Guess...
Even worse pain! The codeine appears to be doing nothing at all - perhaps explained by the discovery that my brother is a codeine non-metaboliser, a genetic condition in which the liver doesn't produce the enzymes which make codeine work. Unfortunately, it seems we both inherited this and a resistance to a common family of anaesthetics from our mother, which has already caused me two painful experiences in Perth Royal Infirmary - one of those experiences taking place lying in the operating theatre. That really wasn't a good time to discover the anaesthetic doesn't work!
The pain is slowly increasing day by day - waking me during the night now, as well as immobilising me much of the day. Clearly, I will need much more potent analgesia ASAP.
So, somehow I struggle in to see a GP in person: the summer relief GP, Dr Bigham. She seems good: a nice thorough assessment, confirming my suspicion about the cause, then prescribing 100mg Tramadol 4x daily for the pain. It's a long-standing part of my brother's pain control regimen, so I know it will be effective despite the enzyme deficiency (specifically, it seems it loses about 30% of its effectiveness, but the remaining 70% is still quite potent).
The pain is slowly increasing day by day - waking me during the night now, as well as immobilising me much of the day. Clearly, I will need much more potent analgesia ASAP.
So, somehow I struggle in to see a GP in person: the summer relief GP, Dr Bigham. She seems good: a nice thorough assessment, confirming my suspicion about the cause, then prescribing 100mg Tramadol 4x daily for the pain. It's a long-standing part of my brother's pain control regimen, so I know it will be effective despite the enzyme deficiency (specifically, it seems it loses about 30% of its effectiveness, but the remaining 70% is still quite potent).