I have bone mets to my spine and after trying a few things we settled on 10mgs morphine tablets 4 x a day to control the pain. I then had some issues so we upped it to 20. Yesterday I had a neck problem, so up to 30 mg 4 x a day. Does this sound a lot - considering I’m living a ‘normal’ life i.e not in hospital etc, or does it sound like a lmedium amount? I’m just trying to get a ‘feel’ for it. Anybody else on similar amounts?
thanks
Susie
Oh Susie
The pain sounds awful if you are needing to keep upping your morphine.
I have no idea about amounts and suggest you contact your GP or do you have a Mac or Hospice nurse for advice.
Presumably you are on biphosphonates for your spiny mets - if not I would suggest you get your onc to give them to you.
Have you had any rads to your spine or are they not that keen? For some reasons, my onc is very happy to give me rads to my shoulder blade and my hip/pelvis but not the only one I’ve got on a vertebrae.
i think you would be best getting in contact with one of your medical team for advice.
I hope the morphine helps and hope that maybe they can do something else to help you.
Kate
Hi Susie,
I have been having large doses of morphine for spine mets and then was changed to a massive dose of oxynorm which apparently is twice the strength of morphine but felt so spaced out, I had the dose reduced and then went back to morphine. I personally find the massive doses a bit scary and mentioned at the hospital that I was frightened that I might take too much and not wake up but it would seem that the doses I had been taking were comparitively small compared to what can be prescribed. In one afternoon/eve I took 35g of oxynorm which is the equivalent of 70mg (ie, 14 teaspons) of morphine. However I then found that I had a collapsed vertebra and have just had some cement put in for this.
I echo Kate really in asking if you are on bisphosphonates or have had rads. I had rads for spine and hip and the hip went a treat whereas the spne didn’t because of the collapsed vertebra which we weren’t aware of at the time. I supose what I am asking is whether your continually increasing morphine is your first port of call for treatment or whether other options of pain control have been offered.
I wish you well as constant pain is so draining and debilitating.
All the best
Angee xx
Yes, pain is draining! Am on bisphosphonates, and morphine amounts are on doctor’s advice, but just wanted to know about others
thanks guys
susie
My wife has morphine patches, she started on 50Mg ones and is now on 100Mg patches. This means she is virtually pain free all the time, with just the odd top up in tablet form sometimes 10Mg and others 20 Mg.
The patches last for 72 hours and are very convenient.
Terry