Hoping to gather views and provide information in one place for others if they are unfortunate to reach this stage. OH is now metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer last PSA was 70. He has had spinal cord compression treated with radiotherapy to the thoracic spine around T4 and an insufficiency fracture on L5. He has no more treatment options. We don’t go back to oncology clinic until end of June which seems ages away and pain management has been passed back to his GP. We only have telephone conversations with the GP, which seems a bit limited to me as they cannot see how poorly he is but maybe that is the way things are. GP has been very responsive and available by telephone calls but for once I am feeling a bit confused over the pain management plan and how best to support. I don’t really understand where the pain is coming from, bone mets, spinal fracture or disease progression.
Medication currently is Decapeptyl injection every 6 months although I wonder if this is still needed considering where we are. Paracetamol 500mg x 2 four times a day, Codeine 30mg x 2 three times a day with slow-release Morphine 2 x 10mg at night, Oramorph liquid morphine 10mg/5ml for breakthrough pain and we have just been prescribed Oxeltra – Oxycodone 5mg slow release because the pain has increased to quite unbearable levels at times. I had asked GP if we needed to be referred to palliative teams for pain control, but she mentioned only when she is unable to control the pain. It just seems that we aren’t where we need to be with reduction in pain, OH has no quality of life and can barely eat. The side effects from medication also need to be handled as the gut mobility stops and laxatives are needed daily. So feeling a bit lost and wondering if there is anything else I need to consider to help this situation.
Take care all and thanks for the wonderful support form this online community