back when my back pain started I was asolutely plagued with shooting, burning pain which because of its unpredicatability in nature I think sometimes gets you down more than the other pains. I was put on Pregablin (Lyrica) and have found a great deal of relief from that particular type of pain.

I went to hydrotherapy and was just feeling good results when the 6 weeks course stopped due to the NHS limiting it to that. It was such a pity as it is the first treatment that I felt was actually doing me some good and I really enjoyed doing the exercies and the physio and fellow class members were great. I really wish I could have carried on with it.

I know it is a long wait to get to a Pain Clinic as I waited 6 months and every week when you are in such pain seems like a year.

I do hope that you can get some resolution to this and you are in my thoughts.x

[Crazy_Horse]

You deserve more comfort. It's inhumane to expect anyone to live in that amount of pain.

Please ask your physician for more help.

Someone in a post above had suggested calling the pain clinic. Good idea. Make sure your name is on a cancellation list, if possible.

Do you know the cause of the pain? If not, please also push for clarity as to the cause.

I hope you find more assistance and relief soon.

[sianr]

try gabapentin this may help with leg and buttock pain , handling pain through gritted teeth just makes things worse changing your meds will help maybe you need meds every 4-6 hours instead of what you are taking discuss with your GP at length ask for double appoint , GP is there to help you cannot go on with dealing with the issues theres a reason for your pain GP should assist in finding a cause to assist in the recovery . Good luck

[Brew]

hi sianr i am currently taking 150 mg tramadol slow release twice a day at 6am and 3pm also a 50mg tramadol fast release at the sametime and 40 mg once a day of Duloxetine i had to come off gabapentin & pregabalin because of the side effects all i know is that for over 2 years i have been in tremendous pain in my lower back,pelvis and thighs, i have had 2 MRI and both were a mixed bag of results , in that time i have had over 5 months off work, 12 weeks of acupuncture, 6 weeks of aquafit (pain clinic) then told that its my L5 S1 , when it first happened the specialist said the discs will go down it time but ask my doc for amitriptyline in a year or 2 time (what was that about, in one or two years time? ) now the pain clinic said its chronic pain syndrome as its over 3/6 months and hopefully we can catch it in time ? so i said if you read my notes i have been back and forth to my doctors and had MRIs and treatment and its been over 2 years that i have been dealing with this pain, soooo doctor when did my pain start for you ? only now at this appointment? as it will be 4 months from now till i get help from the pain management team? sorry rant over (thats the pain talking)

[sianr]

That's not a rant just factual. Sounds like you've had everything you possibly can have to this point , we are all different pain affects us differently I hope someone helps you to find what works for you.

SA