So last night I got stuck

danm2010
danm2010 Member Posts: 32
edited 28. Feb 2019, 09:14 in Living with arthritis
Morning,

Last night I decided to sleep on the settee but after a couple of hours of trying to sleep I decided I must just go bed and I needed the toilet anyways, which is upstairs.

My lower half has been painful the past week much more than usual and as soon as I got up to 2 steps on the stairs I got stuck, the pain and stiffness wouldn’t let me back down, luckily my kids potty was actually on the stairs!

I didn’t want to wake my little girl up by shouting so I phoned my girlfriend but she had her phone on silent so I while I was there I was wondering what do I do!?

Probably the first time I felt so venerable - I was debating ringing 999 but then thought it is an emergency? I couldn’t take anymore painkillers as I had already maxed out except for naproxen but I couldn’t get to them.

In the end I managed to get up the stairs - god knows how but it took me 1 hour and then when I got up there I woke my girlfriend and she helped me to bed.

This morning the pain in still the same but I can start taking my pain killers again but waiting on the doctors to open to get stronger ones.

Has anyone else been in that situation? What did you do?

Should I get the council out to assess my house?

Kind regards,
Daniel


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Comments

  • Tyjen
    Tyjen Member Posts: 14
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    yes most definitely get in touch with social services to come and assess what help is available in regards to your home. You can refer yourself now whereas years ago you had to go through your gp! Or you could consider moving to a flat so you dont have to struggle with the stairs.
    I get stuck most mornings getting out of bed, Ive had my furniture moved around so I can hold onto it when moving from one room to another.
    I am from another planet, but its ok, they know me there.
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Oh dear, that must have been frightening for you as it was your first time. I have never been stuck as such, sometimes I've needed time to assess a situation and find a solution to it (my best one was falling down a few stairs and ending up wedged in a U shape in the hall with my back against a hot radiator, that was incentive enough to get me moving) but I've always sorted myself out in under ten minutes, mainly because I've been on my own and I've had to get on. Doing so has often meant a burst of extra pain but that happens anyway. I don't know how you do stairs but for me it's 'good leg to heaven' i.e my stronger leg goes first then the weaker leg joins it on the stair, and repeat. Coming down it's 'bad leg to hell' i.e. the weaker leg leads, the stronger joins it on the next step down. On the very bad days I used to come down backwards with my hands resting on the upper stairs for improved balance and stability.

    Having always been a private renter or owner-occupier I have never had council involvement but Social Services came to our previous house and installed proper handrails, one each for both flights of stairs, that's been my only outside help. Whatever aids and adaptations are made they are not going to sort the essential problem, one has to find one's own strategies and solutions for that: working through pain is a big lesson to learn because stronger pain relief is not a long-term answer: the body's tolerance grows, more is needed to gain less relief and one's options to achieve that reduce. Males have more pain receptors then females so it is tougher for the boys.

    Getting ourselves out of pickles is daunting and frightening because it is going to hurt, and things like this always seem worse at night. I would not have hesitated to shout and wake people but I am years ahead of you in dealing with this malarkey and know what is best for me - at such times that is all that matters.

    I hope your confidence has not been too badly shaken, things like this are a setback but they happen. I liked your use of the word venerable, I think we all feel old before our time! :lol: DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    First of all well done! You coped with a difficult, scary situation and did so with thought and care for your little girl, your partner and the emergency services. It's not easy but, if there's a next time (and I hope not), it will be easier because now you know you have the inner strength to deal with such things.

    It's years since I had to tackle stairs nightly. I / we moved to a bungalow a long time ago. It's probably (as you now know) not a good idea to sleep downstairs if the only loo is upstairs though I guess it's easier for a bloke to cope with a little advanced prep.

    I can't really advise on how to tackle stairs without knowing what yours are like. We had banisters and I used to slot one hand through the rails with the other on top and worry about pulling the entire edifice down.. If your hands and arms are strong and you can sit on a step you might be able to haul yourself up that way step by step. And down. I couldn't get that low :roll: But I did always use DD's method and come down backwards. reminding myself constantly that it's only pain. Nothing serious :wink:

    I, too, would suggest advice from an occupational therapist via social services. It might help you to know that where I live they can come out fairly quickly if you only want advice. If you want them to pay for stuff then there's a lot of paperwork involved and a lot of queuing so that takes much longer. But mine were great at just telling me what would be suitable for me and providing catalogues from reputable firms.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello, I hope all was well last night. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • danm2010
    danm2010 Member Posts: 32
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks for all the advice, I went to A & E due to pain and after 7 hours of waiting I came out with oramorph. Basically they can’t do anything until I have the operation on my hip which has more damage to it since 5 months ago - went to see the rheumatology nurses and she said she’s going to put pressure on the consultant to organise a replacement as soon as possible as even with oramorph I couldn’t get in the shower and was wearing the same clothes from the day before - I have asked for occ health to come round the house too.

    Went to my GP to organise better pain management as a follow up from A and E and said to rest for a week and if the pain is still there then she’ll look at stronger pain killers as oramorph should be enough even though it wasn’t this morning - I like it how they throw days in like it’s nothing.

    Anyways, I left feeling like I didn’t get any where and I’ll see how it goes.


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  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I am sure the common nature of the disease works against it. With around ten million in the UK affected by arthritis, the majority with OA, it lacks any sense of urgency for those dealing with it mainly because there is s*d all they can do. Pain relief is not a solution, physiotherapy is not a solution, in the case of those with an auto-immune plus OA surgery is not a solution. I have got somewhere in the past twenty years: worse. Have you been referred to a pain clinic? A&E is completely the wrong place for the likes of us, we are neither accident or an emergency despite feeling as though we are.

    I tried oromorph in my earlier days but found it affected my ability to function in a safe manner. I still needed to drive, to work, to participate in life regardless of pain and one can only do that properly if one is fully-conscious. It must be tougher for males who do feel things more acutely, and in addition if your neural pathways are more sensitive then striking the balance between adequate dulling and still being able to do stuff ain't going to be an easy. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • Mummybear53
    Mummybear53 Member Posts: 8
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Well done for your perseverance. Sorry that you had to go through that experience. Is there any way that your GP can try and speed up your operation?
    Anne
  • danm2010
    danm2010 Member Posts: 32
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    DD - I feel it works and I’m still me while on oramorph but at the same time I can’t tell if it’s the weeks rest off work or the pain killers - tomorrow I may try and go back to my usual pain medications and see if it’s any different.




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  • danm2010
    danm2010 Member Posts: 32
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Anne - I’ve asked anyone who could possibly do something to organise the operation/consultant to get in touch.

    Just waiting for contact from the outside world :)

    Kind regards,
    Daniel


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  • barbara12
    barbara12 Member Posts: 21,280
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Danial
    I know how scary this is..like SW says you now know you have the inner strength to get through it...I hope you can get the help you need..x
    Love
    Barbara
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I'm afraid I can't remember whether or not you've already seen an orthopaedic surgeon. If you have that's good. If not then you will go on a list just to see one and they can be long. I don't think the rheumatology nurse can put pressure on the orthopaedic surgeon. My guess is (s)he meant on the rheumatologist and it will be up to him / her to decide whether or not to lean on the surgeon. Whatever happens don't expect it to be quick.

    I'm writing this not to be off-putting but to point out that you are likely to be living with this for some time whatever others do or don't do so the key is to learn how to live with it.

    Last September, when my THR started to come adrift, i was in the worst pain of my life and, on my third visit to A&E in as many days, I was admitted. It took them two weeks to stabilise me on oxycodone. Oramorph did nothing. The oxycodone worked brilliantly but the price was that I invariably fell asleep after lunch and the rest of the day was a write-off. Fortunately, the bit of cement has now moved on to pastures new and I'm back to just a couple of cocos at bedtime.

    What I'm saying, like DD, is that there's a trade-off. Pain v life. We each have to choose for ourselves. I'm still written up for oxycodone because, if another bit dropped off, I feel I'd have no option but to go for it again but it would be with a heavy heart and for as short a time as possible.

    In the meantime I suggest it might help you to act as though you already have a hip replacement. This is what the hospital physio advised for me along with more exercises ie sleep on your back, not your side, and don't take the hip beyond 90 degrees. If your usual chair is low, either use a higher one or raise it. I've always hated sleeping on my back but it was in bed that mine kicked off - first I couldn't lie on the affected side, then I couldn't lie on either. When I couldn't sit down either it got serious :lol: as I can't ever stand up for long. I still sleep on my back because I'm scared of dislodging another bit of cement if I don't.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright