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She gets Tramadol every 8 hours which isn’t enough. Her hands are so swollen & deformed. To hear her crying & moaning & hyperventilating from the pain is torture for her & me & my siblings. The AL is in Suffolk County, NY. Any ideas on what can be done to help my mother.

Palliative care, for sure.
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Reply to Geaton777
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You do not need a referral to request a hospice evaluation. Find a local group through word-of-mouth or one that has good reviews and preferably also has a palliative care program. If she doesn’t qualify for hospice, palliative care will come to her and help manage her pain.

Personally I would not recommend a pain management specialist because in my experience you will have to follow specific criteria, e.g. regular in person appointments, urine tests etc. They will likely be more conservative in their approach while palliative/hospice will be concerned about care and comfort above all.
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Reply to MidwestOT
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engage hospice. They don’t do any caregiving but they supply medication for pain. Unfortunately, you or your designated caregiver has to administer it. Palliative care also, long acting morphine type patch may get her pain under control. Assisted living does not seem to be much help. Pain management physician might be a good option. Sorry you and mother are not getting better support.
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Reply to Beethoven13
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I'd get palliative care on board with mom asap. They can prescribe medications that standard PCPs will no longer prescribe. I'm very surprised her PCP has done nothing to address this terribly painful situation for her. At 94, nobody should be concerned with addiction or anything else except providing comfort!

Best of luck.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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I hope you are not expecting the AL to do anything? They just give Medications perscribed by Moms PCP or the facilities doctor. She may need a pain specialist. I just read this

"tramadol alone or in combination with acetaminophen probably has no important benefit on mean pain or function in people with osteoarthritis …"

My Aunts hands were all narly from arthritis. She found that a paraffin wax soak helped. Here'd a machine. Maybe there is a cream that can be usedbon her hands.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=paraffin+wax+bath+for+arthritis&adgrpid=58884088067&hvadid=657246845467&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9003829&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7942801939993321474&hvtargid=kwd-339322350149&hydadcr=461_1015123996&tag=hydsma-20&ref=pd_sl_41msf2yr3g_e
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Ticabelle Jan 17, 2025
It’s not just her hands. She’s got pain in her neck, shoulders, back, legs. It’s inhumane to let people suffer. I’m sick about it.
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This is of course a medical problem and only Medical can address it. This is a case of the POA first discussing this with the doctor of the mother; if no conclusions can be made other than what my daughter now calls the "doggie" medicine (that every MD seems to be using now that opioids are O-U-T for even those conditions for which they are REQUIRED) there may need to be further requests for a specialist dealing with arthritis or a request for palliative care, in which more and better medications may be allowed. It is also worth considering a visit to pain management if mother is able to do this, but so much of their is trying to incorporate a sort of "wholistic approach" that includes meditation and such--things which an elder would have a difficult time participating in.

I think the POA needs to make it CLEAR that whether this is a case where Hospice or Palliative care is needed or not, it is NOT OK to allow this senior to spend her remaining time in torment.

I am so very sorry. It was all very needed and well meaning this "war on drugs" that caused this conundrum, but the fact is that abusers, often using pain clinics in the Southernmost states and illicit "pushers" are STILL getting their drugs, while real sufferers are left with things that are not good enough.

You are going to need to be one very squeaky wheel to get some oil going here. I am so sorry.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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Ticabelle Jan 17, 2025
Thank you for taking the time to answer.
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