Pain Relief

[Davewm]

Hi all

Can “anyone” offer me some advice as I’m at the “end of my tether” with pain!

I’ve had a Triple Bypass and Mitral Valve Repair. I’ve had a Shoulder Rotator Cuff Repair.

I’ve had a Laminectomy for Severe Spinal Stenosis which unfortunately failed and is now worse than before the Surgery!

I also have Heart Failure so I’m very limited in the pain relief I can take.

I’m under the Pain Management Clinic at my local hospital. The Consultant (after 3 x Nerve Root Block Injections) prescribed:-

Tramadol

Pregabalin

Buprenorphine Patches

Recently hospitalised overnight and told I may need Emergency Surgery but due to my Heart Problems the Consultant was very reluctant to do anything so I was sent home with Oramorph!

I’m seeing the Consultant later today after numerous discussions he, reluctantly, said that Spinal Cord Stimulation “may” be available?

I don’t know whether there’s anyone out there who has any advice on the way forward with trying to manage the pain?

Sorry to rant but I’m just - as I started by saying “at the end of my tether” - if you’ve got this far - thanks for allowing me to share my frustration.

Kind regards

David

[hiker2023]

I've been on Pregabalin for a while. It repalced Gabepentin in my case. They are both similar. It did dull the pain but has some side effects you might want to be aware of. Makes it easy to gain weight and hard to lose weight. Can cause a bit of "brain fog." Once you start it it's advisable not to quit it cold turkey. There are lots of articles about this. I had severe spinal stenosis as well and surgery for it that failed. I also had lots of injections which were great a temporary relief but lasted only about 3 months. ots of PT finally helped. Also used Buprenorphine Patches which gave temporary relief. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[Davewm in reply to hiker2023]

Hi there. Thanks ever so much for taking the trouble/time to reply to my post.

It sounds as if you’ve had a very similar experience to me. When I saw the Pain Consultant he has doubled my dose of Duloxetine which I’ve been taking for a while without any noticeable improvement in pain relief.

He’s also now talking about trying Gabapentin in the hope that I wouldn’t have the same side effects as when I tried Pregabalin.

It’s just so wearing being in constant pain but hopefully something will be found from the cocktail of medication I’m currently on.

Thanks once again for your kind response and best wishes for the future.

Kind regards

David

[1969PJJ]

I take Pregablin for nerve pain. I have CRPS spinal stenosis , and other conditions including fibromyalgia . Two upper spine surgery if it wasn’t for Pregablin I wouldn’t function. My advice would be to take it. Keep in touch with pain clinic you will be fine.

[Davewm in reply to 1969PJJ]

Hi 1969PJJ thanks for your reply.

It’s really good of people on here to take the trouble to respond.

Best of luck for your future health.

Kind regards

David

[1969PJJ in reply to Davewm]

You to.

[Fizix12]

I take exactly the same medications for my pain, with minimal relief. Without any changes to my medications, I am now getting Ketamine infusions for chronic pain. It is very safe, and uses a completely different pathway to relieve pain. It’s being done at a major university medical center in California. I don’t know if it’s legal in the UK. It has been used for decades for sedation purposes in surgery, and now they have discovered its benefit, at lower doses, for chronic pain and chronic depression. Please research and good luck to you.

[Davewm]

Thanks for very informative and interesting reply.

All the best for the future and thanks once again.

Kind regards

David

[MSTKing]

as the name suggests along with other stuff I take MST twice a day - long acting and does work when you are on the right dose.

[Davewm]

Thank you. That’s really interesting. I’ll definitely mention it to my Pain Consultant on next visit.

Thanks again,

Kind regards

David

[PainConcernHelpline Moderator Community Champion Pain Concern]

Hi Davewm,

I am a forum moderator at pain Concern and have been reading your post and following the replies.

At pain Concern there is a wealth of information that you may find useful. The first link will take you to all resources that relate to both Pregabalin and Gabapentin.

painconcern.org.uk/?s=prega...

I know from reading your post that you are already under your local Pain Management clinic, but sometimes new resources reinforce what we already know!!

The following link will take you to a website called 10 Footsteps, Living well with Pain. I am not sure where in the UK you are, but in Somerset there are some face-to=face groups, otherwise the website has some great tips.

livewellwithpain.co.uk/ten-...

Best wishes

Pain Concern

[Davewm in reply to PainConcernHelpline]

Thanks for your advice. I’ll definitely try it out.

Kind regards

David

[Shadowperson]

I was on tramadol for quite a few years---took 100mg pill nightly. My doc quit me cold turkey when she was advised I started taking Clanazapam for a sleep behavior disorder. I've had no ill affects that I am aware of re the tramadol. I also take duloxetine for PTSD and Hydroxyurea for blood cancer, along with Losartan. There you have it. I get rhizotomys for nerve pain (cervical and lumber) every 12-14 months and have been doing that for quite a few years as well to help avoid spinal fusions surgery. Dont know if that helps or not. Everyone is different and with different combination of meds, you may get different experiences/reactions.

[Davewm in reply to Shadowperson]

Thanks very much for your reply. On my last visit the Pain Consultant said I should double my dosage of Duloxetine at night and take an additional one in the morning which I, must say, is one of the few medications that I’ve so far found to be beneficial.

All the best for your future health and thanks again,

Kind regards

David