Oh what a pain Parkies can be!

There are many symptoms of Parkinson’s to contend with along the way, but I think that pain is the main issue for me at times.

I have had a diagnosis of arthritis for many years now and have had four finger joint replacements. At the moment, I am awaiting knee surgery for a full knee replacement. I will admit that I am starting to get quite nervous about the surgery and the recovery process. So, that is a pain I am very much accustomed to.

Last night I awoke in the night with significant pain in my left leg – my Parkies affected side – well, technically speaking it was around 4.50am. I had had trouble sleeping anyway, in all likelihood because I am getting a bit stressed about my impending surgery. However, this pain has nothing to do with my arthritis, but my friend Parkies making itself known. Perhaps it feels it needs to remind me that it is my primary issue?

It is hard to describe the pain that woke me this morning. It was more than cramp and quite different. It felt like a strong shooting pain and I had to take some Panadeine to try to combat it. As I tried to wait for the pain to subside, I looked at the clock and it was about half an hour before I was due to wake up anyway, so decided to get up.

I’m not sure at the moment what if anything I should do about this pain. It seems likely from doing some research this morning – good old Dr Google – that pain of various types is definitely a part of this condition. It can be neurological pain or nerve pain or any one of several types described. I wonder how I would describe the pain to a doctor or specialist even if I was to seek advice. I often struggle with trying to describe pain. Is it a dull pain? Is it a sharp pain? Is it a stabbing pain? Perhaps a shooting pain? I just know it’s a pain that woke me up and necessitated medication before 5am.

It may be this is something that needs monitoring.

I certainly don’t fancy a 5am painful wakeup call every morning!