It's time for my lidocaine infusion again and I'm feeling like I really need it 😢
It's nine weeks since I had my last one and, as anyone who has read my posts in the past will know, I used to have my infusion about every eight weeks. Now though, because of the lack of space/staff, they have changed the scheduling and it's every twelve weeks.
This is a big problem for me as between weeks eight and twelve I feel my pain increase quite severely.
Guess what, right on cue, I am starting to struggle quite a bit.
My legs and feet have been pulsing, as though someone has plugged me into the electricity. It is so distracting, not to mention painful and my lower back, legs and feet start to get a burning sensation over them 😣 It's hard to describe but it's really not pleasant and that's me being polite!
I know that it is the nerves, that ordinarily you shouldn't be able to feel but I can feel my nerve damage all over my body. I get really weird and awful altered sensations which I have had to learn to live with, if I didn't it would drive me crazy and there are days when it does. Poor Martin gets the brunt of that and I do feel for him, he just wants to be able to help me, but there is nothing he can do, other than be there for me, which thankfully he is, always 💖
I have been having the lidocaine infusions for several years now and, although they don't get rid of the pain, they help make my life more manageable. I am able to do more and my mood lifts, as anyone's would, when you're not in so much pain.
I have always had the infusions around every eight to ten weeks, apart from the pandemic which was more than a little trying for all of us. But a few months ago we were told that it was being moved to a twelve week schedule. It filled me with horror and I spoke to my wonderful GP who persisted with pushing for an appointment with my pain consultant. Finally, after several years of not seeing him, I have an appointment to see my pain consultant! It's only in a couple of weeks, which will be before I have my infusion, so I am going to talk to him about the whole situation and if it has to be a twelve week time period, can he help me with something to ease the pain during those last four weeks.
In the past, and in desperate emergencies, I have been prescribed Oramorph, which is liquid morphine. The trouble is that about twelve years ago, I had to stop taking some medication I was on, it was called Oxycontin and I didn't realise but it was very addictive. This was before all the furore over opiates and I ended up being admitted to hospital to have a controlled withdrawal. It was a complete nightmare and something I don't want to experience ever again. I will never go back on anything like that medication again and I only use the Oramorph when I really need to.
I am making myself a list of the things I want to talk to my pain consultant about. I find that, when I'm talking to any of my consultants or medical staff, I write down what I need to ask because otherwise I will always forget something. It's a bit of advice I will always say to anyone because when you're in that situation and you're speaking to someone about your health, it is easy to get distracted and forget what you want to say. My phone is always with me with the bullet points of what I need to tell them or the things I need to ask.
I'm pleased to say that I have been given a provisional date for my lidocaine infusion, which is 8th March. Fingers crossed that it is confirmed and I'll get my relief in three and a half weeks or twenty five days, not that I'm counting!
XxXxX 💕
As always, here is some Rosie love for you all, she has been quite amusing recently but then when isn't she?! 😹😻
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