In pain 247

clarryd

I have had a severe case of fibromyalgia for several years now. It has taken all this time to get my pain relief sorted, well sort of sorted. My problem is that the GP is left to manage it and has no real idea of how fibromyalgia affects me. I also head a stroke around the same time as the pain from fibro which was hard to diagnose due to all the other things going on in my body. I am on morphine patches to take the edge off the pain and other painkillers to try to make life bearable. Its not perfect but its okay some days where as mostly it was bad all days.

Just remember not everyone's pain is down to fibromyalgia you must get this confirmed by a specialist at a hospital.

Don't listen to unprofessional people you know, they may think they are helping but they are just making you think that you have a condition that you may not even have. Go see your GP ask to be referred on to a specialist and go from there. It took me years to be diagnosed and I still dont think that everything that happens to me is down to the illness.

Good Luck

dori2o

When you see your GP don't forget to ask to be referred to either the Rheumatology department as has been suggested above, or if that isn't possible for whatever reason ask t be referred to a pain clinic that offers not only pain relief in the form of medication, but also pain management courses. These help you to manage the pain day to day whilst continuing with your daily routines.

I know exactly how it is to be in pain 24/7. I have CRPS/Neuropathic Pain. I've done the pain management programme, seen rheumatologists and a pain specialist.

Unfortunately I get very little pain relief from my meds. I've tried everything that there is to try, both prescribed and none prescribed drugs.

The pain clinic has recently taken me off MST (Morphine 12 hour release) and put me onto Tapentadol just to see if a change of medications makes a difference. Unfortunately it isn't and I'm worse now than when I was on Morphine, although there is still scope to increase the Tapentadol.

Mrs_Ryan

I seem to recall Spellkaster that you mention you have PCOS. It may be a side effect of that- when I had it I used to cry with the pain in various parts of my body. However all I ever got was lose weight and it will help :mad: have you been tried on Metformin for it? I used to have the same heart condition as you also- I still have but no longer need the medication.

lost_for_words

I am on morphine patches to take the edge off the pain and other painkillers to try to make life bearable. Its not perfect but its okay some days where as mostly it was bad all days.

Are they buprenorphine or fentanyl. Im on Buprenorphine 10mcg and this patch seems like a dud. I have an hot water bottle over it to try and release a bit more. I know its off topic but hope you dont mind me asking.

dori2o

lost_for_words wrote: »

I am on morphine patches to take the edge off the pain and other painkillers to try to make life bearable. Its not perfect but its okay some days where as mostly it was bad all days.

Are they buprenorphine or fentanyl. Im on Buprenorphine 10mcg and this patch seems like a dud. I have an hot water bottle over it to try and release a bit more. I know its off topic but hope you dont mind me asking.

Sorry to keep the thread off topic.

I've had both Buprenorphine and Fentanyl patches over the past 9 years.

I started on 5mcg of Buprenorphine back in December 2010. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Within 25 minutes of putting the patch on for the first time I felt awful. A bit like seasickness only worse. The room was spinning, I was sick, I had a severe headache and I was falling asleep.

I persisted with it for just over 1 day and then called the emergency GP who advised me to take it off immediately and make an appointment to go back and see my GP at the earliest opportunity.

With Fentanyl I reached quite a high dose and was receiving very little relief from it but I was very tired all the time and whenever I changed the patch the following morning I wouldn't be able to get my head off the pillow due to nausea, dizzyness etc.

The doctors have suggested that I metabolise medications too quickly, so they didn't get chance to work properly. It has also been suggested that I may not have the necessary enzyme in my liver to correctly metabolise pain medications although this has never been tested for.

lost_for_words

The doctors have suggested that I metabolise medications too quickly, so they didn't get chance to work properly. It has also been suggested that I may not have the necessary enzyme in my liver to correctly metabolise pain medications although this has never been tested for.

Thats very interesting. I am up to 10 mcg now and I add a second 3 days in, also find that it works better if I place the patch at the lowest part of the spine.

I have also asked to replace the 30/500 Co-Codamol with just 30 Codiene and have lowered dosage of Pregabalin from 200 to 150 so that might be why I am feeling a little pain this week, however I slept okay and just glad the sun is shining through the window this morining

SPELLKASTER

Thank you all very much for the kind replies.

I will keep you posted as to what my gp says on monday.

I've tried using deep heat on my upper left arm to no avail as its still painful, I've been using it for several days and it doesnt work.

My feet are still agony, especially my left foot which seems to be the worst affected.

I'll let you know how the appointment goes xx

dori2o

lost_for_words wrote: »

Thats very interesting. I am up to 10 mcg now and I add a second 3 days in, also find that it works better if I place the patch at the lowest part of the spine.

I have also asked to replace the 30/500 Co-Codamol with just 30 Codiene and have lowered dosage of Pregabalin from 200 to 150 so that might be why I am feeling a little pain this week, however I slept okay and just glad the sun is shining through the window this morining

Other than Tapentadol I'm also taking Oramorph and Dihydrocodeine for breakthrough pain, Meloxicam for swelling and also Mirtazapine which is an anti-depressant.

I'm slightly worried about the Mirtazapine though after reading the Tapentadol fact sheet which states that you shuldn't take other SSRI's (Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitor) with Tapentadol, and Mirtazapine is a SSRI.

The pain specialist knows exactly what I'm on so I can't see that he would prescribe something that interacts with my meds?

The problem with the interaction is that it can cause Seratonin Syndrome which according to what I have read is potentially fatal.

I'm off to the Pharmacy after 2pm so I'll speak to them.

Sleep is probably the biggest problem for me after pain as I only average 3-4 hours sleep per night and have done now for a number of years.

I get the odd 40 winks in the armchair but it doesn't really make up for the lost hours.

woody_56

Hi get your doctor to arrange an MRI on your back and neck
a lot of arm and leg pain come from that area.
I can vouch for that.
Jim.


PS. don't take no for an answer if the scan is ruled out by the GP insist.
Know one should be in pain this long and all possibility's should
be ruled out.


Regards jim.

SPELLKASTER

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

I seem to recall Spellkaster that you mention you have PCOS. It may be a side effect of that- when I had it I used to cry with the pain in various parts of my body. However all I ever got was lose weight and it will help :mad: have you been tried on Metformin for it? I used to have the same heart condition as you also- I still have but no longer need the medication.

Yes I do have PCOS there are lots of questions I am asking gp on monday and will be looking to cover every angle.

Its the foot and arm pain I cant deal with so I will be asking for any medication as well.