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?

I’m not seeing them now for another two months. I don’t know if I can see them before this?

There’s something badly wrong with your treatment here. Physio is not supposed to be unbearable .

can I ask what exercises you are doing? Initially all I was doing was activating my quads and bending my knee 10 degrees (sit on a chair and slide it on a plastic bag slowly back and forth).

Once I could extend my leg it was straight leg lift raises and heel-slides lying on the bed, as well as pushing down on a rolled blanket under my knee.

I didn’t start trying to do more (standing up from sitting; steps or lunges or squats) for three months and it was then very gradual.

Use heat or Ice
You need to elevate
You need to rest it but also gently move.

Id call 111 and ask for some pain relief. Explain you've tried your GP. They can arrange for Naproxen and Codeine.

Then push the physio for a referral for a scan.

You've mentioned being isolated and not being able to work out. You should not be working out.

As for isolation do you have friends and family to call round.

What do you do for a job?

Leaving thread now, just one last wavering plea for you to go to a&e. You're not taking someone else's appointment, you're not wasting anyone's time if the pain is as you say. It needs to be properly looked at by someone and that person is not your GP. They won't be able to scan or x-ray it, they won't strap it or teach to how to strap it. They won't offer you pain meds as they are so restricted at the moment.

Also stop doing these exercises given by some random physio who hasn't even looked at it/felt it/witnessed your actual pain.

I really hope you take this advice, good luck OP, I hope you recover soon.

You can't go to your A&E for an X-ray?

How can your physio diagnose without diagnostics done?

Get a set of crutches. Wrap your knee but not too tight or use a knee brace and use those crutches. Elevate it above your heart as much as possible. Before the pain gets really intense, ice it for 20 minutes with a towel in between skin and ice, then rewrap. Make sure your skin doesn't get too cold.

My youngest had this happen last year and she was on crutches for a few weeks. We used a bag of frozen peas for the ice pack and she was given her knee brace and crutches on discharge from the ER but I don't know if they'll do that for you. Her pain improved after the first 5 days but it was still there for weeks.

If you work, see if they'll let you sit.

I wouldn't bother, you need an actual diagnosis not exercises and painkillers that could be making it worse .

It’s awful because a tiny minority are people who are addicts who attempt to get strong pain relief such as morphine on the nhs - they ruin it for people who genuinely are in pain. I know addicts who claim they have ‘back pain’ and get morphine monthly on the NHS and they sell that morphine to other addicts so they can get their street drug of choice. Yet I’ve been disabled since I was 4 years old, under about 5 different hospitals and about 10 different clinics yet I cannot get any strong pain relief such as morphine, even after ankle fusion surgery - my bones were broken and screws and pins were drilled into my foot yet I wasn’t allowed morphine for the pain to go home with.

im so sorry you’re going through this, if you have the patience I would write a letter of complaint to the partners at your GP. My mum had an issue and wrote complaint to her gp and she got a positive outcome with those who listened to help solve her issue. So hopefully you could do this? I’d also advise requesting scans and a real specialist such as orthopedics or even the pain clinic who often are the only ones who prescribe certain medications. It’s no life living with chronic pain, so I really hope you can get the help you deserve

You need to go to A&E for an actual diagnosis which as far as I've read you haven't been given one, you need a scan/XRay so A&E is the only way now.
Either go there or put up with the pain (sorry to be blunt ) but keep on annoying the GP and they could end up taking you off the books.

Go in under 'mental health', they can't refuse this. Then tell them how this is destroying you mental health and refuse to leave till they act. Get well soon!

I know exactly how isolating and lonely it is.

You’re an awful lot more mobile and engaged with the outside world than I was after a problem in my 20s.

You really do come across as seeking painkillers, which will be doing you absolutely no favours at all.

If you can shift your focus to symptom management, you’re both likely to do better yourself and also get more positive interactions with health professionals.

So, if working is causing additional pain - seek support through work. Including occupational health if appropriate. If work is making an injury or illness worse then that’s not sustainable. The role either needs adjustments, or you need to be off sick or on a reduced working arrangement.

If physio exercises are making things worse rather than better you re engage with the physio. Not the GP.

If you need a fit note for something under the care of physio that would usually come from physio.

The role your GP may have is in prescribing a suitable accompaniment to go with longer term ibuprofen use. Worth chat with a pharmacist about that, and if they suggest then a specific request to the GP.

Then please get yourself to A&E or get someone to take you there.

Get some cocodamol from the chemist. Take it with some caffiene too. It works for me. I’ve got bad ;muscle pain in th4 muscle down from ;hip to knee. Told to rest it and take painkillers and if no better in 3 weeks they will send me for physio

Do you have a chiropractic/osteopath/sports medicine place near you? They are three different disciplines, but are professions who are often also trained physios. When I had a chronic orthopaedic condition flare up in the UK, I had a 1 hour consult at a chiropractic centre, and the lady was able to tell me what had happened and give me two types of treatment and lots of advice on how to manage it going forward. The hour cost £70, further treatments would have been cheaper.

Am happy to recommend the place I went to in Bristol. Would recommend summarising your situation on the phone before the appointment.

Would also second A&E.

You can take cocodomol for longer (as in a dr can prescribe it so you could self prescribe if sensible) but you need something like lanzaprozole to protect your stomach. You said it doesn’t agree with you? If it makes you feel sick you could get any sickness tablets? What about naproxen? You can get it over counter (if you say it’s period pain ) again you would need a stomach protector. Also ibuprofen gel?
im not condoning self prescribing but as someone who has chronic pain I wouldn’t have coped without acceess to meds. But also be aware there’s a danger of causing further injury if you are doing too much and can’t feel the pain)
rest it but also try to move it (gently) to avoid stiffness. Ice daily.
And try to relax I know it’s hard but there’s a strong link to the nervous system and pain. Try to distract yourself when you can . Look for things to help a support bandage, a stick? A pillow under it at night?
(check they are appropriate for your kind of injury)
could you manage swiming ?

OP, please read this, my mum had almost exactly the same issue.

Physio did not help and made it worse. Eventually we paid for an mri which showed bone on bone when she walked. The surgeon we saw gave us several bits of advice as we couldn’t afford to continue private;

-Look online and find a knee surgeon who has an nhs clinic. Then use the e-referral system which lots of people don’t know about. You can now chose a consultant to be referred to rather than going into a black hole and bouncing around physio for months. Put an admin request stating you’d like to be referred to Dr X via e-referral system.

-they will send you for an X-ray first. If you have pain when standing but not so much lying down, then make sure the X-ray is taken with you standing not lying down. My mum had it lying and was told no issues, as soon as it was redone standing it showed all the issues.

-we complained to the practise manager as others have suggested and listed the day to day impact and then asked for 1) pain management plan 2) e referral. Once we escalated it, things started moving

Good luck!

If you have an injury that is causing you so much pain you cannot manage it at home you need medical attention.

Either go to a walk in/minor injuries or A and E. You have had an accident (presumably to cause an injury) and it it getting worse not better.

If you work at a hospital are you employed by the NHS? I have worked for 2 different NHS trusts and both had an in-house staff physio service that managers can refer their staff to see. Do you have that in your trust? Might speed an appointment up?

I’d go to the walk in centre.

I feel like I’m nagging my GP, but I’m in so much pain | Mumsnet

Am I understanding that you saw the physio (albeit via video) only 3 days ago? So have you only been doing the ordered exercises for three days?

The linked post (there may be others, I'm not sure if the name changing is a regular thing, I just remembered reading this thread and sympathising) suggests this pain has only really become an issue in the past couple of weeks. The fact that you are now saying it has been agonising for 5 months is possibly another red flag for drug-seeking behaviour to a GP?

Phone 111. Tell them you can no longer take the pain.
They will have someone call you back about it.
Hopefully to book you a slot somewhere tomorrow.

When they say it’s at xyz place you can ask how to get there as you have no car no money and nobody to give you a lift. Maybe They have a patient transfer vehicle they could use.

If they have no suggestions phone your parents and tell them you have an appointment and would they take you. Surely they won’t refuse if you have an appointment.

Of course I’m seeing painkillers, I’m in bloody agony! Am I supposed to just sit and accept it until I can get a scan (likely in about a year), and just hope it doesn’t get to the point I can’t cope anymore?

Request an appointment to discuss your mental health as it has declined and you’d like to discuss medications. Explain the pain and the mental health at the appointment then enquire about zapain or naproxen. I’ve had both for acute and chronic pain management at different points in my life so I’m not sure why they aren’t an option, so ask about them at the appointment.

Hi
I totally understand your pain I torn the ligaments in my ankle and I've never had pain like it . I did wait too long before I went for any help .
when I got appointment with a physio I was the same 2monthsv wait. I was beside my self so they said to ring everyday at 8.30sm to see if they was a cancellation and I was lucky snd got one maybe u can try that.

You have my full sympathy it is awful..

I once did this, it solved the issue much faster than it would have done via the NHS. I was able to claim back on medical insurance.

I would go to your nearest small injury unit. Even if you have to travel. I did my ankle and they saw me quite quickly. They can do x-rays, physio advice and prescribe. It was a bit of a one stop shop. Even if you have to wait a while, just get a book in and accept it could take the day.