Pain relief

[Deirdes]

Brother in law age 47 newly diagnosed with pc that has spread to liver and lung. Absolutely devasted. He is very nervous about starting chemo but is currently in constant pain despite slow release zomorph 80ml morn and night and oromorph 70ml hourly. Drugs just changed to oxymoron 10ml as and when. We are hoping that this helps pain? He is also on gregabolin 100ml twice daily .

Chemo is folfirinox.

We just hope and pray this will ease pain and he will start having a better quality of life . This really is torture for all

[Proud Wife]

Hello Deirdes

I am so sorry to hear of your BIL's diagnosis. 47 is no age at all. My hubby was in agonising pain when diagnosed but Folfirinox bought him some extra (quality) time. There is no reason why it can't do the same for your brother in law. The only medication I'm familiar with is the oromorph but are you sure he's been taking 70ml hourly - that's a massive dose and clearly indicates that 80mg slow release zomporph which I'm assuming is morphine (?) was not sufficient. Once his pain is brought under control I'm hope he will start to feel more positive about treatment. Do you have a good palliative care team and access to MacMillan nurses?

We can all relate to the torture I'm afraid, this is a horrendous disease and it's a roller coaster ride for sure. Please remember we are all here to support you. Our specialist nurses are amazing too, so don't hesitate to call them if you want advice.

Good luck and keep us posted xxx

[Veema]

So sorry to hear you BIL is having so much pain...my husband didn't have any pain at all, so can't really help there, but the folforinox is good stuff and should hopefully give him some extra time, my husband tolerated it very well and it gave us a good couple of years.

Much love and luck

Vx

[Deirdes]

Thank you both so very much for your replies. I will check with my sis about the dosage . You hAve both been very reassuring about the chemo and I will let him see your messages. Thanks again , it truely is horrible and my heart breaks for both him and my sister

[Deirdes]

Hi proud wife . Not much has made my sis or bro in law laugh of late but my post has ! Proud wife you were right I had my dosage wrong! He takes 10ml oromorph hourly . Other med is pregabulin x

[Guest]

Hi Deirdes,

Please get your sister to contact the lovely nurses on here for pain relief advice. They are very experienced and can suggest the best ones for the job. Your BIL can also take both paracetamol and Ibuprofen (unless he takes blood thinners) along with his morphine. They work in different ways and can often make a huge difference. You can also try some old fashioned remedies like a wheat bag or hot water bottle in a towel. These can often provide a diversion while waiting for the Oramorph to take effect. If he is taking 10ml of Oramorph hourly then his slow release Zomorph needs increasing and you should speak to his GP about it. The Oramorph is just to top up and when it needs to used all the time, its time to increase the Zomorph. Remember that morphine has a tendency to bung up the works and you almost certainly need some laxatives to counter this effect and take them before it becomes a problem… Steroids can also help but these often cause issues with blood sugar so need watching, plusses and minuses. Like I say, speak to the nurses in the morning and yes, get some access to palliative care teams, it's not all about end of life, these guys are ace at keeping people comfortable and providing carers courses and help with finances and all sorts of stuff.

One last bit of advice, make sure there is a plan in place for weekends and holidays. It can be a nightmare to get drugs increased at weekends and during holidays and get prescriptions filled so make sure the GP is on board, knows who you are and has prescribed sufficient drugs to carry you through, particularly the higher dose Zomorph - I used to keep spare 10mg tablets so I could bump up at night or if things got difficult, that's why it's important to discuss a back up plan with the GP that works for everyone.

We know what agony it is to be waiting for appointments and to be chasing GP's for drugs. Get them early and get plenty is my advice.

Hope everyone gets some rest

Marmalade xx

[Deirdes]

Hi marmalade

Thank you so much for your detailed advise. I will show my sister in the morning.

Chemo starts after long wait on Thursday so hopefully that will

Also make life better for him.

ThNks again xx

[Guest]

Just a thought, you do not mention Creon, this is a very important enzyme and your sister must speak to the nurses on here about it as most doctors prescribe too few!

M xx

[Justamo]

Hello Deirdes

So sorry to read about your brother-in-law and I hope the chemo goes well today. You can't do better than get your sister to speak to our specialist nurses, they have every bit of information at their fingertips; they have a wealth of knowledge and experience to pass on to her. They stay up to date with all the new developments and know exactly what pain relief to suggest to keep your BIL comfortable.

The forum members on here (Planet PC) are the most supportive bunch of people in the world. They also have bucket loads of experience, and appreciate the awful ups and downs of this wretched disease. You'll hear it described as a roller coaster - you can post while struggling through tears and the following day everything is wonderful. And vice versa of course.

Really hope the chemo goes smoothly - Peter had his third one yesterday and this morning has gone Christmas shopping !

Love, Mo

[Deirdes]

Thank you both so much for your replies. Chemo went as well as expected so fingers crossed. I will speak to my sister tomorrow and pass on your advise.

Many thanks x