Pain relief?

I fell down on my rear end on Friday--I didn't fall far because I was getting something out from the bottom shelf of the upright freezer so I was already somewhat close to my kitchen floor.

My rear end is a bit sore, & part of my right side and part of my back, (but not near my spine), are very sore and painful when I get up from a sitting position, when I sit down from a standing position, & when I walk from one room to another. I'd say a level 7 or 8 on the pain scale unless I'm not moving. When I'm not moving, there is no pain.

I've been using heat and cold alternately, and Tylenol extra strength-- but there is no pain relief.

Yesterday (Sunday), the pain was still about a level 7/8 when i moved, & so bad that I went to urgent care where fractures were ruled out by X-rays, and I was given 4% lidocaine patches and some kind of a topical gel - both did nothing for the pain.

I know I'm unable to take Motrin 800 or other NSAIDs because I'm taking Pradaxa. I'm continuing with alternating heat and cold just because it makes me feel like I'm doing something positive.

What else might I be able to take to address this level of pain or should I just try and be patient and wait for "tincture of time" to step in, and does anyone have any idea how long that's going to take?

Thanks!
Sue

The general advice is you can take NSAIDs but just not for prolonged periods. A week, at most, is the guideline I've usually heard. So you can take them safely just keep it to less than a week, and that's usually long enough to get past the most painful part of injuries like this.

Thank you, Carey, for this helpful info!
Sue

Prior to getting my AF condition successfuly treated via the electric current whilst under anaesthetic, I was using Neproxine for the pain caused by Cervical Spodylosis. As I am now permanently on Apixaban to help ensure a lower risk of my blood clotting, my GP removed the pain killer from my repeat prescriptions. This was in case the pain killer attacked the wall of my stomach and caused bleeding which could be dangerous when taking Apixaban. My heart specialist could only suggest replacing the Neproxine with paracetamol which is only partially able to deal with the pain.
Has anyone been able to find another strong pain killer which has a low enough risk of attacking the wall of the stomach?

Also, whilst in hospital, I was given an introveinus infusion of Amiodarone which caused me to develop a "Floater" in my left eye. I was also informed that my liver was not functioning as it was previously and the infusion was stopped slightly earlier than intended and the Amiodarone tablets I was taking were also removed. My liver function has not improved as expected and I am close to becoming diabetic unless I moderate my diet and loose weight. I am trying to increase my excercise levels but this is difficult due to the high pain I experience. I have been advised by an Optician that hopefully the eye floater may disperse after a year or two. Has anyone else experienced one or both of these two problems caused by this drug or the AF?

It's extremely unlikely the AF or the apixaban had anything to do with the floater or your liver problem. Amiodarone is toxic to the liver and can cause liver failure, but once it is stopped the liver usually eventually recovers.

The only pain relief that's as powerful as NSAIDs but doesn't increase GI bleed risks is narcotics. Don't reject the idea out of hand. Yes, if you take a narcotic on a daily basis you will become addicted to it, but so what? If you're going to be taking it for life what does it matter if you're addicted? There are millions of people out there who take a narcotic daily and have been for years. It doesn't make them high or have any other negative effects other than possibly causing constipation. What I would recommend you do is ask your GP to refer you to a pain management specialist, or find one yourself. The typical GP really isn't well equipped to manage chronic pain.

"Has anyone been able to find another strong pain killer which has a low enough risk of attacking the wall of the stomach? "
I have sometimes temporarily taken Steriod Anti-Inflammatories in the past, like Prednisone or Hydrocortisone. They can also thin the blood to much, but they are not as much of a risk as the NSAID's.

Also since the Napoxen work better than the Tylenol, that is a strong indicator that another type of Anti-Inflammatory will give better results than a narcotic pain reducer. These narcotic pain meds like Hydrocodone are hard on the Liver as well.

If you can maintain NSR, then perhaps you can get off the Apixaban? That would allow you to take the NSAID drugs like Naproxen or Ibuprofen again.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/2021 05:20AM by The Anti-Fib.

Thank you Carey for the advice and I will bear in mind seeing a pain management specialist. I can report that my most recent blood test shows that my Liver function has now returned to as good as it was prior to my AF condition. Perhaps this took longer than expected as I was so out of condition through lack of excercise for so long due to the covid and the AF. I have modified my diet and have lost about one and a half stone and I can now play outdoor walking football which is within my age and lack of excercise abilities. My legs are very stiff for several days after but each week becomes a little easier. I will shortly be able to resume playing crown green bowls and my sequence dancing classes in order to return to my normal fitness levels. I will be seeing my AF Heart Specialist in August 2021 and am due to see an Eye specialst about my floater in the next few weeks.

"I play outdoor walking football" I assume that is European Football "Soccer" I wonder if American Football is played "walking"?

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The Anti-Fib
"I play outdoor walking football" I assume that is European Football "Soccer" I wonder if American Football is played "walking"?

I've never seen or even heard of such a thing. There are forms of American football that are played without the tackling, but I've never heard of one without the running.

Yes, the walking football is soccer and is similar to 5 a side without the running for over the 50s played normally on astro turf..