Pain clinic

[heathermc]

anyone have any experience of the pain clinic. I am awaiting an appts, suffer from sciatica in both legs and on cocoadaol and gabapentin which I rarely take. Im reasonably mobile and do pilates am trying to avoid surgery and hope this pain clinic can help. I work full time and up to 58 hrs a week . The pain is horrible but with everything else going on I cant not work as my employees aren't sympathetic

[earthwitch]

From my personal experience:

Two types of pain clinic - one is where you see a medical specialist for management of your pain meds and treatments, the other is more like pain management from a psychological point of view.

If its the pain specialist, then expect to have a review of your meds, and to have adjustments made. I had my meds divided up into those I took regularly every day, and those I could take for breakthrough pain - it meant I got better control of my pain because I was taking meds more consistently, (rather than just varying them every day depending on how I felt). I was also offered injections into my back (spine pain), and discussed TENS, pain meds delivered by patches, and other non-medical pain control strategies. Depending on your type of pain, there are other treatments like nerve ablation (where they burn off the nerve ends), steroid or anaesthetic injections, acupuncture, etc. You should find it a really useful appointment as they have a much bigger array of possibilities than your GP will.

The pain management stuff is usually done in a group setting, and may include things like relaxation and psychological methods of coping with chronic pain. I've not found too many people with severe pain that have got much out of this, though I think it can be useful for things like fibromyalgia as it does help you with daily coping strategies.

Any pain clinic programme can include a multidisciplinary team that might include doctors, anaesthetists (as they are the pain medicine specialists), psychologists, physios, etc, so don't be surprised if you see more than one person, at least at your initial appointment. The main limitation of pain clinics is that they generally don't address the disease or injury that has caused your pain, so in cases where the underlying problem could be treated better, pain clinic may not help that much.

[deejames in reply to earthwitch]

I'd endorse everything that earthwitch says but sometimes after an initial burst of interventions that's it and you and your GP are left to get on with it. I've been asking for a change / increase whatever in my medication but because I am"under" the pain clinic my doctor is waiting for their input and its been 3 weeks already and not till December till I get the appointment to speck to the medication nurse.

[broski]

My first thoughts are as regard your unexplained comment as to WHY you take your prescribed meds only rarely and yet remain in terrible pain?? Dont want to appear unsympathetic, but unless you have substantial reasons for not taking the meds then I wonder WHY you would then go to pain clinic even?- would you be open to follow their prescriptions or advice?

Ultimately, I went through all stages of pain clinic for my degenerative spine condition (after 2 major surgerys on it) and ended up having first caudal epidurals and latterly trans foraminal epidurals. Both of these have had a VERY significant effect compared to anything that passed before, and they last, in my case, for a good 2 months. Can seriously recommend these to any sufferers as they have had a radical effect on my own pain management.

Working the hours that you show there-together with the intensive stretching of pilates, it seems to me that you are making no allowances at all for your condition- and if you are to enter pain clinic jurisdiction, then be prepared to take the advice given and make the adjustments necessary as advised by them.

[heathermc in reply to broski]

I only take medication the way I do because working in my job the tablets make me tired and effect my ability to do my job.

I don't have a magic wand and because of my other on going condition I a. I'm seriously limited to what I take. But thanks for your support.

[heathermc]

working full time ,my medication makes me very tired and affects my ability to do my job, its a fine balancing act. Unfortunately the tablets make me very tired which makes it impossible to do my job. On days off I do take everything as prescribed and try to manage my condition. I am about to change my role to accommodate my condition so with this and the pain clinic I hope it will make a difference. I also have a chronic blood disorder which limits the type of medication I can take, its like three steps forward and two back at present. Perhaps that might explain things. I was just after some advice that's all

[johnsmith]

Stop the PIlates. See an Alexander Teacher and a McTimony chiropractor. The chiropractor will help remove any muscle spasms which are causing pressure to be applied to root nerves. The Alexander Teacher will help reduce the problems caused by bad muscle control and poor posture.

It is important to get more sleep. If you are not getting enough sleep then the muscles will get more tense which in turn will lead to more pain and discomfort.

Have you had an MRI scan to check that you have not got a problem which is leading to the symptoms you have?

Hope I have been helpful.

[earthwitch]

or ask for codeine phosphate syrup plus paracetamol tablets - that way you can measure out an in-between kind of dose of the codeine (using a medicine syringe for accuracy) that will help, but won't sedate you too much.