Back on the Pain Highway

For the last two days Pete has been indicating pain in his groin AGAIN.  I would have thought it almost impossible for him to feel any pain now as he is on 9, yes 9, nerve blocking tablets a day as well as having the morphine based painkiller and also paracetamol/codeine painkillers!  I am convinced it is his brain sending pain messages, mainly because that is all he thinks about!!  I don't think there are any physical causes, nevertheless if his brain tells him there is pain then he feels it.  This seems to be one of the results of his brain damage (I hate saying he is brain damaged, but that is the way it is) and unless you can divert his attention from it, then there is no cure and, for whatever reason, this is what he focuses his whole attention on all day, every day.  

He has had investigations and nothing has been found to be a problem so far, which is good, but, on the other hand, I almost wish they could find something wrong so that we had a reason for it and could do something about it.  Tomorrow he has a 2 hour session in the Urodynamics Department - what this involves I really don't know.  Other than the fact that it is an investigation into the strengths and weaknesses of the bladder function I am not even sure what they are hoping to find out.  I can't see that they are going to be able to find out much considering he has had the catheter in so long.  The intake/outtake diary we have had to keep doesn't seem to be of much use as it wants to know how much he drinks of what (water, tea, coffe etc) and then how often he empties his bladder and how much comes out each time, and, as he is on a continuous flow catheter, all I can put down is when he empties the bag which gives no indication whatsoever of what they want to know!!  But, I may be wrong, and they will find out lots!!!!  Let's hope so! 

On Monday, Pete has to go for the catheter removal trial - as he has had it in since 30th May I am not too hopeful that they will be able to remove it permanently as much of the tone and muscle control will now be very weak.  He has to be in for about 6 hours so this is going to be a long session.  

Then, I think, he will have had all the investigations the consultant ordered for him.  As usual, I am very nervous about these next two and what will happen and how he will react and behave.

Again, for the last two days, Pete has been very bad tempered and aggressive.  This could be due to the pain, but I don't think so.  I told him today he is being bad tempered and he went off and got the packet of antidepressants - so, I assume, he blames them!! Whether he now continues with them remains to be seen.  He has been taking them for a week so they won't be working yet - but surely they are supposed to make him happier, not surlier.

On the up side, Pete did accompany us to Lidl last night and that seemed to go ok although I can't really say he enjoyed it! 

Now to wait and see what tomorrow brings.