suffering with chronic pain

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Welcome to our new group on dealing with chronic pain.

Topkitten

If you tried to ring the Pain Clinic then I am not surprised you got no answer. I was forgotten by them for a year. During that time I rang twice every month and only got to speak to anyone twice. Neither contact had any effect. In the end I only got their attention by making a complaint. Suddenly they couldn't do enough to sort things out. I got an appointment, ineffective surgery and discharged in a month.

TK

Topkitten

I guess areas are different. You can only see a consultant here if you visit the hospital. So, if you have a consultant then you would have to be registered with the hospital. Back then I complained through PALS but last time I tried to complain PALS told me they didn't handle complaints any more. You should complain to your MP and also try to find out who handles complaints in your area. There will be someone who does it. It seems to me that PALS are useless now. It was difficult enough before because they would back door complaints as a quiet word to the doctors first.

That seems to be the done thing now anyway. GP's complaints are supposed to be handled by NHS England but 3 times I tried to make a complaint about a GP and 3 times they ignored me and had a quiet word with the doctor instead. They are all too busy protecting each other now.

TK

RIDGEY

i have had chronic pain since January, sciatica they say i kept going to my docs crying on the phone to then i just got more and more pill and nothing worked , i was referred to the pain clinic who said i should start reducing the pills as none were working. and after a week i had 2 steroid injections in the hip guided by ultra sound. then i had a whole 3 weeks with no pain wat so ever.
it has gradually come back, from my knee up and in my hip at the present tiem it iis at its worse Iam waiting for anothe MRI  because the last was for my back . pain in the day is easier to cope with than at night , but now i cant cope day or night tonight is my third night with NO sleep  i cry most of the time i am not coping.
my husband goes to work around 3 am i see no one all day. hes home about 3 hours before he need to get sleep. the nest day i repeat the same pattern  my probelms mainly are pain and lonleyness ( i have algerys to morphine codine tramadol)

Topkitten

@RIDGEY I understand well how the nights can be bad. Having been up and about during the day I always suffer much more at night often only able to sleep after extensive resting. I also have nights when I simply cannot sleep until exhausted. Not seeing people also makes life more difficult and, as pain often limits our ability to go out, this can become a vicious circle.

Just to correct something you wrote, Tramadol is based on Morphine Sulphate so, if you have problems with Morphine, you are almost certain to have problems with Tramadol. It is unusual to have issues with both Codeine and Morphine though. Unfortunately those two substances comprise the majority of higher level pain killers. Do talk to your doctor about trying other options though as sometimes different chemical formulas affect people differently and something called Buprenorphine is very stable and cause much less problems with those that struggle with most Morphine products.

Sciatica is more nerve pain so maybe the mid-nerve pain killers might be useful and these are Amitryptylene, Nortryptylene, Pregabalin, Gebapentin and Duloxetine plus they all help with depression often caused by constant nagging pain.

I would also suggest that you ask your GP to refer you to the Pain Clinic as they can teach you a number of ways to cope better. I wouldn't have lasted long myself without the things they taught me.

TK