Neuropathic pain, coping and managing

Nick_Butler

Hi, I have peripheral neuropathy, I am seeing a consultant in Brighton and he has also referred me to a Neurologist at Kings, but in the meantime the pain and discomfort is getting worse and I just do not know what to do.

Curently up to 450mg a day of pregabalin and increasing every 2 weeks by 75mg.

It would be nice to get advice or find out how others coped. Apart from having me in tears quite often it is now starting to get me down. I am married but work for myself from home, that doesn not help.

Any advice will be welcome whether about diet, exercise or anyhting else.

Thank you

Pippa_Alumni

I'm so sorry @Nick_Butler, that sounds really tough. I hope our members will be able to offer some suggestions. It's great that you have referrals in progress, have you been seen at a pain clinic before?

Pippa_Alumni

Hi @Nick_Butler, how are you doing?

Sam_Alumni

Hi @Nick_Butler
As Pippa said, Have you ever seen a pain clinic? 

Pain clinics
People with chronic pain may be able to attend a specialist Pain Clinic for assessment and possible pain management, together with advice on living a fuller life in spite of pain.
Pain Clinics vary in the treatments offered and not all hospitals may have a specific pain clinic. Sometimes a Consultant with an interest in pain will prescribe drugs or give injections to try to control pain. Other clinics have teams of doctors, psychologists, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others.
 
Pain Management Programmes
A Pain Management Programme (PMP) is a psychologically-based rehabilitative treatment for people with chronic pain which remains unresolved by other treatments currently available . It is delivered in a group setting by an interdisciplinary team of experienced health care professionals working closely with patients.
Some Pain Centres may run Pain Management Programmes that aim to teach a group of patients with similar problems about pain, how best to cope with it and how to live a more active life, others may offer acupuncture and other complementary therapies.
For the majority of people, attending a Pain Management Programme reduces the disability and distress caused by chronic pain by teaching physical, psychological and practical techniques to improve quality of life. It differs from other treatments provided in Pain Clinics in that pain relief is not the primary goal, although improvements in pain following participation in a Pain Management Programme have been demonstrated.
Referral to a Pain Management Programme is usually via your local pain clinic.
The British Pain Society has produced a publication on Pain Management Programmes, which can be found HERE.

This information comes from the British Pain Society.

Do let us know how you get on!