Does anyone else here experience pain in a way thats often fobbed off as being not that bad by others? Is this hypersensitivity, or is it a general lack of compassion prevalent in medical care staff?
Also, if im in agony and this has not been lifethreatening, but im caused to have days of physical pain without proper pain relief, to the point where I can barely walk. And im then refused a home visit by my gp, because i cant walk from the pain, would this be considered some form of malpractice, or would it just be considered to be me who is the issue and not my gps problem to deal with?
I cannot have painkillers cos of allergies though I do have RA and OA. Thje rheumatologist signed me off with fibromyalgea as he could not give me medication and he said "when they look at it they will think I did the best I can for you". Then wrote to the GP to say "he could not help me".
If the above happened and at the time I would get a teaxi and get to A and E, then they have to do something outside of GP.
Wait til the next time and the above is my advice.
Yes I have hypersensitivity in my feet, I walk on shards of glass or if you can imagine feet being wrapped in barbed wire. Have asked for my feet to be amputated as I live in pain 24/7 365 days of the year - I go to bed in pain, wake in pain, live in pain. even the Rheumatologist has put this in writing to my GP - actually going to see the GP again today - to see what he says - Grrrr pain pain
Pain thresholds and perseption are a very personal thing. Many medical staff have a great problem dealing with it because 2 people with exactly the same cause will feel pain differently. Its not just to do with feeling the pain, its to do with how you were treated as a child when you were in pain, mollycoddling and "get up and get going, there's nothing wrong with you" being the extremes.
Drs have a protocol they follow, drugs to use and when thats exhausted, they say they can't help you, because they have used all the optiobs and combinations they have.
If your gp has genuinely worked through all the options, and he genuinely can't do anything for you, and the problem is your pain when you request a home visit, then he can refuse as he can't do anything to help. Its hard to accept that drs can't help, but there are many other options out there, its just finding them and the ones that help.
The more professional people you involve in your pain problem, the more info you gain and understanding of your limitations, the better informed you are when talking to your gp. Its more helpful to him if you say, I had an aromatherapy back massage, I enjoyed smelling the scents, it relaxed me and my pain was slightly less for 20 mins, than just saying my feet hurt. (not implying that that's all you do). it may be that some helpful things could be prescribed for you.
You could try asking for a social services referral, where you will be assessed in your home and supplied with aids and adaptations to help you. If you can't walk, then you need a wheelchair.
You can ask for a referral to the pain clinic where you can learn about the pain process and try sone therapies.
Alternative therapists can take over where drs leave off. They may not reduce the pain level, but they might give you an hour of relaxation and freedom from it. You might find different therapies used in combination take the edge off it.
Sports physios are very good at locating and treating pain and its origins. And they will give you specific exercises to do to self manage.
Distraction might help, if you can find a hobby that totally engrosses you. Meditation is a good way of changing the brainwaves, clearing negative thoughts etc. Takes a while to learn.
Quite often when focus is removed from the pain, it is lessened. Focus instead on how you are going to complete a certain task, turn it into a game. Accepting that this is me now, the future is unknown, also helps.
Above all don't let anyone suggest you don't feel your pain as you do. Your pain perception is real and at the levels you feel, but there are ways to manipulate it so it is either pushed into the background, or you work out how to do thing without making it worse.
Hi there, Zanna made some very good points and I wouuld strongly recommend referal to an NHS pain clinic (they have more options than a private referral). They are very good and will try constantly to help control your pain. They can also send you to a physio, group sessions and you get appts regularly. My appointments are carried out over the phone, then they send any medication requests to my GP. Also be aware if you are on any morphine based meds they can cause increased muscle pain and actually made me worse. Its worth considering
Hello
Sorry you are not having any help from GPs etc. One problem with pain is it is personal and what would not effect someone else will effect you, so if the doctor cannot find the problem he will either pass you down into the system or if he has run out of ideas and can not see your problem will send you home
An expensive way around this is see a chiropractor to check the areas you have the problem with or a specialist in joints again private.
Years ago I had the same problem with my GP and had to go for advice outside the nhs, it was the best way as one appointment opened up my problem and a letter was sent to my GP and treatment was forthcoming and it made my doctor sit up and realize that I had put money were my mouth is. This can be expensive although it could be the best way out of this In april
the system changes and the patient becomes responsible for their own allowance, I am not able to see how this will work so it might be an oppertunity to get a second opinion under the National Health
Getting through each day can be utterly exhausting and demoralizing without them that are suppose to help fobbing you off. You have every right to feel fed up. Them that do the fobbing off probably have never had the grueling task of coping with constant pain. Or they would have been more understanding. Re popper pain relief. I have yet to sort this one out and I have been at it for 6 years but I keep trying.
Yes, have been through the, "well you look ok / well at least you haven't got cancer /how come you're at work then?" comments of disbelief. Even, "we thought you'd be over that by now," following some stressful life events. Was even told on one occasion that my failure to respond to treatment was somehow down to me.
It really hurts when people come out with this. Chronic pain isn't the same as something awful like breaking your leg - but breaking your leg is very visible and produces a lot of sympathy. Chronic pain gets misconstrued - lets be honest, it's not glamorous, and it goes on for such a long time that it gets boring. I suppose, if I'm being honest, that until I got it myself I maybe wasn't as understanding as I could have been over other peoples' chronic pain. When you live with it all the time you see it with different eyes.
Keep talking to us about it, becuase we all understand.
Pain cannot be seen so the only person who knows about it is the person who has it. Pain comes with a physical component and an emotional component.
The physical it hurts. The emotional I cannot stand this i want to get rid of it etc. Practices like Mindfulness and Meditation as practised by the Buddhists help in reducing the emotional side of pain. By reducing the emotional side of pain it may be possible to reduce the physical side of the pain because you are longer worrying about wether you are in pain or not. Thats the theory I work on. It may be wrong but thats my experience of it.
With the physical pain there is muscle tension associated with it. By seeing an Alexander teacher it may be possible to reduce the muscle tension and in turn reduce some of the pain.
I have found McTimony Chiropractors helpful as well.
I hope the suggestions from my own experience are helpful.
I was extremely bad in the early years and it took 5 years and a new consultant to give me the right medication (which made a difference though not completely) and he referred me to a pain management program.
This was excellent and was a tremendous help, though not a complete cure but along with medication and various exercises over the years, I have made great improvements. But for the first 5 years I had to really make a fuss and in the end demanded that I see a consultant.
Although not completely cured, I am amazed by how far I have come but it has taken a great many painful years to get to this point. But I am not saying that this could also be you but what I feel is that getting the right medical support and the right medication can start to help you gain more control over your life.
So don't let the doctors fob you off and take someone you trust with you when you see them. You have a right to help, be it medication, or therapy or day to day support or the whole works. And last of all you have the right to go to a pain clinic and if no one else has done so, they can do the investigating. There are doctors out there who do believe in people who have severe pain.
Best of luck, I do hope you get the help you need and change your GP if he/she won't listen.
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