Accepting your pain levels
It is surprising, when you suffer from continuous pain, how it can wear you down. Even more surprising though is when for some reason your medication runs out! I am lucky that my Doctors practice and my local chemist liaise and normally I have an uninterrupted supply of the tablets I take. Last weekend however it went slightly wrong and I thought my prescription would be ready on Saturday. I finished my current prescription for some tablets on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the chemists did not have the supply I needed and eventually got them on Monday.
The difference!
Saturday evening I did not have tablets that I needed nor Sunday or Monday morning, and by that time I had pain in every joint at a level I had forgotten about. Whilst you feel reasonably well, you take the tablets for granted but when you miss some like I did even for just a couple of days you are suddenly aware of just how you rely on them!
It doesn’t matter which riser recliner chair or adjustable bed you use when you have pain in every joint it is difficult to get comfortable, but at least they will help to relieve some of the aches and pains
So whatever you do please make sure your prescriptions are readily available and don’t end up like me suffering pain that you had forgotten about!
How to avoid unnecessary pain.
Make sure you are able to speak to either or both your surgery and your local chemist so that they know when you need your prescriptions supplied! Try to ensure (unlike me!) that you do not run out of your tablets at any point, the consequences can be painful. You should also see your Doctor at least once a year to discuss which tablets you are taking to make sure that it is alright to take them over a long period of time or if they might need changing. Possibly stronger versions of what you have been using as your pain levels increase or a change of tablet as the situation changes. Or even new tablets that come onto the market but if you don’t talk to your GP he can’t help!
Using various aids such as rollators or wheelchairs can help but will not stop the pain you suffer from but they may well make it easier to move around. In the house, a riser recliner chair can obviously help, getting you up and down without any strain on your joints and allowing you to raise your legs which will help with your circulation. Whilst in the bedroom an adjustable bed will be a real benefit, imagine being able to sit up at the touch of a button without having piles of pillows behind you. Or raising your legs to take the pressure off your hips and knees and help to circulate your blood in a better fashion.
Crutches can be so good to help move about if you are unsteady on your feet but the ones that the NHS supply can be bettered by using those from Flexyfoot that come with the flexible ferrule which can also act as a shock absorber as well. Not only that they are available in a selection of different colours.
Including the new pink ones!
Stay in control
Whatever you do if you are a sufferer, like me, of continuous pain, however it is caused remember pain management is better than pain! So always ensure you have whatever prescriptions you need in place at all times and surround yourself with all of the best aids possible to help your mobility and thus reduce your pain.
If you need any advice or help then please contact me, Robert Winchurch at 01492 548102 or email me at [email protected]
