Post operative chronic pain

pinemartine
pinemartine Online Community Member Posts: 64 Contributor
in Neurological impairments and pain
Hi, everyone. My husband had a big operation 5 years ago. There were several complications after the main operation and they had to cut him open three times again. He was unconscious for a week  after that. Since then, he has been suffering from chronic nerve pain on the inner wound. His doctors told us the nerves would never join together again and there is little they can do about it.He is on several strong pain killers (Morphine, Amitriptyline and Tapentadol). He also had a trigger point injection about a month ago but it didn't work at all. Does anyone have a similar problem?  Is there any other treatment for this kind of pain? The pain limits his daily activities.

Also recently he has started having swelling hands, feet, legs, back of the knees, sometimes lips and throat with tingling sensation. It happens especially in the morning. He has referred to rheumatologist and so on but they couldn't find what was causing. We suspect a side effect of Tapentadol (swelling is on its side effect list, but it says rare) and we mentioned it to his GP and doctors but they said they don't know the drug very well (it was prescribed by his pain clinic) and they have no idea. Does anyone experienced the similar simptoms?
  

Comments

  • CockneyRebel
    CockneyRebel Online Community Member Posts: 5,188 Championing
    There are some drugs that cause swelling like this and some combinations of drugs will do so even when the single drugs on their own don't. Does your husband take any other medication for example blood pressue meds ?

    CR.
  • Markmywords
    Markmywords Online Community Member Posts: 416 Empowering
    You could try heat and/or cold @pinemartine . There isn't much else you can do. It's unlikely to get any better if it's still like this after 5 years unfortunately.

    You should talk to the pain clinic about a possible alternative drug.
  • dogfather
    dogfather Online Community Member Posts: 60 Connected
    Not certain where his op was, the pain clinic may have access to nuromodulation, this is supposed to block the pain by sending electrical pulses down various nerves. I have one fitted for chronic pain of the perinium. To a point it has worked. Ask at your pain management clinic if they do offer this service, if it reduces the pain slightly he may be able to come of some of the medicine he is on.
  • pinemartine
    pinemartine Online Community Member Posts: 64 Contributor
    edited September 2017
    Thank you all for the advice. He had liver transplant and takes anti rejection drug with the painkillers. he had blood test and there was nothing wrong and now rheumatologist suggested to have MRI and X-ray, but we think it is not arthritis or Rheumatism because lips and throat swell up as well. 
    We'd better talk to pain clinic for these symptoms and also ask advice for alternative drug or treatment. My husband says Tapentadol works better than Morphine but I am concerned  if the side effect is doing anything bad to his organ (liver etc.).
    Unfortunately his next appointment with the pain clinic is a few month later  from now though...
  • dogfather
    dogfather Online Community Member Posts: 60 Connected
    Think you should ring the pain clinic up & ask for an urgent appointment as his condition has got worse.

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