u/AffectionateBake3010

Hello everyone! I’ve been on sick leave for various months due to the amount of pain I’ve been in and my mental health. I am now in a position where I feel more confident to go back but am extremely anxious about managing my pain in an effective yet safe way.

For context, I have been in chronic pain for 4 full years now and have tried multiple different hormonal treatments and medications. The trouble is that if I take certain pain relief I get a really low blood pressure and that has caused me to faint at work on multiple occasions (taking Tramadol mostly). I have been taking pregabalin for a month and a half however I have noticed that if I take my morning dose and have to get the car later on in the day, I begin to get a blurred vision and feel faint - this has been extremely stressful.

I need some type of pain management as I would go back to working 8h shifts on my feet for the whole duration (I work in a department store). I would like to avoid taking more oral medications as I don’t want to risk feeling faint and therefore I wanted to ask about topical treatment options.

I have used a tens machine but am currently unable to as it causes my burns to become really sensitive. The burns on my abdomen are from a heating pad and I can’t take a heating pad to work.

I am currently in a very uncomfortable situation as I would like to try to go back to work as I feel it could be beneficial to my mental health however my physical pain is still affecting my everyday life. In my previous appointment I was told that it’s just a situation of trying new treatments - I have been prescribed Yselty 200mg now. Ryeqo has reduced my lesions but I still have constant pain.

I have really struggled this past month and feel like I am beginning to grieve the life I thought I would have…