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Who should I go to for help with pain relief

Kimbo911t
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Hi,

I have stage 4 anal cancer and recently completed six months palliative chemotherapy.

The tumours in my liver responded well and are almost gone but the primary tumour in my bottom is bigger, bleeding and causing me a lot of pain. I had an emergency stoma because the tumour blocked my back passage.

i am due to start radiotherapy on 16 December and am hoping this short course will help.

in the meantime, who can I speak to about pain relief?

My GP has been prescribing pain meds, but she misdiagnosed the tumour as haemorrhoids so I don’t trust her with my care.

Many thanks.

  • Our local hospital has a pain clinic likely yours does too. They can give advice on controlling pain in addition to prescribing pain killers. Get an appointment with them. 

    Ed

  • Offline in reply to Farmer_Ed

    Thanks Ed, I’ll look into that!
    Kim

  • in reply to Kimbo911t

    HI Kim

    As an example they gave me a TENS unit to try which was no good at all.. Suggested excercises and posture control which help. Relaxation techniques which do help. Plus best use of painkillers. 

  • Hi Kimbo911t and thank you for your post.

    I’m really sorry to hear how much pain you’re in; that must be incredibly difficult to cope with.

    You could try speaking with your specialist nurse (if you have one). They know your situation well and can liaise with your hospital team about stronger pain relief. If you need something stronger more urgently, contacting your GP again could be helpful, even if you feel hesitant, as they might be able to prescribe medication more quickly while you wait for specialist input.

    You can also ask for a referral to the palliative care team. These teams are experts in managing symptoms like pain. Your GP can arrange this in the community, or your specialist nurse can refer you to the hospital team. In the meantime, you might find our information on treating cancer pain useful, which is available on our website.

    I hope this helps in some way, and you can get support with this soon. Do come back to us if you need to. You can also speak with one of our nurses on the helpline, we are available between 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday, freephone 0808 800 4040.

    Jemma

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