after receiving a one dose 8 grey radiation treatment 10 weeks ago to my sacrum and spine area I am still in pain . It is being treated with 10-12 mg of slow release hydromorphone and break through 1 mg tablets 1-2 mg every 4 hours as needed . Stairs are very difficult and painful as is getting up and down from a sitting position. I can sit for 1 to 2 hours at the longest . Very stiff when attempting to move again . I can stand for about an hour to one 1- 1.5 hours if distracted. The only time my back , hips , knees, legs don’t hurt is when I am laying down .
any suggestions on how to manage the pain ? I am getting a little desperate.
Well if you can stand for over an hour you are lucky. I cannot stand that long. Maybe it would be good to stretch every hour instead of sitting so long. I have often thought of this but till now have not done it. Mind you, when I get moving I return to the normal which is mostly with a walker and a cane intermittently. As to the pain, I cannot offer any advice. Keep on asking about it for sure and get a second opinion if possible.
If your cancer has metastasized to your bones you can ask your oncologist about taking Claritin daily as this helps with bone pain. The dosage is 1 to 4 tablets as opposed to 1 daily for people who have certain types of asthma, etc.I take only 2 tablets daily, along with my long acting and breakthrough pain medications. When this all started I had an great pain management team and found their advise and words of wisdom helpful.
I agree that you are lucky to be able to stand for such long periods of time. As for myself, when they found out my cancer had metastasized to most of my bones, I had 7 front rib fractures along with 3 fractures in my spine and on my fifth and final radiation treatment to my spine @ L2 for the compression fracture my right humerus broke while I was lying still on the radiation table. I went from working full time to being on disability and not being able to climb stairs or live on my own. My right humerus has 2 titanium plates, screws and and a bunch of cement in the elbow to hold it together. After this was surgically repaired I experienced wrist drop and it took quite awhile to get most of the use of my arm/hand back. I use a lift chair since you can position not just the legs but also the back separately, along with walker in the apartment and a wheelchair for appointments/outings……I no longer drive since no one is certain I can react quick enough in any given situation. I consider myself very lucky that be on on the first line of treatment and next week I start my 55th month on these medications…..it goes without saying that I have constant pain and use different things like a back support cushion, pain rubs and sprays, extra strength Tylenol, etc. I am permanently bent forward due to the spinal mets and compression fractures and I can tell when the weather is going to change but I am alive and very happy to still be here…..trying to stay positive is key for me.
I am sorry to read about your pain and suffering. I do not understand. I have had it spread to my spine but obviously not as bad as yours bc I do not have anything metal in my spine. But I get opiod medication from my palliative care doctor. 75 mg. of fentanyl pain patch that is changed ever 73 hours on top of 20 mg. of oxycodone for breakthrough pain. So pain is not one of the things that bother me. With all you have been through, I am wondering why they are not giving you much stronger pain relief.
I am so sorry for your suffering , I am working on a pain regime but I don’t think it has been worked out for me yet. Hopefully this week doctors will get it worked out . I hope they find relief for you also .
I am so very sorry that you are having so much pain after your radiation treatment. I think you should speak with your oncologist and also the radiation oncologist to find out why you are having so much pain. I had two sets of 5 targeted radiation treatments each, one set to my ischium and one to my sacrum. I did have some pain in the sciatic area after the first set of treatments but none the second, but the pain only lasted about a week or so. I took a lot of epsom salt baths after my treatments. They were relaxing and helped with the pain. I hope you find relief. Sending hugs.
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