would love some advice please

[mandyscott1974]

hi there is find this group really helpful and always take on board all the advice i have costocondrities which I knowis the pain in left side of my chest and rib but can this be constantly in centre of chest also as had the pain for a good few weeks and just carnt shift it had enough ray and ecg and bloods they were fine but the pain is really strong and scary I also suffer with anxiety so could it be this sorry or ranting on just has me worried and recently moved and new gp are not very good and impossible to get aNicole app with thank you for advice in advance most appreciated xx

[Hidden]

I know it sounds silly but have they thought about muscle spasms in between your rips? My brother had something similar to this he thought he was having a heart attack but it was the spasms in his chest and awfully painful for him he ended up in resuscitation in a and e.

With new doctors just be on their case everyday they are very slap dash nowadays and don't normally like doing anything . So sorry your in this pain. Are you taking painkillers x

[mandyscott1974 in reply to Hidden]

thank you and I will keep on them.and yes I'm on morphine mediine and zomorph for pain and also amatripline nothing seems to help me I will ask about muscle spasms in.middle.of.my chest thank you xx

[Hidden in reply to mandyscott1974]

Ouch you sound like me on a lot of drugs and not much happens lol. Try not to worry is the best advise I can give anyone but 100% go to your doctor about this and keep on at them. I know anxiety can affect people in horrible ways its come out on me in strange ways before , do you find anything helps you with that?

X

[mandyscott1974 in reply to Hidden]

I feel like I've tried everything councillor breathing excersise seen gp yesterday and he just keeps changing my antidepressants feel like I'm talking to a wall to be honest with gp xx

[Hidden in reply to mandyscott1974]

That’s not good they shouldn’t keep changing your antidepressants like that, is there any you’ve been on for longer than a few months and felt any better? Xx

[mandyscott1974 in reply to Hidden]

yes but was took of them a long time ago think it was floxatine I've took my first one of these new ones this morning I Google search hem and there is alot of good and bad comments on them depends on person each say just sick of been messed about with Meds xx

[Hidden in reply to mandyscott1974]

I’ve known a few people on fluxatine and been on it myself but it messed us all up , it made me feel very crazy but I react badly to medication like that I can’t even take gabapentin just messes with my head. But everyone is different, I really hope you find something that helps you and if you ever need someone to vent or talk to I’m always here x

[mandyscott1974 in reply to Hidden]

I carnt take gaberpenton and there another with a similarname also I'm. bad for Meds to so know how u feel xx

[mandyscott1974 in reply to Hidden]

I take 60mg zormorph in morning and 30mg at night along side 75mg amatripline and oramorph when needed just in pain constant had ecg done and also chest x ray and bloods all was fine xx

[AndrewT]

Dear Mandy,

I can't advise you directly, on this issue, as my knowledge is somewhat Lacking. However, I will say this, please DO make an appointment, with you main Doctor/Consultant, regarding the pain that you are suffering. Yes you have had 'All The Checks', don't you always?.....but you are in pain, clearly bad pain. To my mind, I could be wrong on this but I doubt it, this indicates a 'problem'.

One other, very important, 'thing' Mandy.....Please try not too worry too much- easy to say, I know. Now I might sound like an 'uncaring Stupid Old Nag' but, the fact is, that worrying, too much, tends to make 'things' worse or, at least, appear that way. Please don't get me wrong here....I DO understand ALL your concerns and, I'm ABSOLUTLY certain, that the pain is real. just don't let it dominate your life, hard as that might be. (I'm sounding 'Terrible' again, aren't I?)

One final thought, we ARE all Friends here, are you badly constipated, or bloated? This can make 'Things' far worse, take MY word for that!

Please do try to have a peaceful Christmas Mandy, I will pray for you. I know that I speak for Us All, when I say, we do wish you well.

Sending very best wishes

AndrewT

[mandyscott1974 in reply to AndrewT]

I do appreciate your advice and no you aint I nag lol your right I worry alot to much to be honest soon as I get the pain I worry I wake up on pain go to sleep in pain I try to keep busy and take my mind off things no matter how hard I try it seems hopeess my gp ainthe that good I recently moved and have to ha e a new gp this group understands me more than my gp and to be honest more helpful also xx

[lowther1]

I totally agree with you Mandy. As we all do on this site, we have a multitude of pains. GPS do not understand the disease we have to deal with.Going to the GPS is frustrating but go you must. Anxiety makes things seem much worse. Positive outlook is the only way. Do you have any mindfulness courses near you, I found they helped. Try and enjoy Christmas and in the new year look to the positives in your life. Book a holiday if you can, just give yourself little goals to achieve. 8

[katelee]

hi

I have a diagnosis of costocondritis and it is very painful. Because its chest pain it definitely makes you feel anxious but I am guessing they have checked your heart out already. Also the very high levels of pain can also increase anxiety and the fear it will never go. Most of the time it does clear up, it just takes time.

its very important to try and get on top of the pain and stay there by taking meds every four hours. May i ask what type of morphine are you on? if the meds are not helping keep telling your doctor.

One thing i found useful is a pain scale i found online. I take this with me to appointments to ensure the doctor and i are on the same page when they ask you to scale your pain 1-10. Just type in pain scale.

Do you use visualisations or grounding exercises for your anxiety? These can help with pain too. And can be used along side meds. i wouldn't do any that involve breathing exercises as this can exacerbate the pain.

I am also attached to my hot water bottle and use a bolster pillow in bed to keep in a comfortable position to help sleep.

Above all be kind to yourself.

Take care

Kate

[mandyscott1974 in reply to katelee]

I use hot water bottle to intake 60mg zomorph in the morning 30mg zomorph at night with 75mg amatripline and have oramorph for in between every 4 hours xx

[katelee]

that's pretty strong meds, what made the biggest difference to me was when I was prescribed fentanyl patches. I change them every 72hours and have oxycodone for break through pain. I have amitryptiline too, 150mg per night. I dont think it does much but my doctor wants me on it!

I dont know what I would do without my hot water bottle. I am surgically attached to mine!

xx

[mandyscott1974 in reply to katelee]

never heard of them patches before are you UK I'm UK North tyneside xx

[katelee]

yes, i am in Sheffield. Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate and because its a patch I have found I have less side effects except for over heating and sweating but i prefer that to pain! its continuous which is what pain teams suggest is the best way to manage pain. There are slow release tramadol and dihydrocodeine (my spelling may be wrong) which i found better than the normal ones.

xx

[mandyscott1974 in reply to katelee]

might not be able to have them then as elergic to tramadol and anything codeine based hun alot of Meds don'tagree with me so makes things harder hate been in pain and love these sites as at least people understand for once do u find they help xx

[katelee]

I am lucky that I can take them, they definitely help. I am in less pain when doing nothing but it doesn't enable me to do more. But it has meant a lot less hospital stays!

Aren't the meds you are on already opiates? I thought zomorph and oramorph are both opiates and therefore codeine based too!

Lots of people struggle with the patches but i will take sweating over pain any day of the week.

It is really good finding a community that understands what you are going through but I haven't met many people on here with chest pain in till recently. There seems to be a few of us now, sadly.

xx

[mandyscott1974 in reply to katelee]

that one I don' know about it know if I take pure codine it sets my asthma off bad like you though I would rather hae the swets than the pain xx

[katelee]

That makes sense, opiates depress your breathing. I have asthma but its mild. I have found out that asthma and chest pain don't mix well!!! aren't we lucky.

can i ask how bad is your pain day to day? I have got the impression that the levels of pain we both deal with are severe but i have struggled to get the medical profession and others to understand how bad it is.

xx

[mandyscott1974 in reply to katelee]

just came back from hospital my fibromilga and costchondiritis have totally clashed my pain on a score to tenow is easy a 8 on a diairy basis been reffered to the pain clinic which I got told to do before but my old gp went against it but not this time I also have asthma bad to hough xx

[katelee]

Hi,

I am guessing from the time it wasn't a hospital appointment. I am sorry to hear you have to deal with so much pain. I am glad you have been referred to the pain team. Some teams are better than others, they have tried a few different things with me. I have often been a bit of a guinea pig cause they haven't treated chest pain before. One treatment i had, i can't remember the name, burned off the nerves endings in my chest. This worked the first two times and I had in total 6 months pain free!!! It was amazing but unfortunately it didn't work the next two times so they stopped doing it.

I was woken this morning by my pain which went through the roof. its come down a little bit now but is still very high. Before I had oxycodone I went into A&E a lot (weekly at one point) and it was always a fight to be given any painkillers stronger than paracetamol! I dont go in now because there is no point, I doubt they would give me anything stronger than what I am.

xx

[mandyscott1974 in reply to katelee]

bless yah I'm hoping the pain clinic helps me need something it's so hard dealing with what we have to go through on a daily basis and I often feel like ppl look as if to say yeah right there is nothing wrong with you but rhea don' feel what we do on the inside every day of our lives ppl are to quick to judge others when I go I'm gonna ask about the patches that your on I'll try anything xxx

[katelee]

The problem is people only see us on "good" days and not when we are in so much pain we cannot get up off the floor. My mum lives in Scotland so i dont see her often, for years she didn't get it untill i spent 10days with her. Usually i would only spend 2-3 days with her so i can push myself for that and she wouldn't see the fallout. When i was with her for longer and she saw the reality of my life she said she didn't realise how little I could do or how bad it was. I had been telling her for years. If it so hard for family and friends to believe you then its no wonder strangers don't!

I hope your pain team is able to do something for you.

It's been really good chatting with you.

x

[mandyscott1974]

it'salways nice I think to have someone to chat to that understands how you really feel I'm always here to chat keep in touchand let'sknow how things are going with you xx

[katelee]

The best thing about the pain management program was meeting other people with pain and I made a good friend. No one there had chest pain and its been nice to chat with someone who not only understands the pain stuff but also knows about chest pain. Yesterday was a tough day but I felt less alone, thank you for that.

I will stay in touch and it would be nice to hear how you are getting on too.

I hope today is better than yesterday for all of us.

x