pain and how to help

[hwyaden]

sorry for my long absence on here - it's been a long time since i had a chance to log in since hubby came out of hospital (well, since i kidnapped him  )

 

he's doing really well despite some awful disabilities. he has right sided weakness, severe aphasia and right sided hemianopia and double vision. 

 

the thing causing him the most problems right now is the pain on his right side. he describes it as stabbing and cannot sleep well at night because of it. the sites of pain vary from day to day but it's usually his right eye, right foot, right groin and inner thigh and his face on that side. 

 

he was on gabapentin but he hated the side effects and came off them some months ago so he's only taking co-codamol right now for the pain. i've tried heat packs, ice packs, rubs, creams etc but nothing seems to ease it when he's having a bad bout. 

 

he's got a check up with the consultant next month so i'm hoping he can come up with some ideas but i'm wondering if anyone on here has any tips for coping with the pain day to day. 

 

gail 

[Super Mario]

Why don't you ask for him to be referred to a pain clinic? Although I might say some are very good and some are not so good but possibly worth a try.

[hwyaden]

who could do that? would it be the gp? 

[Super Mario]

Your GP could do that as well as the consultant you are seeing.

Please be aware that if your Pain Clinic is anything like ours there is quite a long wait for an appointment. As I have said some are good and others not so good.

They may not be able to help in the long run but will be able to try out different drugs and therapies hopefully with a positive result.

[Karen]

Sounds as though it could be nerve pain .... which is what I had for quite a while and you need to consult his GP to perhaps try a different route.

 

Try a bath for him, before bed time, as a good nights sleep will help ... something like a Radox muscle soak, which are herbal bath salts and pretty cheap ...you can pick a box up from Tesco or the Chemist.

 

I didn't find that Co-Codamol worked for me at all after the SAH ... I often have pretty bad eye pain on my right hand side of my face (had a third nerve palsy) ... I found that taking Paracetamol with Ibuprofen worked for me ... not that we can recommend drugs/painkillers on here, but it's another route to take, as in asking your GP to see if it's suitable.  One size doesn't always fit all ....xx

[hwyaden]

thanks peeps  

[Karen]

Forgot to say, that in the early days/months with the double vision, dizziness and stabbing pain in eye, I found a little bit of relief in patching over the bad eye for a few hours ... I used to use a round make up remover pad and surgical tape to apply it ... gave me some respite, but not the cure all. A cold wet flannel left in the fridge can help too with the eye and head pain. I also found (still use them) that eye moisturising drops help.

 

It's all a bit hit and miss really ... but hope that your Husband can find some respite from the pain or at least something that helps to make life a little more comfortable. xx

[SarahLou]

Hello Gail,

I had a real struggle finding the right pain relief, mainly due to my lack of choice due to other medical issues.

Many times I was back and forth to the gp trying to get help with this. I tried a few things but side effects were bad so I ended up with pretty much paracetamol only.

I had a lot of pain behind my left eye and I do still get some pain, like pressure behind the eye. I've had regular eye tests and I also requested eye scans about a year ago.

In the early days I also used to patch over my left eye as it was working so hard (it had turned in due to SAH) I also use cold flannel and eye drops sometimes.

It is such a battle for many of us to get our pain relief under control. I really hope that your hubby gets his sorted out soon.

My GP always said without correct pain relief and proper rest recovery would be so much tougher.

I wish you both well.

Take care,

SarahLou Xx

[hwyaden]

thankyou