Page 1 of 1

Cannot Watkins and doped up with Morphine

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 5:21 pm
by william8
Please help my husband 13 years ago he had a very successful nerve route block and although he has had back pain he rarely needed analgesia .7Weeks ago he went on a course and had to sit down for 4Hours .When he tried to get up he struggled to walk .Over a week it. Got steadily worse and was admitted to hospital A MRI scan shows bulging at T4 and 5 but no nerves affected so why can he not walking? Physio has made it worse and he is now on Morphine liquid and tablets .He is a type 2diabetic so would this have anything to do with it .I just feel iam battling with the NHS system .and he is so low he was talking about ending his life .I really hope you can give this wife some advise he is only 66 Many thanks Linda

Re: Cannot Watkins and doped up with Morphine

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 10:52 pm
by Dr Sandeep Bawa
Hi,

Back pain can be very disabling. Most back pain settles within 12 weeks.

It is reassuring that no major nerves are being compressed.

If your husband is still struggling i suggest you ask for a review from your GP re adequate analgesia - there are also patches available which can be very very effective.

If things do not settle then you may need to be re scanned or reassessed by the back pain clinic.

Hope this helps

Dr Bawa

Re: Cannot Watkins and doped up with Morphine

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 5:42 pm
by wendygreen
Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about your husband's pain and difficulty walking.

I agree with Dr. Bawa - if your husband's condition doesn't improve within the next few weeks he should ask to be reassessed. Also, has he tried taking an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen, as this usually works well for acute back pain?

It's a shame that physiotherapy made your husband's condition worse, as many people find it helpful.

One other thing - you mentioned that your husband has type 2 diabetes and ask would this have anything to do with it - the short answer is yes - if it is linked to being overweight (type 2 diabetes usually is). If your husband IS overweight, losing weight would not only help to relieve his back pain, but also help his type 2 diabetes.

I hope this helps.

Wendy

Re: Cannot Watkins and doped up with Morphine

Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 8:09 am
by Stephen Kelly
Hi. I'm sorry to hear that your husband is in such severe pain. You don't say where in his back he has pain, but symptoms from a thoracic disc bulge would be quite unusual. So it's possible that the disc bulge is somewhat of a red herring.

If there has been no improvement, or if in fact things are getting worse, then a reassessment would be a very good idea. Make an appointment for your husband to see his GP to see if they can progress things for you.

Kind regards
Stephen