I’m sorry to hear about your mother having a stroke and experiencing such severe pain.
The best thing would be to arrange a review of her pain by a pain specialist or chronic pain management team that can look at all suitable options, including review of medication and other treatment techniques.Here is a list of pain clinics – you would need to locate the one closest and find out if they would go out to visit a residential care home.
www.painaustralia.org.au/consumers/pain-clinics.html
Alternatively, you could request an assessment by a private physio or occupational therapist specialising in stroke/neurology and pain.
www.physiotherapy.asn.au/APAWCM/Controls/FindaPhysio.aspx
www.otaus.com.au/find-an-occupational-therapist
This is another useful website on pain:
The treating doctor could write up a Chronic Disease Management Plan to obtain Medicare subsidised funding for up to 5 therapy sessions.
It would also be helpful to hear what other stroke survivors on enableme have found the most helpful in managing their pain. For some it is meditation/relaxation/distraction, while some find massage helps. It really depends on the cause, location and type of pain as to what may work best. You are welcome to call StrokeLine to discuss further on 1800 787 653 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
Hi Anne - I work in a RACF (Residential Aged Care Facility), and we are very pro-active about pain. Maybe speak to the Registered Nurse and ask about physiotherapy - in particular what PT is mum getting?
We provide massage/exercise classes/extra 1:1 for movement exercises, as well as topical analgesia - always in conjunction with a Physiotherapist and the resident's GP.
Pain Management is much more than just tablets, and your mum deserves an approach that is as individual as she is.
I wish you all the best. Pauline.
Perhaps discuss a resting splint with an ot such as a soft pro, custom thermoplastic an option but needs a soft sock material or I found too sweaty
Hi Anne,
i'm sorry your mum is experiencing such pain. I had multiple strokes in April this year and while I am younger than your mum (56) I experienced awful leg and shoulder pain. Your mum deserves much more than dosing her up on painkillers and I iagree with all previous comments. I have found taking Baclofen very useful for my leg pain at night and I use an E-stim machine programmed by my OT to manage pain in my arm, I usually use this for 1-2 hours a day and it really works, plus it has a rehabilitation benefit too.
Don't be fobbed off in your advocacy for your mum, you're doing a fabulous job!
cheers Julie
Hi anne
so sorry to hear about your mum. I also suffer from bouts of pain that is delibating. It's like a birth contraction on my leg every 10 secs when I have a bout. I am on the max dose of lyrica. It's a very touchy drug, so speak to a dr. I am much younger than your mum (43) and, touch wood, my leg pain has been better a month but I started an intense physio treatment then. Plus I do hydro. The hydro is so worth the trouble of changing wet. I don't know if the lyrica or my increased physical activity (which probably isn't what your mum wants to do. Although, I spent 15 months at Nepean Hospital and a 90 year old was common) is the reason my pain is better. Also, I find my pain is worse if I'm stuck in the car or in my wheelchair too long. Helping aid a stand, if possible, can relieve it. Standing has to be assisted for me. I had a brainstem stroke. Most stroke patients struggle but walk easier than I. I can only walk in a Litegait! I hope your mum doesn't fall into the same category as me. Fingers crossed. xx r
Hi Anne, sorry to hear that your mum is having such a hard time. There are certainly more medication options for pain in stroke than just oxycodone, and it is worth getting this reviewed by a pain specialist whenever possible, who can discuss the options.
With regards to non medication therapy, the research is pretty slim with regards to pain in stroke, but established methods that have shown some success in other complex pain conditions include training of sensory abilities, and use of graded motor imagery (include body part recognition, mental imagery and mirror therapy), and this is something that we are currently looking at developing further for stroke. These can be used in addition to the general strategies such as general exercise, engaging in meaningful activities that promote learning (and therefore different processing of information), and techniques such as mindfulness, relaxation, etc
I'm a physio who does some work with the Florey Institute and the noigroup (the group mentioned above in the response by strokeline), and pain in stroke is a priority focus for the noigroup now.
I would be happy to expand on some of the ideas above if people would like.
Also, we are doing a number of studies in this area presently, and one of them is done entirely online. It takes about 20-25 minutes, and involves answering some questionnaires and then performing some interactive tasks about body perception, similar to those used in graded motor imagery. If anyone would like to participate (you don't need to have pain, the study will separate these groups), simply go to http://research.noigroup.com/?_p=stls which will take you straight to the information page.
Kind Regards
Brendon