Hello folks, update time (sounds like a restoration build thread... oh wait)
When recovering after piling into a truck hard enough to pull your shoulder off your ribcage and rip nerves straight off your spinal cord, what might you need as a priority after discharge from hospital? Perhaps an appointment to see professionals in the field of pain management, who can help you to cope with the crippling agony from all the neuropathic pain? You'd think so, right?
Well,
5 MONTHS after my accident I finally got to see the Pain Clinic, on Monday just gone. I wasn't really expecting much, if I'm honest, but it was alright. I had my medication reviewed for the first time since being an inpatient and the doctor told me that some of what I'm taking is pointless as it won't work when combined with something else, eg the Tramadol is overshadowed by the ton of Oxycodone (another opioid). Less pills to take should hopefully mean less side effects too, which would be useful.
He is also going to refer me to a psychologist who specialises in helping people in chronic pain. I'm in two minds about this (*boomtish*). When I left my husband a couple of years ago I used the psychological support service available through uni as I was in tatters, but didn't find it all that helpful. Therefore, I'm not convinced that it will do a great deal for me this time around. My step mum thinks I should stop taking some of the drugs I'm on because 'there's people who have surgery without anaesthetic and they deal with the pain'. She hasn't
quite told me to think myself better, but she can't be far off
The last thing they said they would do is an operation to implant electrodes along the spinal cord where the nerves got pulled out, which would send out electrical impulses to force the pain signals out of the way. It would be battery powered and the battery pack would be implanted, of all places, into my arse cheek (plenty of space). But, and I'm afraid I did burst into tears at this point, the waiting list for this operation could be another 18+ weeks.
I can't possibly begin to explain how desperate I feel for some respite from the pain, I've used the phrase 'constant pain' several times before the accident and never realised what that actually meant. It just beggars belief that I nearly died from my injuries and yet I have to wait almost half a year (possibly even more) to get help with the pain. I was talking to a friend about this and he suggested that the long waiting list for pain management might be padded by people who are professional Girosmiths who have ME or similar. I'm not sure what I think about that but the thought of anyone clogging up the lists when they don't need the service enrages me.
A mixed bag, this time. I'm generally pretty optimistic about this but the pain and fatigue make it a lot harder. Still, to finish on an up, I'm getting
one of these next week, which will gently push the ball of the humerus back into position and make the arm look normal again. I can't wait!
Snow
