AIBU?
Desperate with pain stopping sleep and wondering who can helpp
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 01:27
I have been having problems with psciatica and left siding sided pelvic pain for over a month. In addition I I now have upper stomach pain which I think is due to naproxcin thread here. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/3377381-Antiinflamitories-stomach-pain-and-omeprazole
I have just started weekly physieo and have a follow up with my gp in a week. However, I am unable to sleep for long due to pain.
Is there anything the out of hours could do to help. I am way with work so can't see my gp tomorrow, but equally do not want to waste the ooh's time if there is nothing that can be done. After seeing a gp and the ooh previously I have had two hospital admissions which have not found anything suggesting to me it is more about pain management rather than immediately serious.
stellabird · 28/09/2018 01:33
Sciatic pain is a very specific type of nerve pain, so you need something for that . Normal pain killers / anti- inflammatories don't do the job. No wonder you can't sleep, it's awful I know.
I got great relief from Pregabalin, it's actually an anti-convulsant which is used for it's action on sciatic pain as well. I took it at night for about a month, best thing ever. I hope you get some relief too !
curlykaren · 28/09/2018 01:38
Honestly, save yourself the effort of trying to get any help from out of hours, the nhs is poorly equipped to deal with chronic pain. With sciatica you are unlikely to get much benefit from any pain meds they might give you anyway. If you can find yourself an acupuncture clinic tomorrow then try that and get yourself some nytol (or a prescription sleeping tablet) to try and get some sleep tomorrow. If you can get a very hot hot-water bottle on the area it may help. Huge sympathy to you, sciatic pain is worse than child birth. X
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 01:40
While normal painkillers are not helping I do not know how best to get help. I agree some form of nerve painkiller is needed but I do not know who can prescribe.
ShastaBeast · 28/09/2018 01:43
I have the same, and naproxen killed my poor stomach too. I’ve taken codeine and am lying with a tennis ball in my hip. I find nortriptyline helps sleep but clearly not always. Have you tried muscle rub type stuff, like tiger balm? I have some from a friend and it helps on bad days. You could try a meditation for sleep on YouTube.
I had spinal surgery which did help reduce the severity, hopefully physio will be enough for you. Longer term getting fit has helped most but I still suffer with the nerve pain.
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 01:44
I have been trying a electric heat pad which does ease things a bit.
The problem is that being away with work I can not get to see a gp until Monday. Not sleeping is making me feel a bit wierd and no matter where I am I end up napping if the pain improves including regularly sleeping on the toilet in work.
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 01:53
Sorry you are still in pain after surgery and your medication is not helping now.
Yes I have tried medditation but shortly after falling asleep I wake with pain. I feel a bit like a desperately tired baby who can't find there sleep after being woken the small amounts of sleep are making Deep heat is not helping but oddly vicks did help with the leg pain.. Z of hours sleep a night hence sleeping in the day if I am not actively keeping myself awake.
Deep heat is not helping but oddly vicks did help with the leg pain.
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 01:57
At the moment I think it is the stomach pain which is the most problamatic. I have had some diarrhea and feel quite nausius.
I do not want to take anymore naproxcin, but worry that the gp will feel I should have spoken to someone before stopping but to do not know who that should he.
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 01:59
How would I find someone to do acupuncture? I found the physieo through my private healthcare.
ShastaBeast · 28/09/2018 02:11
Ask the physio about acupuncture, although I’m far too sceptical to bother.
Unfortunately we are all different, so I find opiates very helpful while other people don’t. I didn’t find gabapentin helpful, similar to pregablin, plus bad side effects. You just have to try and see what works for you. The GP would advise stopping the naproxen. Keep taking the omeprazole and buy some gaviscon. Your stomach will take a bit of time to recover but you’ll probably never tolerate NSAIDS again.
Mum2OneTeen · 28/09/2018 02:19
Sciatica is awful, others have given good advice but I can add the following:
- try sleeping on your side with a pillow (or rolled up towel) between your knees, or if lying on your back, under your knees.
- heat packs can help.
- when I used to get sciatica constantly the only thing that really gave immediate relief was my chiropractor (or osteopath). I also used to try Chinese acupuncture which did help, but not as effective as chiro/osteo.
- there are yoga/physio exercises that can help by stretching the sciatic nerve. Basically you lie on your back, pull up one knee to the opposite side with your hands and hold. You can even gently roll toward the side you are pulling from to increase the stretch.
- Check out Pinterest and search sciatica exercises/pain relief for info.
- Avoid lifting from the lower back, bend knees to lift things.
- Try taking Voltaren Anti-inflammatory tablets with food. You can get Voltaren cream too which you could try rubbing into the hip.
- There are tablets named Mersyndol in Australia which contain paracetamol, codeine, and a muscle relaxant. They were the only pain meds that helped, but they do knock you out. Good for nighttime though.
Pretenditsaplan · 28/09/2018 02:29
If there's a boots near you the you could get a tens machine.ots the only thingbthat cuts through sciatica for mqe(its send out electric pulses with disrupts the nerve signals saying pain) its honestly hit or miss if itll work for you and you cant sleep with it on but it may cut awake painenough to doze off for a while. The worst thing about chronic pain for me is its the same day and night so a bit of releif may help
curlykaren · 28/09/2018 02:31
Google Chinese medical centre for the area you are in. I've found that even when NHS physiotherapy are qualified to deliver acupuncture they use too few needles to be effective. In the sessions I've been to there has always been some kind of follow up treatment straight away. So deep tissue massage or cupping. I know it doesn't work for everyone but if it's a treatment your body responds well to then it's like taking a weeks worth of painkillers. You will be really tired soon after so don't do it before a meeting! Good luck!
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 02:31
I agree that I should stop taking the naproxcin however, it was prescribed after the ooh had referred me to A&E with pain and diarrhea with taking naproxcin with no omeprazole. I discussed this with the nurse and said that I was concerned that my stomach was not fully healed as I had a mild indegestion type feeling. She said that I needed to take regular naproxcin as a course to treat the inflamation and that the previous pain did not matter. I do not know if this was coming from the DR as through out the appointment the nurse was passing written electronic messages to the GP who was saying what to do.
I really hope that this does not stop me taking NSAIDs as econac supositories are the only thing which help with bad endometriosis pain other than IV paracetamol or injected morphine.
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 02:35
Thanks I have been trying doing those sorts of exercises as recommended by the physieo. The complicating factor is we are not sure if it is psciatica or endometriosis growing back on the nerves or post surgical adhesions. I am getting verry bad pulling pain in my lower stomach, and one theory of the physieo is that this has lead to tensincg muscles and this is irritating the nurve. She felt all my muscles were extreamly tight.
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 02:38
I do have a TENS machine but do not really know where to put it, I have pain in my stomach, bad pain in the lower pelvis particularly on the left and then a tightness / aching sensation in the lower back and at points down the leg. Since doing the physieo exercises I do feel there has been an improvement in the psciatica as have not had pain below the knee and can ease things throgh the recommended stretches.
ShastaBeast · 28/09/2018 02:44
Mindfulness meditation will help a little with the tense muscle and sleep. I did a pain management course with a lot of mindfulness involved. It did help weirdly. If Private can you get an MRI?
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 02:46
The pain in my upper and lower stomach is really bad though and I am worried that someone is missing something as previous internal ultrasounds and a abdominal x-ray were clear.
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 02:48
I think I could get an MRI but do not know who I should be referred to to get it, as do not know if it is abdominal pain or psciatica that is the main problem. I also know that if it is surgical adhesions these won’t show without surgery.
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 02:54
Thanks Shasta, Glad the pain mannagement course was helpful. I do find mindfullness to be helpful useually and used to use medditations a lot when I had years of undiagnosed endometriocis pain. I think I am just so exausted that I need some help to get some sleep. I honestly feel if I could get 4 or 5 hours sleep I would be able to get some perspective and be in less pain. However, I do not know how I can get this. I previously found amitriptiline to be good when being treated for IBS (later diagnosed and treated as bowel endometriosis) as I was sleepie enough to be able to go back to sleep once woken up by pain. The problem is much more being woken from sleep rather than inability to fall asleep.
ShastaBeast · 28/09/2018 02:55
Ask the physio about a referral via your private insurance. At least it will rule out cause of the sciatica so you can focus on the other causes.
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 02:56
Have any of you mannaged to get help from an OOH or walk in for this sort of pain? I am aware that treatments and any needed investigations will take some time, but do not know how to cope the weekend, given that I physically can’t get to see a GP tomorrow as am the other side of the country.
Thighofrelief · 28/09/2018 02:58
I sometimes use ranitidine as well as omaprazole for stomach, it's much faster acting and otc.
Jellyjumpers · 28/09/2018 02:58
Thanks, oddly a colleague seeing the same physieo was told that the physieo could not refer and she was given a letter to give to the NHS physieo dept.
stationaryace · 28/09/2018 03:41
The Palliative Care team have been the best source of pain management for me. I'm undergoing chemo just now and they are the ones that managed to source me meds which actually worked on my back pain that was waking me several times a night - likely nerve pain.
Not sure how to access them if you don't go through oncology though. They sound scary (like you've given up) but really are a source of pain management specialists as they focus on just helping the patient feel better right now.
Figural · 28/09/2018 04:30
If you've been prescribed Naproxen your GP should also have prescribed a proton pump inhibitor drug to prevent acid reflux which can be very damaging. PPI drugs reduce the amount of stomach acid you produce. Omeprazole, mentioned earlier, is one of these.
I take 400mg ibuprofen three times a day and tried taking it with food and not taking the Omeprazole, but still had acid reflux. One episode of that was disgusting enough to send me straight back to the Omeprazole. I don't know if you can buy lower dose Omeprazole OTC, it might be worth speaking to a pharmacist.
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