Bloody Doctors

Hi Chris, I'm 3 weeks post-op foramenectomy/laminectomy L4-5 and L5-S1. I was prescribed Tramadol post-op, along with Paracetemol and Ibruprofen and found it really helpful - apart from the fact that it used to make me really sleepy and dopey. Co-codamol always left me really bunged up.

My response to their concerns about addiction would be 'well if you whizz me up the list for surgery then I wont need to be on it so long'.

Are you considering surgery? I have absolutely no regrets, so far, about my decision to go ahead with it. No pain whatsoever - early days I know but I'm confident.

Sandra

thx for the reply

yes i am considering surgery at the moment its the only light at the end of the tunnel yeah know wot u mean about the co codamol lol, just adds to the problems if only getting whizzed up the list was so easy 3 years of pain and im only now getting to see a surgeon thats if i ever get the appointment

went to see an orth consultant 4 weeks ago and he said he was going to send me for an MRI scan should have seen his face when i told him i had had it about 4 weeks previous and was there to see him for the results!!!!

filled my heart with confidence in the NHS he had no record of it and had to phone the hospital where i got it done to find out the results

and we let these people operate on us

chris

Join the club and I have now started legal action against my OLD surgery because of the neglect they have treated me with in regards to pain relief and getting me to walk over a mile each way to their surgery & back in agony only to be told within 30 seconds that there is no chance of having anything stronger (which they could have told me over the phone).

I have since changed my GP's to one that is a lot closer and have been told that as soon as they have my notes & as long as I am not a recreational drug abuser (which I am not), they are willing to try me on Morphine to see if that helps over the usual pain relief that the other GP's offered me. The new GP's could not have been more helpful to me and fitted me in to see a doctor within 30 minutes of me walking through the door to register. Even the reception girls were chatty and pleasant compared to the receptionists at the old surgery who wouldn't even look you in the eyes.

I also got my rescheduled Pain Clinic appointment last week as well for November 30th.

hi doof

i,ve read your posts on the american site and followed your progress, you give us hope thats for sure.

hi darren

so glad you,ve sorted the gp surgery thing out, you do sound more positive now. like you i have some influential people acting for me now.

in a previous post (tramadol) i said about the side effects and i would never go back on that drug , but i am finding now after 2yrs on codeine and that its not working as well, but i am so reluctant to go on anything stronger, i am so fed up of pumping my body full of this c**p, and feeling like im forever hungover. i asked my gp if this pain relief would be ok post op and she said it should be fine that i shouldnt need anything stronger (i sincerely hope not). i find putting a tubigrip bandage over my arm helps quite a bit with pain (strange i know but what ever works). i browse the forums to look for advise and hints, i,ve learnt a lot from them take care all. gail

Hi Gail

Sounds like you are in the same predicament as I am with regards to medication. There is no chance I am going to take medication continually that has no effect on me as all it is going to do is cause problems later in life with my liver or kidneys. My motto is \"if it doesn't work, stop doing it\" & medication is no different.

Just got back from my solicitors and things look to be starting into motion now. I obviously cannot elaborate any further than that for obvious reasons. I will hopefully find out tomorrow, at my 'induction medical' with the new surgery, more with regards to the pain relief situation as the cold is not helping matters (was the same last year in the Winter).

If you want to see how much of a joke the system is, check under the 'wheres darren' thread :evil:

just to update made an appointment to see my gp after falling getting out of the car could'nt get to see him so they sent me to the new guy, who surprisingly turned out to be someone who actually listened and was sympathetic to my plight to cut a long story short, no argument no hassle he said my next option was morphine and he prescribed me MST continous 1 every 12 hours and sevredol 1 every 4 hours for breakthrough pain pitty he wasent there years ago so just need to see how it goes when it gets really really bad

chris