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Leg pain

Rachel on Thursday, October 8 2015

11 Posts

Hi there, I'm rachel. I had a severe stroke in May 2013. I still can't walk or move my right arm. Ever since ICU, I have got spasms in my left leg. Lately, I have episodes that are hours long and it is like a birth contraction every 30 secs. I have the max dose of lyrica. Has anyone experienced something similar? Any other pain management out there? I've tried everything from Panadol to morphine (in ICU, but I don't want anything addictive). Nothing works. I have an electric blanket (because cold seems to set contractions off). But I'm non-verbal so getting the blanket turned on is hard. I also find water helps, so hydro or a shower. But these are only possible in set times.

15 Responses

Diana

11/10/2015 23:20

Hi Rachel,

Have you seen the pain management resources here: https://enableme.org.au/resources/pain-management

Also these guys are supposed to be pretty good according to our Facebook community: http://www.noigroup.com/en/Home

Hope this helps,

Diana

John kerr

13/10/2015 23:30

Hi Rachael

i am on cymbalta and it seems to keep my pain just manageable I also started Bowen therapy this week with the naturopath I don't know if it helps but I am feeling a lot more energetic then I have b

StrokeLine

14/10/2015 06:38

Hi Rachel,

Sorry to hear about your post stroke pain. Diana has provided the most useful links. We would usually suggest getting a referral to a pain management clinic so that you can be assessed by a multi-disciplinary team (physio, occupational therapist, nurse, psychologist and Dr). They would look at exercise, pain medication, education, counselling/mindfulness/relaxation to see what combination works best for you. Here is a list of clinics in Australia: http://www.painaustralia.org.au/consumers/pain-clinics.html

Our pain management fact sheet is another helpful resource. Keep checking in here and hopefully more members of the community can shed some more light on things they have found helpful. Pain is different for everyone after stroke and what helps can vary too, including medication.

John - it would be wonderful to see if the Bowen therapy has any impact on the pain over time. Interesting that you feel your energy levels have improved. Please keep us posted :-)

Best wishes,

Simone (Occupational Therapist for StrokeLine)

Anne Toothill

26/10/2015 08:10

Hi Rachael, My 89 year old Mum had severe stroke a year ago. Pain in her left leg was really get her down. They tried lots of different pain relief with little success. Recently she has been having 5mg morphine patches that are changed once a week. This really seems to keep on top of the pain, as the drug is constantly in her system and doesn't wear off overnight. Not sure if it is the morphine or her natural deterioration, but she does get very confused with real life and what she has seen on TV. Hope you find a solution. Regards, Anne

CarlyNoble

26/10/2015 23:58

Hi Rachael. I've had 3 tia attacks before I had a minor stroke in 2012. I lost the use of my left arm and leg. Arm has come good and leg is good but not brilliant. I am on a combination drug which contains lyrica. I ended up with terrible nerve damage in both legs and spasms and I endure pain at night when I sleep. Find a good neurological specialist. I have a great dr. Leg pain is normal

Rachel

07/11/2015 06:09

Hi everyone! Thanks so much. I'll invest. Fingers crossed the pain hasn't visited since I posted. About the same time I started going to Walk On at Sydney University on Lidcombe campus. Seems extra physical activity has helped. Fingers crossed!

Leg pain

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