Background

In 2003 I was involved in a car accident that left me with severe neck pain, degenerative changes in discs and restricted movement in my left arm. I can give a long, detailed history of my prescription drug history, different procedures and treatments that I have had since the car accident. However I don’t believe that it is relevant to this blog.

Prior to the ketamine infusion I was on 25mg of Durogesic (fentanyl) patches that I changed every 72 hours, along with 10mg of Endep (amitriptyline hydrochloride) every night and a top-up of usually two Panadeine Forte (paracetamol and codeine phosphate hemihydrates) about mid afternoon every day. There were also days when I needed two Panadeine Forte at 8am so I could get out of bed. Some days I would take four of them.

I am very careful not to abuse pain killers and if I feel I need to take more than two Panadeine Forte a day then I really think about whether I need it, or whether I just think I need it. My pain specialist says I am on the equivalent of 85mg of morphine, I don’t know why I’m not a zombie but I do struggle getting up in the mornings.

I do know that you have a choice about pain and how you choose to let it affect your life and I manage mine by pretending it doesn’t exist. When I am struggling I remind myself of one of my first visits to Raph, my pain specialist and he showed me the front of a book on pain. On the cover was a drawing of a cartoon character walking up and down along a graph with changing curves. He said to me: the line on the graph represents pain, it is always changing. His comments have stayed with me and on a bad day I know that there will be better days in the future.

I have adapted my life to manage my problem, I try to limit my driving, I can drive somewhere if it is an hour each way but I can only do this once a week. My car is modified so I drive with a spinner/knob - this means I don't have to use my left arm. I can’t carry a handbag or any shopping but walking is really good for me. 

The restricted movement and pain I have is part of me and after 14 years I don’t know any difference. It's how you deal with it that is important. I am lucky that the more I move, the more I walk the better I am.

However this blog is not about my history but my future and whether this procedure will help me.