Pain relief

I am so sorry your husband is in so much pain.

I don't want to make you afraid but it sounds like it would be a good idea to get an appointment with your oncologist asap and get a bone and CT scan done because the pain together with the fatigue and the lack of appetite (and probably some weight loss) could suggest, and often does, that there is more cancer activity than before. Perhaps your husband's medication has to be changed? What medication is he currently on?

My husband was on MST Continous 60 mg morning and evening for a long time and it gave him good pain relief. This will have to be prescribed of course.

You could also ask the oncologist would he/she be willing to prescribe Methadone as pain killer. This is what my husband was on when it became obvious that MST Continous was no longer working properly and that he had to make the dose higher and higher all the time.

I don't know if CBD oil is legally available in the UK now - I suppose this is where you are writing from. It is available here in Ireland and a good pain relief when taken regularly under the tongue. It does not make you high or dependent.

In any case, I would stop Paracetamol (damaging for the liver) and Ibuprofen. Those two in combination are particularly bad for the kidneys.

But I think even more important than getting an appointment with the specialist nurse is to go to the oncologist with the wish to get scans done.

Best wishes

Mel.

Hi Mel, thanks for your response. He had a CT scan Saturday 14 Sept and he has an appointment with his oncologist on 14 Oct.

At the time of his three month review on 5 Sept he told the nurse he had back ache and the paracetamol and ibuprofen was working at that point. However things seems to have dramatically changed so I’m hoping when he rings the hospital tomorrow that they will bring his appointment with the oncologist forward. 
interesting you mention CBD oil. I have been looking at this online and we can get a low dosage over the counter in Holland & Barrett so I was think of getting that for him to try. Yes we are in UK. 

Yes you can use a TENS unit on the lower back.  I use one frequently for disc problems.  I don't think it can be used on the head or neck - a shame as I get a lot of pain in my neck also.

Mel,

CBD oil is available legally in the UK now.  I have found it to be useless for my pain but glad to hear that it does work for some and everything is worth a try.

#Rosedale6

Hi, sorry to hear about this.  Your best bet is to see a GP and they can decide what avenues to explore.  It may be that the GP can contact the oncologist. to see what's going on.

There is a possibility that it's the drugs causing the pain rather than the cancer progressing.  Nevertheless, whatever the cause the pain needs dealing with.

If the cancer is significantly advanced then there are extra options such as referral to a hospice, for pain relief - nothing else.

If paracetamol/ibuprofen aren't working then obviously something stronger is needed, but whatever that is, is  up to a qualified prescriber and things such as MST might not be appropriate or best.

hi 

what treatment is he on for his advanced pc ?

look for the healing cauldron on-line they will point you in the right direction regards cbd oil .

Just wondering is a TENS Unit worthwhile in these situations?  I use one for my back pain when it is bad and if I use it for an hour before bedtime it does calm things down so that I can get to sleep for a while.

He was on Degarelix for 12 months but he started to get adverse reaction to the injections and ended up in hospital on two occasions with a temperature of 38.9 and heart rate 144. At his review on 5 Sept his HT was changed to a 24 weekly injection, which I think is Decapeptyl. 

He spoke to his specialist nurse this morning and she said he may need a bone scan (he had a CT scan last week) so she’ll get that arranged if consultants agree and we’ll find out what’s happening at his oncology appointment on 14 October. 

Thanks for the info re CBD oil. 

He has been giving it a try and it does seem to be giving him some relief, especially before bed, like it does for you, and also early morning if he wakes up too early and can’t get back to sleep for the pain.