I’m in so much pain I feel sick but my GP won’t see me

[SweetSilverLark]

I injured myself five months ago. I’m seeing physio but it’s a two month wait for a face to face appointment and every night doing the exercises the video physio set me is leaving me in agony.

It’s to the point I feel sick and can’t concentrate on my work, I’m taking the highest dose of ibuprofen and paracetamol I can but they’re not doing a thing. The GP keeps pushing me back and saying it’s a physio issue and because of that, they can’t prescribe me anything.

I have been in this pain for five months now and I just can’t keep doing it. WIBU to sit in my GP’s reception on Monday until they’ll sit me in front of a doctor and let me explain the impact it’s having on my life?

Op I think you need to not concentrate on pain and need to concentrate on advocating for yourself with the GP or physio to get some investigations done to work out what has been damaged in your knee. Once you know which ligament is torn then the physio can be tailored to that.

Also call your physiotherapist and ask if you should carry on with the exercises even if it is agony. I am not expert but I'm guessing they may ask you to rest it completely for a few days and then resume the exercises gradually.

What’s your problem and why are you acting like someone shit in your porridge? Leave the OP alone, she’s in pain and your bullying posts aren’t helping.

@SweetSilverLark have you heard of Jess’ Law? Jess saw a GP 20 times and was fobbed off each time, she eventually died of a treatable cancer. Jess’ Law requires GP’s to reassess if a patient keeps coming back with the same problem.

It is also perfectly acceptable to seek stronger painkillers for pain that is debilitating.

Then why are you bothering to grace this thread with your presence?

As for everyone else so intent on pointing out that the OP may have started other threads on this topic, so fucking what? Nobody is putting a gun to your heads and forcing you to engage if you don’t want to.

Contact the physio team and tell them you are in agony when trying the exercises and how it is impacting your life.
If you work for the NHS and it is affecting work, speak to Occupational health, they may be able to speed up the appointment.

She's already said she doesn't have the money to go private.

The amount of people suggesting this poor soul goes private. Do you think she wouldn't have already done that given the circumstances...if she had the cash.
Jesus wept.

I don't know if this is feasible given your transportation difficulties but I think you really need to go to A&E. Trust me people turn up with far less serious issues.
Is there anyone at all who could give you a lift?

💐

Aye right - if you were that desperate you’d have done something by now - not post multiple threads on an internet forum and batting back every single suggestion anyone ever gives you 😂

She doesn’t need a lift - she works in a hospital with a bloody A&E department but refuses to use it, just like she refuses to follow any of the other advice everyone has given her.

Take a deeeeeep breath 🧘‍♀️

Calm yourself, it's a reasonable suggestion given OPs behavior on her threads. It's not an insult, it's a fact that if you repeatedly request certain types of medication (strong painkillers, Diazepam, Zopiclone) then you're likely to end up with a warning about drug seeking behavior on your notes, and will find it very difficult to get anything with a risk of abuse.

O'really? 🙄
See this is what happens when you can't be arsed reading the whole thread. Mea culpa. 😳

Where I live private physio is pretty much the only option. It sucks but sometimes you just have to find the money, even if it’s just for one or two appointments.

I’d ask for an appointment for a different reason e.g urgent mental health and then when you’re sat in front of them demand they treat your knee

Many people won't be in a position to 'just find the money', no matter how desperate their situation.

You won’t get back in the gym using it the same way until
its recovered.

You won’t get given painkillers that enable you to do that. You’ll get pain management that enables you to sleep, and function at a basic level.

Really? You’re in so much pain that you can’t do anything at all, work for the NHS and your line manager hasn’t suggested an Occ Health referral or a visit to your own A&E department? This is crazy!
Go to work, tell your line manager what you’ve told us about your pain and then if you can’t see occ health asap go and sit in A&E and get seen. I work in a hospital - we will always help out our colleagues in a situation like this. If you really genuinely have no access to a minor injuries department (even though you work in a hospital) then you can refer yourself to occ health- you don’t need your manager to do it. Out of interest what job do you do in the hospital? It beggars belief you didn’t know you can self refer to occ health.

How did you injure it?

I had a similar issue. I changed GP and that sorted it. I'd recommend you do that too.

Yep 🙈 she also bats back every single suggestion that isn’t about pain medication.

And sometimes you need them

yes I constantly asked for more painkillers and stronger ones but when you’re actually screaming in pain and unable to get off the floor, not much else would have helped me and nobody was listening

they did eventually prescribe me oramorph and gynae apologised for the issues I had getting proper pain relief

the doctor looked at my post surgery notes and said I must have been in hell

No way is this a ligament issue. I bust the ligaments in my knee - ACL and MCL. And wasn’t in agony. The kind of pain you describe must be something more serious.

Yes, this is important.
Prescription strength codeine/ paracetamol is the heaviest you'd get from a GP for such an injury usually (and younger doctors seem to be trained in ways to avoid going near opioid scrips these days anyway).
So if you're thinking Tramadol or dihydrocodeine, for example, Id say there isn't a hope in Hades.

But in what way do you not get on with cocodamol, if you don't mind my asking? Obviously the presence of 500mg of paracetamol in each pill means you cant overdo them, meaning you can’t just keep upping the codeine.
Adding plain ibuprofen with each dose boosts the analgesia.
(Oh and of course you can take them for more than three days. Jaysus Ive been taking the prescription ones along with other painkillers for over a decade)

Still, the max dose of co codamol really ought to help, as it’s a respectable whack of codeine over 24 hrs. Id look into getting round whatever it is that prevents your taking the drug. Its only temporary, after

A (very) few people get immediate excruciating pain from opiates, including codeine.
The magic cure for that is taking a hefty dose of magnesium beforehand. It honestly works. (Relaxes a gall bladder sphincter which clenches up agonisingly with a codeine sensitivity)

I have had knee pain for months, nobody knows what it is, see physio privately ( though the first 6 visits were covered by the govt on a plan I got from my GP ( not in UK) It has helped but they've suggested an x-ray now ( free walk-in with a referral from a GP where I live) and am awaiting results.
I'll let you know what it says.
My physio says to just push until it starts to hurt then stop immediately. Short walks ( like 3 minutes) and lots of RICE, until diagnosis is confirmed.
Mine swells up too.
Write everything down for when you do see a HCP.
Hope you get it sorted. I am dreading a diagnosis of a knee replacement . At the moment it's suspected OA or RA. Can you get referred to a rheumatoligist? ( sp?)
Best wishes.