Afraid and powerless

my mom has been SUFFERING for the last week now and nothiing seems to help she is taking morphine patches and vicodin and tryied percecets but NOTHING seems to work is there anythingi mean ANYTHING  to ease her pain?????

no not yet they say that vicodin and the patches are the strongest thing

Hi strange-love, What is causing your mom's pain? A lot of our pain is caused by inflammation. Treating the inflammation is key. What does her rheumy say??? Make sure she is aware that she needs to bring this up at every visit and be very detailed about what type of pain, what triggers it and what helps it. Sorry she is having such a hard time. Blessings!

Dear strange_love,

I'm so sorry your mom is suffering so much. I haven't read any of your posts because I've been kind of hit and miss lately, so I don't know what's wrong with your mom, or how old you are. What's the source of her pain? What kind of doc does she go to?

Mostly, I'm worried about you. Do you have anyone you can talk to about this? I can't tell if you're a teenager or older, but I'd sure try to find someone in the medical field to talk about. If your mom gave her nurse or doctor permission to talk to you, maybe the nurse could give you some ideas of a) why she has so much pain, b) what you can do to help, like get her warm washrags, ice bags, rub her back, or simply let her know you're there for her, and c) the recommendation of someone you can talk to.

My daughter is 20 and I know it worries her to death to see me sick. Even when I'm the sickest (though I never have the kind of pain your mom has) just the smallest bit of love and understanding gives me a warm feeling. Mainly, I don't want to worry my daughter, and I think we moms try to act strong around our kids, but we can't really hide how we feel. So be there for her, but mostly, as a mom, I can tell you what's most important to me is that my daughter take care of herself when I can't. I'm sure your mom feels the same way.

I'd like to here more about what's going on. Hang in there.

(((((Hugs)))))

Pat

thank you all for posting, its very comforting

my mom has been suffering from avn or avascular nucrosis in her wrists, the knuckles of her middle fingers, her hip (she had a hip decompression for one side to help but she still says it hurts her), she also has it in both knees and ankles.

lately shes been complaining about her stomach as well, she has constant dierreah and constipation
she also has a tough time eating, seemingly making her shed over ten pounds!

ive talked to her doctor, and tried everything he said i got her water bottles so she doesnt dehydrate when she experiances alot of vomitting or dierrhea. ive went with her to buy fiber pills and plum smart as well as dan active to help keep her regular and end her constipation. ive also bought hera heating blanket to keepher warm so that her bones dont hurt her.

ive tried almost every thing i can but its still difficult normally she doesnt cry when shes in pain but lately she cries alot and it is EXTREMELY SCARY!

i am only sixteen but i am fine and have plenty of councilers to talk to but my main concern is tohelp my mother by any means.......

Hi Love, So sorry she is having such a hard time. I really don't know anything about avn. If heat does help . . . there is a great way to provide heat w/o the danger of heating pad. Take a man's tube sock (or two or three) and fill it up about 2/3 full with rice, feed corn (not pop corn), or dried beens. Sew the top shut, fold it over a bit and sew it again so its nice and strong. Pop it in the microwave (try 2 minutes on high). Adjust the time for the size of your grain bag and the power of your microwave. These grain bags stay warm for a couple hours and are so welcome to sore body parts. You can freeze them too to use as cold packs. Find out if her afflicted joints should have gentle exercise/movement or if they should be rested and do whatever is beneficial. You might try using some fragrant lotion and rub her hands for her if that feels good. Human touch is very healing and that would be one way to touch her more. You can brush her hair or rub her shoulders/back too. I don't recall if you've mentioned what meds she is already taking. Maybe a pain patch would help. This med is released gradually and consistently over a specific period of time. But, I really don't know what meds would be appropriate for HER situation. We've mentioned above that if there is inflammation involved the MUST be treated. It sounds like she could benefit from an anti-depressant. Some of the anti-depressants actually treat pain as a side-affect because they allow the brain chemicals to recover to a more normal state. MOST people who are chronically ill . . . most of us members here at the Lupus forum . . . take an anti-depressant. Chronic illness and pain deplete the brain of certain chemicals and the anti-d becomes necessary and is often quite helpful for pain issues as well. Keep communicating with the doctor and be as specific as possible about the type of pain she is having and the degree of pain. Also note what makes it feel better and what triggers the pain. This information is helpful to the doctor. Keep us posted. It is obvious that you are a huge blessing to your mom. Sending you some hot tea and a big hug for you and for your mom. Blessings!