My partner suffers continuos pain and is being treated by his doctor with seriously strong pain killers?

Question

I would like to know if there is anything i could do to reduce his intake. He takes 40mg of a painkiller that is normally reserved for cancer patients. This is for servere pain in his legs, for arthritis and for a knee replacement in his other leg which did not work. His doc says he cannot have his knees replaced now because he takes warfarin for blood clots. I'm at my wits end, he can hardly walk. I know he is only 69 but he feels like he has been thrown on the scrap heap.

It is he who does'nt want to keep taking his painkillers . I just want to know if there is anything else out there for him.

Also these painkillers do not take the pain away enough to give him a good quality of life and all i got when i went to his GP with him was to be told to give him more.

Answer 1

Treatment of chronic pain is not achieved by medication alone. There are clinics that approach the pain from not only the chemical side, but alos from physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychologist, nursing, etc.

It doesn't matter what the medication is usually used for- different types of pain are different for different people. The goal is to restore as much function as possible through reducing pain, without taking the function away again through side effects. Pain meds work in differnt ways- some reduce inflammation, others block sensation-n there are different routes- some are oral, some topical, some ingested- some pain relief methods are not chemical at all- accupuncture, massage, etc. You need a holistic - a whole person- approach to pain management.

Your doctors assumption that he cannot have necessary knee replacement surgery because he takes warfarin is not accurate: depending on his condition, he may be able to have surgery, again if the benefit outweighs the risk. Its up to him to assesss the risk and decide, not the doctor. Sounds like a lazy GP to me- and ne who when his knees hurt will be screaming for a scalpel!

Contact your doctor and ask for a referral to a pain clinic, and ask for a referral to an orthopedic surgeon for assessment. If he hedges, tell him you want them or you will copmplain, not because he is not a good doctor but because this is your husbands life and he wants more options. You have a right to options. Maybe through less invasive surgery or through other lifestyle adjustments it may be possible to make him a better candidate or otherwise reduce risk- I suspect if they said "you have a higher than average risk of stroke, but we can fix your knees" he would say "go for it". Who is the doctor to choose for your husband which outcome is preferable?

Nothing should be hopeless. Do you live in UK? There are supports available- chairs, helps to get around the house, etc to minimise the effort he has to make to get through the day. And you as a carer need help too: see if there is a carer support group. Its hard facing older-age to lose mobility- you plan all your life for the rosy retirement and then when you have the time, you dont have the body to have the life you want; its not fair and you both are grieving- you need help and support.

Clare, I am sorry things are so hard. He needs someone more perceptive and more willing to treat him (and YOU!) as an indivdiual than his GP. Just because he is older doesn't mean he has to become immobile- but even if he does, there should be help to help him cope. If you do live in UK, you have my contact stuff- email me and I will try to find the pain clinic referral information.

Good luck to you both.

Answer 2

Let the man take the meds he needs. There is nothing wrong with taking ANY "drug" that is used for medicinal reasons.

People with legit reasons are not junkies and should not be placed in the same stereotype as recreational users. There is a big difference in recreational abuse/addiction and medical dependence. Would you rather have him crippled and bedridden for the rest of a miserable life, or have him be able to finish his life with dignity the way he wants?

If you are really concerned, ask to go with him to his next appt and talk to the doc.

EDIT: in that case, he has a few options. 1. follow the docs advise and increase the dosage. (40 mg of morphine is not that much...once he is over 200mg a day is a different story) 2. don't take them. More than likely, the dose is too low for him to notice. Take something else (marijuana shows great promise, as it is an excellent pain reliever) but only use that at night for obvious reasons.

Chronic pain sucks. It is a horrible curse. Keep trying to find something that works. Outside of amputation, there is nothing that can be done medically except medications. You could try some holistic stuff like rubs and such. I personally was at my wits end dealing with severe chronic pain with failed surguries, failed injections, failed pain meds thru tolerance...keep trying to find some relief, but accept the possibility that the only relief may come from a pill or pipe. (and neither are a bad thing if it helps the condition)

Answer 3

Hi I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, am just 49 and have prolapsed disc in the spine. However my Doc put me on Fentanyl Transdermal Patches, being 80 times stronger than morphine and it works really well. They are patches that you stick on and change every 72 hours and come in various doses. I have felt like I was thrown on the scrape heap at 29, but twenty years later am still throwing the medical profession into panic, as according to them I was supposed to be dead within five years back in 1998. Ask for the Patches and try them out, you have nothing to loose and everything to gain. I have just come in from a three mile walk with my dog, RA and Prolapsed Disc as well! Good Luck

Answer 4

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Answer 5

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Answer 6

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