Hi there. My name is Paul and I'm new to the forum.
I've been struggling with pain for many years now which was mainly lower back related and according to MRI scans was down to wear and tear/disc degeneration.
Since my first MRI in 2006 I've had several more scans and the pain has gradually become more widespread. I now suffer with pain in my lower back, thoracic area, hips, pelvis, ribs/chest and legs (mostly my right leg where I've had sciatica since around 2006). I have tried pretty much everything in the book, from food supplements to different exercise regimes to mainstream and alternative therapies. Nothing works for any length of time......nothing.
Put simply, the pain and discomfort is destroying my quality of life. I'm tired and in pain pretty much all the time and I just can't get any enjoyment out of anything.
I take Zapain, tramadol, pregablin and citalopram daily, as well as numerous food supplements and vitamins. I do exercise most days but what may help on one day will aggravate something the next. I have various gadgets, massage cushions, TENS machines, foam rollers, hot water bottles - you name it. They may give some relief but only in the short term.
I have seen multiple GPs over the years to no avail and it has now reached a point where I have been roundly dismissed and told that this is my lot and nothing more can be done. On my most recent GP encounter I was met with such a lack of compassion and downright rudeness it beggars belief. The GP actually ended the appointment by putting the phone down on me. Every single thing I suggested was met with objection. For instance, when I suggested perhaps it's some kind of rheumatic condition I was told that it couldn't be - I saw a rheumatologist in 2017 - yes, 6 years ago. He refused to refer me back to the pain clinic who had previously sent me away with a lovely photocopy of a pamphlet about reprogramming my mind.
My complete disillusionment with GPs and the NHS led me to finally wiping out my savings last year in order to have a new MRI scan and pain injections privately. The 2 page MRI reports shows widespread degeneration but I could only afford injections in the facet joints around my lower rib cage. This gave me some relief but lasted only a couple of weeks.
Ultimately I have no diagnosis and im receiving no treatment or support. I'm getting through each day by taking a lot of painkillers while trying to hold down a job and care for my wife who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. I've been actively discouraged from seeing a GP through the treatment I've received (or rather lack thereof) and some days I'm at my wits end.
Can anybody relate to the above and give me some advice on how to proceed? I seem to tick some boxes for several conditions but not all for any.
I'm in the process of changing GP surgery but I'm not building my hopes up. Its like banging my head against a brick wall.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
All the best,
Paul
**Edit** I just want to add that in terms of pain level on a scale of 1 - 10, it may not be very high on a daily basis. Say 3 or 4 perhaps but with twinges/spasms/flare ups that spike a lot higher and can sometimes almost incapacitate me. The problem is that it's constant, like tooth ache, and it can occur in different areas of my body. One day I might be limping because of the pain in my hip. Most days I struggle to stand or sit upright throughout the day.
I just wanted to make this clear as I know a lot on here will probably be experiencing pain of a far higher intensity than I am and I truly feel for you if t hat's the case.
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Cloughy71
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When you saw the rheumatologist were blood test done for immune diseases? I'm sorry. You are dealing with a lot. Have you tried any kind of water therapy?
To be honest I don't even recall seeing the rheumatologist as it was 6 years ago. I'm sure blood tests were done but I couldn't tell you which ones - I've just been led to believe at every turn that there's nothing wrong.
I just don't know where to turn or what to do as I feel i have effectively been thrown on the scrap heap!
Ive never tried any form of water therapy and wouldn't know where to start. Any advice would be welcomed as I'd be willing to try absolutely anything.
Some say that being in a swimming pool helps. I also hear that float tanks are helpful. Here in the US some spas offer them. You immerse yourself in salted water. You might try something simple like taking a warm bath in Epsom salts.Nothing has helped me either, although my pain is totally different. One thing on the table for me is a spinal cord stimulator. Have you discussed that possibility?
Well I do take baths with magnesium but unfortunately I can't swim so I never go to a swimming pool. As for the floatationtank it's something I've been meaning to try but they're not too common in the UK and I think they're quite expensive.
I've never discussed the possibility of a spinal cord stimulator either but as far as I know this is also not a common thing here, especially not on the NHS.
Sorry you are going through this. Have you complained to practice manager at gp surgery about your treatment. It sounds appalling! You need to be sent to a specialist because clearly your gps are out of their depth.
With regards a spinal cord stimulator these are common on NHS. I know several people who have been tested first to see if get positive outcomes and then had surgery to implant it. BUT it would be a hospital that suggests it not a gp. Hence you need to be referred back into a hospital.
Finally with regards swimming. I appreciate you can’t swim but I found exercises to do in a swimming pool which mainly consisted of stretching exercises. Worth looking at internet. Finally flotation tanks are becoming more popular and it could be worth googling nearest tanks to you. It would probably depend on how often you went with regards the expense but again could be worth looking at.
I've considered complaining to the practice manager but the GP in question is a partner there I believe, plus I'm really not sure it would do any good. I simply wouldn't be able to back up my claims and it would be my word against his.
I've actually wondered whether GPs can "flag" your file so to speak, basically marking you as a hypochondriac or something. I specifically asked to speak to another GP due to my two previous encounters with one of his colleagues. In one of my previous appointments I was told there's no magic pill, after telling him how desperate for help I was to the point of suicide at times. The next appointment, after trying to emphasise the rib pain I was experiencing, he referred me for an MRI scan on my lower back. Call me ignorant but I was sure the ribs were a bit higher in the body than that. Another case of complete lack of comprehension was when I tried to get a referral for some pain management and was then sent to see a back surgeon, who of course sent me packing after about a minute of talking - I already knew surgery was out of the question and not a viable option.
I will look in to some water therapy treatments to see if there's anything not too far away so tha k you for the suggestions.
I hope you agree that it's not just on one occasion where I feel I've been badly treated or even ignored by a GP. Part of me feels as if they do it on purpose to stop you returning. I'm actually worried about how I'll react sometimes as it makes me so frustrated. All I'll say is that it's probably for the best that my most recent appointment was via telephone.
I read you were wondering if they "do it on purpose to stop you returning". The doctor I assisted did exactly that once when there was a patient he didn't want. I was horrified, and it stuck with me.
I've experienced terrible treatment from doctors too. It's gotten to the point I don't go to a doctor without an emergency. I've been in constant disabling pain without help for more than twenty-five years.
Absolutely disgraceful eh. I did consider requesting a full copy of my medical records to see what's been noted as they must be writing something - On the rare occasion you have a face to face appointment these days, the GP will spend most of the time tapping away on a keyboard and not even making eye contact. Certainly doesn't appear as if they're listening that's for sure.
Of course, I don't want to tar all GPs with the same brush but it's difficult not to when the same thing seems to happen time and again.
The keyboard. I absolutely agree: don't they realize how dehumanizing it is?
Hello Cloughy. I'm assuming you are 71 years old from your screen name. I am also 71 and your story sounds like a mirror of mine. At this age, we can expect wear and tear on our bodies especially if you lived an active life like I did. I see that you are already taking painkillers like Tramadol. I am on daily Hydrocodone for the past 3 years prescribed by a pain management doctor. She is actually specialized in anesthesiology so her approach to stopping pain is to shut down the nerves that are affected. There is a procedure she has performed on me twice called RFA or Radio Frequency Ablation. It's a machine that sends pulses to the nerves by using two electrodes. One is a pad that is stuck to your leg somewhere and the other is a sharp probe that is placed in the back touching the intended nerve. The machine sends a series of pulses about 20 times to the nerve. According to the literature, it is supposed to last about 9 months. It has worked pretty well for me. I've seen others from the UK on here saying they had it done so I think it's available .
Actually, I was born in 1971 so I'm a bit younger than 71 years old!
The problem here in the UK with any of these treatments such as RFA is getting them. GPs are gatekeepers to any further treatments therefore if you come across the kind of dismissive and uncompassionate GPs I've been encountering then you're stuck.
I've paid into the NHS for over 30 years and I have no more money to spend on private treatment, so unless I can speak to a GP who actually listens and cares then I'm afraid my options are extremely limited.
Hi Cloughy71I have the same problems as you have but was diagnosed with cervical and lumbar stenosis in 2011.. In 2014 I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have had 3 back operations - last one was in 2015 after a fall and ending up with a massive disc bulge. I was retired from work last June due to ill health because of my back problems. I was a gp secretary so I know the steps that need to be taken before an MRI scan will be performed. Have you ever been referred for physiotherapy? That is the first box that needs ticking. From there the Musculoskeletal team can refer you on for an MRI, or the pain clinic. I was referred for physio but with having bulges at the top of my spine and lower back I could not have physiotherapy and so was referred for MRI (my last one had been in 2016) there have been major changes I now have cervical myelopathy and I was given emergency advice regarding cauda equina. I have an emergency appointment to see neurosurgeon at the end of November! I do know that the waiting lists are long and had to explain this to patients while I was working. I was also referred to the pain clinic where they looked at my pain meds and prescribe a drug I had not tried (sort of last chance saloon) this drug gave me so many side effects I had to come off it, so now I am going back to some of the meds I tried in 2011! At the moment I am on Dihydrocodeine gabapentin longtec amitriptyline and paracetamol. I cannot take and anti inflammatory drugs as they affect my stomach. All these meds do not take my pain way but makes it a little more manageable.
I think you need to go back to your gp and suggest perhaps a referral to the MSK (Musculoskeletal) team for assessment and physiotherapy and an MRI.
That should start the ball rolling to, fingers crossed, more assessments and a firm diagnosis, then treatments.
I have tried physio both via NHS and privately however the issue I have is that essentially they will talk to you for 20 minutes or so and then show you some exercises to do at home. In my experience they've shown me exercises I'm either already doing or have already tried. With pretty much every exercise regime I find that it may seem to help for a period, or on any given day, then on another day it will give me no relief whatsoever or it may even aggravate my aches and pains. Trust me, there's not much I haven't tried and the frustrating thing is there seems to be no pattern, logic or reason for how the pain shifts around.
Just when i think I've found something that works, things will go downhill again and I'll stop doing that particular exercise for fear of making it worse. I'll then either become inactive for a period, move back to something I've done previously or perhaps find a new stretch or exercise. And the cycle repeats.........hence the frustration and downright disillusionment.
As for the GP, I have been actively discouraged from going down that route and each time I decide to try again or I'm persuaded to go back by my wife, I encounter the same lack of compassion or willingness to help. Simply put, they've run out of ideas and just want me to go away.
I'm really at my wits end some days and it just gets harder and more frustrating unfortunately
Oh I’m so sorry you’re suffering so much, when you started writing I thought I’d written it myself because I’ve just had a MRI scan (privately) and lower back just showed wear and tear and some disc bulging. However fortunately I don’t have your other pain. I agree totally that GPS are a waste of time and effort, I really don’t know why they want to be doctors because most don’t appear to want to help anyone. You’re doing the right thing in changing doctors but just hope they’re better than the previous one. I’ve just started yoga for my back pain and seen a very good osteopath but it’s early days. You’ve probably tried all the supplements etc so there’s no point in me suggesting any. Good luck 🤞
First of all, just because your GP was a partner doesn't mean that making a formal complaint to the practice manager isn't going to work. PMs now have a lot of power. When a formal complaint is received it has to be reported to the ICB for a start, and the PM has to go through a formal process.
You also might find PALS useful if you are in England. There is a different service in Scotland. They are on the patient's side, and can help sort things out quickly. For instance you say you have a private MRI? Tell PALS that your clinicians aren't taking it seriously and ask them what you could do. They should be able to advise the steps to take.
You can also use PALS to make formal complaints about GP surgeries if the PM doesn't take any action.
Ongoing pain is draining. Many doctors don't understand what chronic pain is like. The effects of something like "wear and tear and general degeneration" can be debilitating. Often there is no one simple answer but rather a range of tools to manage it better. Pain management is about much more than a twenty minute session or suggesting 'it is all in the mind', although our brains do play a part in how we interpret pain. Poor treament by your GP won't help for sure. It isn't unusual for pain to vary.
You can ask your GP for a referral to see the rheumatologist again. If they refuse you can ask them to clearly state their reason. If possible take someone with you to your next GP appointment - or have them with you when you phone. Putting in writing your complaint and what you want your GP to do can help. e.g. to listen, to take your pain seriously, and to clearly state what your treatment plan is and explain why.
I have made a complaint about a GP and it was taken seriously. I had a formal meeting with the GP Practice Manager to listen to my complaint and ask what I wanted to do next. I was fortunate in being able to see a different doctor within the practice. The GP wanted to prescribe antidepressants when I wasn't depressed but ill! All GP practices have to have a complaints system in place. If they do not give a satisfactory response you can escalate it. PALS are an excellent sourse of advice and support for making complaints or finding out what you can do next.
With regard to physical exercises it is important to make sure that none you do exacerbate the pain. One of the benefits of good physiotherapy is to help strengthen surrounding muscles. Local heat around painful joints can relax muscles around a joint and lessen pain (not easy in this heat though!!)
I have spinal issues, and joint, take cocodamol, nortyrptaline at night and a sleeping tablet. In the past I have used TENS, attended a Pain Management Course (6-8 weeks) and had physiotherapy and heat treatment. I don't work but that was because of other health issues. Making sure that your general posture is good, especially sitting. I do hope that you are getting support looking after your wife too. (Macmillan and Marie Curie both offer advice, support and a listening ear.) All the best.
hello, I don’t know if this will help but when you have changed GP it might help if you write down in a letter what you have said here (though not about the GP’s) though you could say you feel that your pain has not been taken seriously by previous doctors, and also include your caring responsibilities. Ask if your new GP could look at your situation and if they can help?
Thanks MSTKing. That's good advice - I think I will try that and see if it helps. Are you able to elaborate on how you wrote your letter and what you included in it?
hello -yes, I wrote Dear Doctor - and then write about how my pain was impacting on my life
So, you could say - I am a carer for my wife who has cancer and am trying still to work but there has been an ongoing problem with my back that I would be really grateful if you could review.
It started in ….but despite medication and injections it is continuing to have a really detrimental impact on my life..
That sort of thing. He will have your notes so I would concentrate on the impact it is having on your life.
You could say - unfortunately some doctors have just thought it is a ‘bad back’. and not taken my symptoms seriously. This has left me without a diagnosis and no treatment apart from painkillers.,
I keep a pain document of all the injections, therapies and prescriptions/meds I've taken and the names and type of each practitioner I've seen, along with dates. And I also notate imaging and diagnoses, when the pain started and how it has changed. When I see a new doctor they find this helpful and I don't need to regurgitate so much. I'm careful to keep it to 2 pages and make it easy to read.
I think you definitely need a new GP who will do blood work checking for immune diseases and refer you to other specialists. I sometimes research the specialist I want to see and then ask for a referral or do what it takes to get one. I wanted a consult with a neurosurgeon to discuss the spinal cord stimulator and found out I needed a referral from a neurologist. So first I needed a referral to a neurologist. Of course this is in the US. But some appointments here require a lot of waiting too. It took 6 months to see a urogyn and I just scheduled another specialist 3 1/2 months out.
You need an advocate to help you, whether it's through PALS or something else. A quick search brought up another program at voiceability.org. You shouldn't have to go this alone.
What many in the pain industry fail to see is that their actions and the system itself further traumatize chronic pain patients.
Thanks Poodles. I've tried yoga and there are a few gentle exercises that I do regularly and always go back to but as I mentioned above, something that will work one day may make things worse on another day and so on. The problem is that it's pure trial and error on my part and without professional guidance or any kind of diagnosis then I don't know if I'm doing the right thing or not!
Hi Paul,What an awful situation for you, I'm so sorry!!
I have had herniated discs and sciatica now for quite a few years. I have tried most pain meds and am now on digydrocodeine, paracetamol and gabapentin. I tried pre gabalin a few years ago and the pain relief was fantastic but it sent me to the edge of insanity so I had to come off then. Naproxin was fantastic too as an anti inflammatory but I suffered my first of 3 heart attacks in 2021 so am not allowed to take them anymore because if the risk of stroke/ heart attack. Recently I was on morphine as I had a double heart bypass. My back was fantastic for the first time in years!!! No pain at all!!! You are not advised to be on morphine long term though!! Its a real dilemma isn't it!? I hope you get more success with your new GP. Maybe they can suggest something else?? All the very best of luck Paul. Take care. X
Please try and get a referral from your GP to the local "Pain Clinic" at your local hospital. These take a multidisciplinary approach to Pain Management - psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pain management consultants.
It may take a while but it has helped me. It won't be a cure but it can help you accept and manage the pain and get off some of the more aggressive medication.
Good luck with the journey ... I was in a dark place 3 years ago, but am so much happier now - although the pain persists I accept and pace my life to deal with it as best I can.
Unfortunately I've already been there. Waited perhaps 6 months for an appointment, took the best part of a day off work to go there and was sent away with a photocopy of a pamphlet about reprogramming my mind. I'm afraid to say that while they were very nice people, they were no help whatsoever. The whole "reprogramming your mind" thing may be helpful in giving an insight into how we deal with pain etc. but there was nothing in the photocopy I was given that I didn't already know (I could have found it on the web and printed it off myself!).
As I think I may have mentioned in my original post, the most recent GP encounter was an absolute waste of time and he refused to listen to any suggestions or requests for a referral to either a rheumatologist or the pain clinic. I was blocked at every turn and the GP made it clear who was in charge and who held the power in that particular relationship.
Hello, so sorry to hear about what’s going on with you, both physically and personally. Life’s a bitch sometimes, and yours is, at the moment. I feel for you! I’m in UK 🇬🇧, I guess you are too. I have a severely degenerated lumbar spine with oesteophites, and a slipped disc which they can’t do anything about, so do understand pain. I take Gabapentin very unfortunately, it does help with leg pain but leaves my head in another world! Pregabalin/Gabapentin? I have Peripheral Neuropathy & Axonal Sensory Neuropathy from an antibiotic Ciprofloxacin, prescribed by my GP. So I also understand that doctors are in denial regarding knowing about the horrendous side effects of these antibiotics. I felt completely alone as no doctor wanted to know and ‘friends’ fell by the wayside. You are not alone when you join an online Group like this one. Are there any online Groups more specific to your needs? Take care xx
Yes life can indeed be rough sometimes. I'm not sure whether there are any more specific groups as I don't know what it is I'm dealing with, other than just constant pain and discomfort. I suppose I'm hoping to come across someone else who can relate to all of the symptoms I'm experiencing and possibly someone who has had a successful diagnosis and treatment.
I'm finding it extremely difficult to accept that this is it for me and that I just have to carry on like this forever.
Ciprofloxacin, or other antibiotics in the Quinolone family, should only be used for life threatening infections, but I had Cipro for Sinusitis 8 years ago. I can relate to the tendon problems because I have them as well. I also have tinnitus and dizziness caused by Cipro. No treatment and no cure but the Patient Information Leaflet says ‘tell your doctor immediately you have a side effect’ but not that the doctor doesn’t know what to do about it! So sorry for your sister, it’s a nightmare! More and more people in the UK 🇬🇧 are being prescribed these drugs and it should be less and less! Please tell her I’m thinking about her xx
Sadly yes I can relate …. My pain for over 2 years was a 10 on a scale of 1-10 I could hardly walk or stand just going to the bathroom required me to put my upper body on my bed and scoot myself around it so I could then shuffle to the bathroom …. I was repeatedly told by numerous doctors that nothing was wrong with me keep exercising and like an idiot I did which one day I went out for a 10 mile walk (5) out and (5) back which I did this walk for years before I got sick anyway I managed 5 miles and collapsed from the extreme pain and laid on the ground for over 2 hours in 35 degree temperature in the middle of the woods alone and without a cellphone (stupid) I did finally manage to get up and take the next 4 hours dragging myself home I couldn’t pick up my feet I dragged them like a zombie…… Anyway after that nightmare I ignored exercise advice and sought out my 3rd rheumatologist and finally was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and started treatment it took 7 years to function like a 1/2 human Im still not 100% and still have pain that comes and goes…. Seek out another Rheumatologist and maybe look at your thyroid levels (TSH, FT3, FT4, T3 and antibodies) My troubles started after my thyroidectomy for cancer prior to that I was super fit and ran marathons and because of never being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis sooner my joints are pretty shot now with lots of degeneration.
Hi Batty1. I don't think I've had my thyroid levels checked but in order to do so I'd need a referral. I'm currently in the process of changing doctors but I just can't seem to get any of them to listen to what I'm saying and I've completely lost faith in the system to which I've contributed for 30 plus years
lots of people pay for their own thyroid test for the very reason you just mentioned “they just don’t listen” if you do decide its worth a shot make sure to do the thyroid test before 9am on empty stomach and also getting a vitamin and Iron panel too might be a good idea.
Unfortunately I spent almost the last of my savings on a private MRI scan and injections last year. Now my wife is dealing with cancer and my hours have been cut at work, so income has been drastically reduced. This is why I'm a bit angry - I believed I was contributing to my healthcare by the deductions from my salary every month but apparently that only covers rudimentary services.
That said, I am very grateful for the fact that my wife is at least receiving the treatment she needs, albeit after almost a year of investigation.
It could be worth going to CAB to discuss your situation. It may be that you or your wife is entitled to financial support/benefits that might make money situation easier.
As said previously it may be beneficial to do some exercises in a swimming pool. Even walking widths with water at chest height can help. One word of warning. I found I couldn’t stay in water longer than 20mins, even though it felt wonderful at the time. Afterwards the pain would be extreme!
I'm going to look in to some form of water therapy although I highly doubt anything will be available on the NHS without having to jump through several hoops.
It feels a bit crazy to say this but when I think about it, I haven't even been taking a bath with magnesium at home as often as I should because it costs more than having a shower when your household is on a water meter! There's something inside me that automatically thinks of the cost of filling the bath vs running the shower for 10 minutes.
I'm so sorry to hear about your pain and lack of support from doctors. I'm in a similar situation, not as bad, but I can't walk more than 5 minutes and the back pain starts. Around the house, I do short bursts then have to sit down. I can't mop a floor.I have inflammation in a recent blood test and have been referred to a specialist, so just waiting on that.
I take codeine and ibuprofen but it doesn't take the pain away. Maybe an hour.
Yes, I believe I have had blood tests in the past but I last saw a rheumatologist 6 years ago and things have sadly gotten worse since then. Personally I would like fresh blood tests for rheumatism or any other possible conditions but as I said to the GP - I'm not the expert and surely it's for them to advise and refer me? To me it would make sense for a GP to say "OK, that was 6 years ago so maybe we ought to look at it again. It's not my field of expertise but I can refer you to (insert specialist here)". This is the problem. I'm not a medical professional but as far as the GP is concerned I've had every possible investigation into what's wrong, which is patently not the case!
Hi there,I can greatly relate to your constant pains to your lower back and right leg, as have the same issues myself after back operation decompression L3/L4 - I was diagnosed which chrome pain syndrome 6 years ago, after the back operation. Presently take gabapentin and amitriptyline - which help a little. Go to bed with a hot water every nite.
More recently I've had increased pain in my left leg & hip, it turn's after many trip's to physio & GP, after a hip x-ray I was referred to hip clinic & now being told I require a hip replacement & awaiting op date. I would say at first, I would not of thought I had a hip problem, that it was just a flare up in pain levels and just had a review on my medication.
Lastly had referral to the pain clinic due to increased pain levels - they have referred me for possible Spina Cord Stimulation. Presently I have an assessment next month!
Hi,Should said Chronic Pain Sydrome - it's nerve trauma, when still getting pain after 12 weeks. In my case after a back operation, not only affect's my back, but my legs & arm's - affects different area's body at different time's. As if your nerve system has just gone haywire!
I think the constant chronic pain becomes, ‘ Central Sensitization’. It’s not something you can meditate away.
While meditation may calm our blood pressure it doesn’t get rid of the spasms, myalgia, neuralgia, bone pain, connective tissue pain etc. caused my an untreated injury.
I was left with a pinched pelvic nerve for over four years. All doctors did was poly drug me. The medication management did NOT help me.
I needed nerve blocks and surgery and the doctors in my home province WOULD NOT help me get my decompression surgery.
I had to hire a registered nurse consultant who advocated for my surgery and she procured it talking to a neurosurgeon. The doctors were telling me they had faxed my case papers to that neurosurgeon and they hadn’t!
Mint Clonodine helped calm my system but 15 years later, and weaned off of several meds ( which essentially just sedated me ) I still have neuralgia and flare ups.
Hello Paul firstly I think reaching out to everyone in the forum is a great idea as we can all share ideas about treatments that have helped us with our conditions. I can totally relate to everything you say about the GPs as mine treat me with a similar casual attitude whenever I try and speak to them. They assigned me a social prescriber who has called me once in 3 months. She has spent the whole time either sick or on holiday and it is things like this lack of accountability with the NHS services that drive you mad. Eventually we are so desperate for help we drain our savings just to get some advice and support. I have found swimming and massage have helped me with my muscular skeletal pains as the water takes away the pain while you float. I can't walk much due to the pain in my right leg so I cycle to get around. Try turmeric which is good for inflammation and calcium and vitamin D for your bones. Do anything that distracts you from the pain. I understand what you are going through and it's a huge mental challenge so I can relate. Try and get some hydrotherapy sorted out initially as it is a fantastic therapy.
Hi Cloughy, I’m so sorry to read of all you are dealing with. I’m in the US and have been living with chronic pain for about 15 years. I’ve also tried many therapies and medicines. Besides pain medication, massage is the only thing that helps me- albeit temporarily.
I am not learned in a lot of the alternative natural treatments, but have been looking into them lately to see if I want to try any. So, I’m not sure if you’ve looked into anything else, nor can I recommend anything specifically, but there are a lot of ‘medicines’ (natural) that were used commonly before big pharma entered the scene, and perhaps they may be worth looking into to see if there is something that may help you.
Hi again, I have constant pain with Peripheral Neuropathy, all day and all night for 8 years, ever since I took the dreaded Ciprofloxacin. It is no bed of roses but you have to learn to live with it somehow. You would go mad otherwise. In the hot weather the pain is worse, as the neurons in the nerves heat up, making the pain much worse. Take care, Isobel xx
Sorry to hear that I am in a lot of pain I had a new knee replacement and it did not work and I am in pain I just wish it would go away I have tried all different things I all so in a lot of pain in my stomach the doctor that I see put me on strong pains killers I know take morphine tablets and liquid at night I now have been told that I have cirrhosis of the liver through a tablet that I was on for my cholesterol it was methotrexate and I am not on the tablets for my arthritis.
So sorry to hear about your situation as well. It's sad that the approach to treatment of chronic pain only ever seems to be to give painkillers rather than to try to understand the cause of the problem.
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