Advice with painkillers

Rosycheeks
Rosycheeks Member Posts: 84
edited 24. Jul 2011, 08:10 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi everyone :)
I really need some help with good painkillers. What works for people?

I currently take celecoxib and co-codamol 30/500. They were kinda 'dulling' the pain but I had to go back to work 3 weeks ago and now I may as well be taking tic tacs :/

The job I do is very physical and I am on my feet for up to 9 hours at a time. I had no choice but to return to work because as a single parent with a teenage child times were very hard on esa. Its not fair that my daughter suffers and goes without because of me.

So I am going to try and ask again for some different pain relief from my GP, but it would be really useful if I knew what to ask for :)

Comments

  • constable
    constable Member Posts: 2,115
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi There

    I can ony suggest meds which I have been on. Tramadol 50mg and paracetemol, they dull pain for me. And at end of day I have some oramorph.

    Your doctor would be able to suggest something for you though.


    Karen xx
    Karen xx
  • traluvie
    traluvie Member Posts: 2,579
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Everyone is different with what helps them..
    I take tramadol,diclofenac,paracetamol and have steroid injection..

    I think doing 9 hours is very good of you, but you need to be careful not to run yourself into the ground.. sometimes you need to look after yourself to benefit others.. I know the struggle on ESA it is a nightmare, but now i am not working i can concentrate on my health..
    You take care, , your daughter will love you no matter what, i am sure she understands how things can be....
    Thinking of you..(((((X)))))
    th_tn_TisFORTIGGER.jpgxxTracyxx
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,764
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Rosycheeks,

    As our good friend, DD, would say - they are not painkillers, they are only paindullers. Nothing will get rid of it and, if you're working 9 hours at a time on your feet, quite honestly it seems a tall order. I hope your doc can find something that will help you. Anti-inflammatories may. Best of luck.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • Rosycheeks
    Rosycheeks Member Posts: 84
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi everyone and thank you for your replys.

    I take celecoxib (celebrex) which is an anti inflammatory. I also started on Leflunomide 5 weeks ago and am waiting for that to begin working.

    I only work weekends normally, but I spend all of Monday unable to get dressed as the pain is so bad, then tuesday and wednesday hobbling around. By thursday the pain is returning to my normal levels. Unpleasant but bearable. But now the weekend and work is looming again :(

    You have given me some suggestions. Thank you xx
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi
    I would take eveyones suggestions and remember them {bearing in mind that we are all different and one thing may not work for you that works for someon else} Then let your doc suggest things to you....I find a lot of dotors can be very sensitive if we start telling them what we want and how to do their job :grin:
    As for work/arthur...I'm sorry I dont know.....I'm retired now except when i can manage to do my Avon sales round which is usually most of the time but with a fractured pelvis it has ground to a halt....one of the joys of being self employed :lol:

    Love
    Hileena
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,848
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Rosy

    bless you you are suffering a lot for your daughter and l am proud of you for doing so.

    I went back to work very quickly after back surgery myself because l had at the time two young girls and was a single parent. My shifts at the time were 24 hours witha 'sleep in' in the middle. You are minimising the number of times you have to leave you daughter?? am l right?

    I take bu-trans patches myself. Might be an idea to think about those. Some take a slow realease mediation which like tha patches can be 'topped up' when required.

    I hope the leflunomide works for you very soon

    Love Toni xx
  • Rosycheeks
    Rosycheeks Member Posts: 84
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thankyou for your kind words :)

    I have a doctors appointment at 4 today. He always tells me there are no other painkillers he can give me because I have the co-codamol 30/500 and Tramadol made me very sick and gave me terrible headaches. Now I know that there are in fact other painkillers.
    I wont make the mistake of 'telling' him and risk getting his back up. I just want some help with the pain until the Leflunomide kicks in. xx
  • constable
    constable Member Posts: 2,115
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Roseycheeks

    I know looking at the clock that you are already at the docs. So let us know what is said wont you.


    Karen xx
    Karen xx
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Rosycheeks
    Looking forward to hearing from you and what the doc said.....what other meds he gave you

    Love
    Hileena
  • Rosycheeks
    Rosycheeks Member Posts: 84
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Well all I can say is MEH.

    He gave me low dose Amitriptyline. I have tried this befoe, and whilst I agree it helps with a bit of the pain its not quite the magic pain cure I was hoping for. And it does not help me with work this weekend. He offered to sign me off but I refused.

    I will see how I cope this weekend and if I am almost bed bound again on monday after work I will phone the rheumy nurse for the first time. Maybe she can help me?

    Thank you to you all for your thoughts xxx
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi,
    I hope the amitriptiline works this time.....I never did get round to getting it....clasehes with other tablets I take
    I dont have arheumy nurse so good luck with tht
    Love
    Hileena
  • Pherstun
    Pherstun Member Posts: 96
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    On a different line, is this a new employer or have you been with them a while?

    If you've been there a while, have you discussed whether you can do any different work, even if it's just for part of the day? Can you sit down at all to do any part of your job?
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Pain killer is a complete mis-nomer for people like us. Something that is killed tends not to reappear, apart from weeds and vampires - let's face it, you can't get rid of them. I have been in constant and varying levels of pain since 1997, and to be honest I rarely notice it now. I get by on two, maybe four and occasionally six co-cos of the 30/500 strength, but I have various forms of trammy available too. I tend not to use them as I don't want to be sediuced by that feeling of greatly reduced pain - I am not sure about the addiction side of things but I do think the body can adjust far too quickly to lovely numbing and the hunt for that gets ever harder. I had a hard time adjusting to the new pain levels that the OA has brought with it, but I'm there now and back to two co-cos. I hope the pain never goes, I could never adjust to it again: I like it at a constant level, I know where I am.

    I think it's more a matter of fitting your pain around your life, not your life around the pain. The pain won't go, no matter what you take or eat or do to give relief. Rest as much as you can, whenever you can, get to grips with the breathing techniques and visualisation/distraction skills that are about, and learn to live with it. Those are not facile words, I know from first-hand experience that it isn't easy but I take the view that it's the only thing to be done. We are in that unfortunate group of people who doctors cannot help - their drugs rarely have the clout we need, they don't have the experiences that we do to inform them about what our lives are like. We have to make our own ways, and we do. I wish you well. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben