Hey Bram, Im so sorry your still having a hell of a time but glad you have your hubby there to help he sounds like a trooper bless his heart for cryin thats really sweet I have to say I could use a guy like that but they look @ me & run the other way lol.. I didnt think doctors or nurses did house calls anymore that's great they came to you I think more of them should do that cuz there are times we just cant move. As for the women who laughed @ you should be smacked how rude & disrespectful of her!! I've had that happen to me & I lost it I cant stand when I get treated like that for no reason but I'm happy your going to get some relief & if the morphine helps take it. From the sounds of it the pain going down your leg might be your sciatic nerve..Reasons I say that is your having the same problem I did the first time mine went on me & I couldnt walk for almost 3 months I still have probs with it but it varies on how bad or how long but it maybe what is going on with you. I hope you feel better sooner than later, you'll be in my prayers hun btw No worries on how you look I'm sure your hubby loves you no matter what & we all know how it goes so ur good

Bram

I'm so sorry that you are in so much pain. Being sick must have been unbearable.

I cannot believe the way the doctor treated you. That is just horrible. On the plus side, now that you have bucket-loads of oramorph, you probably won't need to go back to the GP for meds anytime soon.

Hang in there. I am thinking of you.



Kim

Bram, I am so sorry you are hurting so bad. I wish I could add something to help make you feel better. You have helped me in so many ways. Hope tomorrow will be a much better day for you, Jan

Oh Bram,

That is just horrible - I often wonder how nurses with no compassion sleep at night. I hope you report this to someone, no one deserves to be treated that way not even a drug addict. I'm sorry you were treated that way!! So unfair.

With regards to you hip through ankle pain - is it different pain from your CRPS pain? Along with many of the other symptoms like the burning, sensitivity an lightning bolts.. I also get crazy bad deep bone crushing pain from the top of my femur all the way to the ankle and worse at the joints. My doctor once told me that my nerves are so heightened that I am likely feeling the "blood traveling through the bone marrow" .. osteopenia, osteoporosis and arthritis all progress when the blood supply is compromised (disuse, vasomotor disturbance and the natural aging process all contribute to this) and thus will cause the deep bone aching pain. If that is the type of pain you are having.

Another thought that comes to mind is the L2 nerve root of the spine which is often associated with SI pain. This nerve can cause pain in the upper buttock or dimple area, outer thigh, back side of knee and calf to ankle. Another one that follows a similar path would be the sciatic nerve but that wouldn't explain the lower back pain and upper buttock. Can you find trigger points in any of those areas that you could maybe get some trigger point release through massage or perhaps even your husband can help you release them? Lidoderm patches placed on the spine from the L1-S2 level and on each dimple of your buttock may offer you a great amount of relief since those nerves are closer to the surface and the lidocaine can penetrate quite quickly there.

Tight psoas, piriformas, tensor facial latae and the iliacus can all torque the SI joint. To release the SI joint one needs to focus on the opposite muscles. For instance your pain is in the back of your hip area and leg so focusing on the muscles and fascia on the front of the hip and thigh to release it. lol.. those areas can play tug-of-war with each other and in your case especially since you have knee issues already.

Just thinking out loud here.. I hope maybe something helps.

I do hope you are able to get proper medications to help you until whatever it is that is causing this additional pain either goes away on its own or your doctor can figure out what is causing it.

Good on your husband for taking such great care of you!

Oh.. I also forgot to mention if you haven't seen an Ortho with a specialty in treating the hip/pelvis, I would highly recommend doing so. A spine specialist and Lumbar MRI would be good also to rule out any issues within the spine that could be playing up your pain.

Worried about you Bram! Miss seeing you on here & I'm concerned. Hope you are getting some care & just taking a much needed break

AZdi you're so lovely

I'm doing ok thx, hopefully bit of an improvement at last. Bad night, leg awful, only dozed off to be woken by pain again next minute. Read nhs Oxford Radcliffe hospital booklet about taking liquid morphine....v interesting paragraph stating that it is not possible for a patient in severe pain to become addicted to narcotics, because the active drug is being utilised by their body to fight the pain, and they therefore do not get the addictive 'high' that someone using it recreationally would get... Thinking of sending it in to that stupid GP woman.

After reading it, took its advice and tried a higher level of oramorph, 7.5ml, and that actually dulled the pain, but unfortunately it completely zombied me for the day and I've only just properly woken up now. The pain relief lasted for nearly 12 hours tho, it's just come back in last hour. Hoped it had got a lot better, but now it's back it's bad. Am getting ready to zombie again...

Hate that I have to choose between being alert and in pain, or dulled pain and zombie me. What I like to call the 'no pain no brain' dilemma. The leaflet says that your body deals with the side effects better with time, so I'm hoping it does.

Thank you so much, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to post before now today. Just taken more, so prob out of it for another 12 hours. Hope to goodness I can work again soon. Lower back def easier, it's the leg that's awful now.

Hey ho. Take care lovely folk and thx so much.

Bram

Hey Bram!

So glad you are getting some relief, and boy do I understand the side effect dilemma. I also get the inability to keep up with posting on here when on high doses of meds or when pain is through the roof. Don’t you worry about that. Surely everyone here gets that from time to time we all need rest and at times the meds and pain can make it nearly impossible. It’s all good.

OH! …And yes! Let’s craft a strongly worded letter to the highly insensitive moron! Makes me so damn MAD. Yeah, I’m drug seeking… what the hell do you have that will fix this! Sign me up! Ahhhhhhhh! Recreational… are they serious?! There are much easier ways to obtain recreational drugs for God’s sake. There is a special place in hell for those who give us, those of us in dire pain, such a difficult time when we are seeking any kind of relief. And why is it that those of us who rarely use any of the big gun drugs are so scrutinized when we seek help with out of your mind pain relief?! <sigh> okay… I guess I’ll stop. This just P’s me off beyond measure!!!!!!!

Anywho, Take it easy Bram… Get ahead of the pain and perhaps things will calm down a bit. Rest. It is needed to heal. We will talk with you soon. Big Hugs!!

Thanks Vrae, yes we must. In fact I'm thinking of crafting a letter about 3 major issues. Firstly their statement that they tell all their patients, including those with a cardiac condition, to wait at least 15 mins into any chest pain before calling 999. Secondly, that not one of their staff knows much about CRPS and doesn't seem interested. And thirdly, that they seem to have a judgemental and primitive attitude to patients in severe pain, together with limited knowledge of narcotics. Steam would be coming out of my ears if I had the energy.

So all gone a bit haywire again. Took oramorph last night sort of ready for sleep. Nothing happening on pain front, except that it's building up, but did fall asleep. Woke few hours later, loads of pain, so it hadnt worked. Convo re not keeping levels up probably means have to catch back up. Read leaflet again, yes needed to keep up constant level, not binge and bust like I did. Ok. Took another dose. Waited. Nothing. Took an extra 2.5ml. Slept again. Woke couple of hours later this morning, pain still there. Seriously hacked off. Thought I'd got some control, now seems I have none.

Ay advice? Running out of stamina, energy, patience and sanity here!

Hugs to all folk, and thank you. Keep sending me those good vibes, I need them...

Bram

Hi Bram

I think it might be time for a referral to a consultant. I know you must be exhausted and that probably seems like it would take an impossible amount of energy. But if you have something going on that needs treatment I don't think your GP is going to spot it.

In the meantime, the only thing I can think is to keep on steady doses of the oramorph.

You poor thing, I wish I had some brilliant idea to make this better for you.

I know we are all thinking of you. I will keep up a steady flow of good thoughts.



Kim