Pain Managment Clinic Today

JamesFoote

Well went to the clinic for the first time today and I must say thought the news was not great I do feel I was in the right place.

So may remember I was not happy with the physio as it was like I was not even there. Even when she said the hospitals I could go to for the PMC
I asked not for Burnley and the one that came though was burnley.

So he told me that I do have arthritis in my neck and spine and in the neck were they have the MRI for it shows 3 slipped disks and one is very bad compressing my nervous, hence the problems with the arms and hands.

He is sending me to have an MRI for my back and has told me to continue with my pain meds, I asked about being given liquid and pill morphine and he has told me to keep taking it, I have not since coming back from my holiday being aware of what morphine is and not wanting to over use it.

James

Slosh

Did they suggest any treatment for the discs in your neck? I had two removed earlier this year and had that part of my neck fused earlier this year, initially the thought was to offer me pain killing injections into my neck but my orths consultant felt I needed surgery as my symptoms were getting worse and in my case I had them both putting pressure on my spinal nerve and cord. My most recent MRI of my whole back showed another disc in my neck has prolapsed and is again starting to put on pressure but at the moment he is happy to leave it as he thinks my new problems are most likely neurological in nature.

Hope you don't have to wait too long for your MRI or to get the results.

JamesFoote

It is on going mate.
I think after this next Mir scan we will know more.

I have had this pain now for 7 months or so and it is just getting worse.

How do you get on with the disk being removed

James

hileena111

Hi
One of the good things the Pain clinic did for me on my first visit was to direct me to a group.
Managing chronic pain.......I know arthritis care runs these as well I've done 2 but this is different.
They are not held to a certain time......this one has been running for 5 years and some of the original people are still there
We meet once a month......great instructor who knows what he is going to talk about when he comes in but might hear a couple of people discussing something about there problems and how to deal with them??????? He promptly asks if we want him to talk about that particular issue.
It starts at 10.30am until 12.30 with a coffee break. Most of us a meet at 10am for a chinwag and coffee beforehand.
He did discuss other things with me {I'm seeing him next week again} but this was the most enjoyable and helpful
I suppose one of the things it comes under is distraction........also hearing others problems can put yours in perspective. We also pick up lots of tips from him
Sorry for the ramble.
Love
Hileena

stickywicket

I hope the MRI will prove useful, James.

Well done you for being careful with the morphine.

If you want to know how Slosh has got on, her threads are well worth a read. She's doing brilliantly on all fronts – coping with the pain and new lifestyle and easing herself back into work.

Slosh

Thanks for the compliment Sticky, but I'm not sure I deserve it! It's well timed though as this weekend is not great but hey ho, that's life and maybe another post.

Re surgery, I was told it is complex and outcomes are variable so where I am it is considered as a last resort. I had the discs at C5-6 and C6-7 removed and the three vertebrae fused. The operation was done via the front of the neck. However I was warned it might not remove all the pain or solve my problems with my left arm and leg. After the op I had to wear a collar for 7 weeks except when in bed and I was advised not to get the wound wet until it had healed to reduce the risk of infection. Once I was out of the collar I started physio to regain as much movement in my neck as possible.

Surgery went well and following physio, I have regained quite a lot of movement in my neck, though obviously with three bones fused it is not full movement and I have to continue to do the exercises 3 x a day to prevent it stiffening again.

The hospital reckoned on three months of work following surgery but when I saw Occupational health they said that due to my job (I'm a teacher though not class based) to take off longer so I had my op at the end of Feb and returned to work on a phased return in September.

Unfortunately it did not help with the pain so I still take Duloxetine and Meptazinol for that, I can no longer take NSAIDS as they damaged my stomach, and unfortunately I got one of the possible, but rare side-effects of surgery which is some scarring to the outside of my throat which causes some swallowing difficulties.

I now have another prolapsed disc at C7-T1. However it is hard for me to comment more fully on the outcomes of surgery as my orths consultant thinks I also have a neurological problem, so today I had an MRI of my brain and next month I see neurology. That's why he's not considering further surgery at present as he doesn't think this new disc is the cause of my problems. He was very clear before my surgery though that it was necessary to stop things getting worse.

I don't know how helpful that is, as I'm not sure what problems are due to what, and in the end all I did was go along with what my consultant reccomended on the basis thst he was the expert.

JamesFoote

Thank you so much for you reply
it really does help as this is quite a scary time i must say.

fingers crossed all comes out well and i hope all goes well for you good self

James

Slosh

No problem, I do know how you feel, hopeyou don't have to wait too long to get your MRI and thd results.