Advice or help

[ricky1979]

I began suffering extreme pain in my right buttock around 3 years ago.

Prior to this I was fit and healthy.

After several steroid and pain injections I was told I needed an operation on my spine as my nerve was trapped by a disc at l5s1.

I had the operation which briefly helped however since then things have deteriorated fast. The original pain returned however in addition I started to get a lot of pain in my right shoulder and neck leading to very severe head pain behind my right ear.

I had further scans and was told I was unlucky in that scar tissue had formed round the nerve and in addition I had developed arthritis at the top of my spine and shoulder.

I am only 41 and have worked all my life yet I have now had to leave work and am left with excruciating head pain 24 hours a day. My doctor just seems to throw pain meds at me and I am currently on gabapentin naproxen and amitriptyline but I am still left in agony with zero quality of life and dont know where to turn

[Jjflash]

Hiya Ricky,I sympathize with your situation.As someone who suffers lots of pain also,I'm always trying to minimise my meds.I always think,the more you take,the more you're gonna need.Plus,the long and short term effects these meds are gonna put on your body.Youre only 41 and all the pain meds are not even touching the sides.I can suggest a few things.First of all,I'm very old school and at the mo,I only take 2 paracetamol at night to get me through the night.You could try a tens machine or summat similar that would be pretty cheap or a pain massager that you can use all over.Hope you get some solace Ricky.

[Satuna]

Hi there Ricky, I have taken Gabapentin for nearly six years now, plus Amitriptyline, Citalopram, following Encephalitis( infection of the brain) from the Chick pox virus. I am in neural pain daily all over my body sometimes. I know that the level of Gabapentin should rise after a while. What strength are you on? How many mg's? I started on a hundred, then my doc would raise it a hundred at a time. I used to be up to five hundred mgs four times a day, now down to four hundred. It does make you crave food, especially sweet things. I had read that after a period of a few years it can upset your stomach. My brain specialist wants me to come down off of it in time. It does take a few weeks to build up in your system to get to the right level to kill the pain. Hope any of this helps you. Take care.

[Satuna]

Forgot to mention that Acupuncture might help.