My right knee (ongoing saga) sorry for the rant

[gail2]

I broke my right kneecap just over a year ago. Spent 3 weeks in the N&N then 4 Months in a rehab hospital. They didt paster, slpint or bandage it. In the rehab unit I saw OT 3 times in 4 months. I was on painkillers and morphine. I got discharged and came to live at LH. HAVE ASKED the advanced nurse for another xray because of the pain I live with. They very grudgingly gave me that and I really had to demand and push for it. That was weeks ago and I have not heard a thing about it. I have had enough of living with the pain im in At one point the other week I thought of doing something stupid sorry. I'm in so much pain I cry a lot of the time I can't walk properly I use a frame to walk and I drag my r leg behind me, every couple of yards I have to stop and raise my r leg to ease the pain and i can't walk no more than 10 yards at a push. This morning I put my foot down with staff and said that I wanted a referral to the pain clinic at the N&N. JUST b4 dinnertime I had the house manager came to me and say what do you hope to gain from the pain clinic. So I told her how to live with the pain. She said your xray didt show any damage fluid etc and that i couldt have things like codeine morphine etc as they wood belong term and wreck my stomach lining. I wasn't suitable for a referral to the pain clinic as itsbone pain and there's nothing they can do
So im stuffed and totally ****ed she did say why don't you look up how to live with long term pain
That's it I don't know what to do anymore I can't afford to go private What can I do Thanks if you have got this far
Gail

 

[Thebearcametoo]

How do you access your GP? I would have a chat with them. It may be that physio can help you or that there are other ways to support the knee. I presume when she said the X-ray was clear that was a recent xray?? As for the pain clinic you should be referred if there hasn’t been management from whatever a GP can give you. It’s NSAIDS (ibuprofen, naproxen etc) that cause long term stomach damage - I’ve had to stop them after being on naproxen for 10 years but it was wonderful whilst I could take them. Codeine and other opiates can be useful for broken bones but if it’s not the bone healing and is instead something like tendons then they won’t necessarily help and because of the issues with needing to increase the dose as your body gets used to them they can cause more harm than good. You should be able to talk to a doctor about it though and not have the nurse gatekeeping.

Presuming the clear X-ray was recent I would go to the gp about pain options and get a physio referral as first management.

 

[silver minion]

Hi Gail. So sad to hear you are in so much pain with your knee. If the x-ray didn't show any damage then presumably the original break has fully healed. This appears to contradict the comment about 'bone pain'
I am not medically qualified in any way but I am aware that tendon and ligament damage around your joints take a long time to heal and can be very painful. Maybe ask for an MRI to investigate further. Also if they are reluctant to prescribe opiates would a TENS machine give you any pain relief?
Hoping you can get some more help and sending hugs.

 

[Leadinglights]

An x-ray may not have told them much about the damage that is causing your pain, it would likely need an MRI which is what I had that showed up the failed patella tendon repair, cruciate ligament tear and meniscus tears.
In any case I would want some discussion about the x-ray result with the GP not delivered second hand in a dismissive way.

 

[gail2]

Thank you for reply s it's 230am and my knee is so painfull that I have come to dinning room to use my tablet for a while, can't just lay in bed. My cousin who runs a supported living house is going to call is going to call me in the morning and help me. Think im going to make a gps appointment and push for an mri scan and pyso im on max ibuprofen and paracetamol and it's not helping much plus a pain gel 3 times a day. The xray was recent a few weeks ago and they didt bother letting me know the result till I was told yesterday by my house manager. Last appointment I had at gps was my diabetic eye screening and on the morning of the appointment the surgery rang up to check I was going to attend a staff member answered the phone whishst in the dinning room and I heard her say No she doesn't lack capacity and she will be attending her appointment on her own
listen gp surgery I have news for you im degree educated and can outfox most people just because I live in a residential home im not thick or ignorant. Same staff member answered the phone when the OT called up about an visit they were going to do and said to them NO she doesn't do her excises which is a load of ******** I just choose to do them first thing in the morning and last time at night in the private space of my bedroom and not in front of anyone. So the OT said they were not coming to see me and didt do so.
I have had enough and intend to make a gps appointment if need be with the help of my cousin. I'm a soft person and don't like confetation but this time im ****ed off and intent to stand up for my rights they are not getting away with this she's to ill/thick to understand sorry if this has turned into a bit of a rant but im so annoyed at the attitude im getting at moment or maybe im getting to sensitive to things BUT IM NOT HAPPY THE WAY THINGS ARE BEING HANDELED ps sorry about the shouting but im so bloody annoyed at things right now I could spit
If you have replied and or got this far thankyou
Gail

 

[Wendal]

So sorry to hear Gail and think you are right to be assertive and go through the GP route.
It is important that you receive satisfactory pain relief and are put on a pain management protocol that includes analgesics and physio of required.
The X Ray is only part of the diagnostic process but will not always reflect that you are in considerable pain which should be treated and managed in the appropriate way.
I do hope you make some progress as inadequate pain control makes daily life very difficult for a whole host of reasons and it is clear you need a lot more help in this matter.
VBW

 

[AndBreathe]

@gail2 , to be honest, your house manager's response is simply not good enough. You are right to go to your GP directly. I would stress with him that your pain levels are impacting your MH, because I feel sure they must be. Long term pain is debilitating and crushes the mood, if no end is in sight.

You have done a lot to improve your lot. Losing all that weight will have helped your knee no end, but clearly it isn't the full answer. Surely there are other options to the pain meds you are taking, if they aren't helping enough.


These days, x-rays remain an important diagnostic tool, and will almost always be the first step in a diagnostic process. They are cheap, only take a few moments to do and can be viewed and interpreted immediately. Other imaging, like MRI or CT cost more, take longer to do and longer to interpret - often because there is just so much to review on them. X-rays are a bit like a black and white TV, versus the flat screen, high definitions super-tvs we have these days.

Ask your GP what you and his next steps are and what benefit those steps will bring to YOU. You need to find a way to move forward.

 

[Fiona#42]

I can't add anything to what others have said, but that sounds awful and I hope your GP can help. Most of my experience of the NHS has been good, but sometimes it has been incredibly frustrating, for example when I was first diagnosed I was on Metformin, it didn't agree with me for reasons that are well known. I mentioned it to the consultant and he didn't believe me. Good luck.