Pain Management

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I have had cortisone epidurals, then I had one in the hospital that

they did under a flourascope, then I had one that I can't remember

what it was called - couldn't bend for three months (or turn). Plus

accupuncture (this really helped when combined with electrical stim),

hypnosis...and the usual that you mentioned...anything that will

work...

I am sorry that your hands are killing you. I find that salt makes

mine way worse. I cut salt totally out of my diet -I get enough just

by prepared foods without adding them. It really helped - when we

eat out and there is salt in the food, the next morning my hands are

so much worse that I can hardly move them. Do you find anything like

that?

in AZ

--- In , " lindajbelle " <lindajbelle@y...>

wrote:

>

>

> I would like to know what different pain management therapies you

> tried and what success you had.

>

> I have had SI joint injections, physical therapy, massage therapy.

> The SI injections worked but for a short time.

>

> Today my hands are killing me. They are stiff. Hope the days gets

> better.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the reply ,

Why did you have cortisone epidurals?. What is your diagnosis and how

is your back now?

I have not noticed that salt triggers pain, however I rarely use

salt. I will keep a log of what I ate the day before I have pain to

see if I can spot something in food that might cause a flare.

> >

> >

> > I would like to know what different pain management therapies you

> > tried and what success you had.

> >

> > I have had SI joint injections, physical therapy, massage

therapy.

> > The SI injections worked but for a short time.

> >

> > Today my hands are killing me. They are stiff. Hope the days gets

> > better.

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi

You know I had to do the exact same thing with the salt! I used to be a

saltaholic, salted pizza, salted salt, you name it. I don't salt anything

anymore, and like you, if I eat something with a lot of salt-whether I can taste

it or not-my hands and feet are extra swollen in the am. That's how I figured

out there is a heck of a lot of sodium in Szechuan Shrimp! Cary

[Guest guest]

Hi

I have bulging discs in my back and have also severe hip problems

(along with the ra in my spine). They were hoping to take care of

the pain. It didn't really work. When I really look at it

critically the most pain relief that I have received has been from

the acupuncture with the e-stim attached to the little needles. Mind

over matter helps...but only to a point and then the old body just

takes over...

Let me know if the salt makes a difference to you. I always notice

when we eat out because restaurants salt the food. Abbe and I don't

salt food so when we do eat out, I am always stiff and very sore the

next day.

in AZ

> > >

> > >

> > > I would like to know what different pain management therapies

you

> > > tried and what success you had.

> > >

> > > I have had SI joint injections, physical therapy, massage

> therapy.

> > > The SI injections worked but for a short time.

> > >

> > > Today my hands are killing me. They are stiff. Hope the days

gets

> > > better.

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

Hi Cary - it is so nice to find out that we are not alone in this,

isn't it! I found out about salt by trial and error.....watch out

for Scampi too...I have learned to deal with it though. Watch out

for all chinese food - there is an enormous amount of salt in it.

Abbe and the kids love it and we have to limit it because of my

hands.

in AZ

> Hi

> You know I had to do the exact same thing with the salt! I used to

be a saltaholic, salted pizza, salted salt, you name it. I don't

salt anything anymore, and like you, if I eat something with a lot of

salt-whether I can taste it or not-my hands and feet are extra

swollen in the am. That's how I figured out there is a heck of a lot

of sodium in Szechuan Shrimp! Cary

[Guest guest]

I have noticed one interesting thing about salt. When I grab a handful of salt

the palm of my hand will hurt and burn for a while. It is quite annoying.

lisaplumeria <lisamolino@...> wrote:

Hi

I have bulging discs in my back and have also severe hip problems

(along with the ra in my spine). They were hoping to take care of

the pain. It didn't really work. When I really look at it

critically the most pain relief that I have received has been from

the acupuncture with the e-stim attached to the little needles. Mind

over matter helps...but only to a point and then the old body just

takes over...

Let me know if the salt makes a difference to you. I always notice

when we eat out because restaurants salt the food. Abbe and I don't

salt food so when we do eat out, I am always stiff and very sore the

next day.

in AZ

> > >

> > >

> > > I would like to know what different pain management therapies

you

> > > tried and what success you had.

> > >

> > > I have had SI joint injections, physical therapy, massage

> therapy.

> > > The SI injections worked but for a short time.

> > >

> > > Today my hands are killing me. They are stiff. Hope the days

gets

> > > better.

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

What is the best pain management to use? I'm sure it

depends a lot on the individual.

I can't tolerate Neurontin, Lyrica, Topamax, or

Hydrocodone (in Vicodin). What are other long-term

pain management options?

My mother sees a pain management doctor every six

months and has a series of steroid injections in her

back that abates the pain for about six months. She

also takes about 5 or 6 Tylenol a day. I (and her

doctor) took her off Hydrocodone a few years ago

because she was abusing it big-time. She's 80 years

old. I'm not sure I want to start something like this

as young as I am (43).

I also started aqua therapy about two weeks ago -- 30

minutes is all I'll let them do -- but I'm totally

exhausted for a day and sometimes two afterwards.

Will

this get better or do I need to have them adjust the

program some how?

gfijig wrote:

> Study Finds Some People In Pain Unlikely To Seek

Treatment

>

>

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=37640

>

> A Rochester-based study has found more than 20

percent of people with

> chronic pain did not seek physician help for their

pain. The study

> supports the opinion of many physicians that a large

segment of

> patients has an unmet need for pain care.

>

> Increased media attention and physician education

are recommended to

> decrease the number of " silent sufferers, " according

to the study.

> Published in the February issue of Mayo Clinic

Proceedings, the study

> looked at 3,575 people. Of the 2,211 respondents who

reported pain of

> more than three months' duration, 22.4 percent (497)

stated that they

> had not informed their physician about their pain.

The survey covered

> a cross-section of residents of Olmsted County,

Minn., from March

> through June 2004.

>

> It is unclear whether the reasons for not seeking

treatment are

> limited to minor impact of pain on the person, or

for other reasons

> such as poor previous experiences with pain care,

perceived lack of

> effective treatments, and barriers to health care;

lack of medical

> insurance, for example.

>

> The importance of pain management has gained

increasing recognition

> in the last decade. In 1995, the American Pain

Society declared pain

> to be the fifth vital sign, a designation to

increase pain awareness

> among health care professionals.

>

> The rapid increases in pain medicine prescription

hint at a

> population of patients with unmet pain needs,

according to the study.

>

> Barbara Yawn, M.D., an Olmsted Medical Center

physician and an author

> of the study, says, " Identification of patients in

pain is essential

> to successful pain care. Despite significant

efforts, successful pain

> care clearly is not happening. Physicians have a

responsibility to

> ask their patients about chronic pain. "

>

> Pain's health impact on society is significant. Pain

sufferers report

> that their pain interferes with their general

activities and sleep.

> Approximately 25 percent of " silent sufferers, "

those not telling

> their physician about their pain, indicated at least

moderate

> interference with both general activity and sleep. A

larger

> proportion of vocal sufferers (43.2 percent) showed

comparable levels

> of interference. In general, the location of the

pain had little

> effect on whether the patients reported their pain.

The study found

> that chronic pain suffers who do not seek treatment

tend to be

> younger men whose pain has less impact on their

usual activities.

>

> Other researchers included Emmeline Watkins, Ph.D.,

from the

> Department of Epidemiology at AstraZeneca, and

Wollan, Ph.D.,

> from Olmsted Medical Center, and ph Melton,

M.D., from Mayo

> Clinic. The study was supported by a grant from

AstraZeneca.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

For hands,there are products out there to help. Here is one.

http://www.viewpoints.com/Evriholder-Products-Easi-Twist-Jar-Opener-review-31e21

As for pain? I used to take lots of meds. I take none now and feel the same,

just not as tired. I don't have much advice in that area. I hear that there are

pain management techniques that help you compartmentalize your pain that you can

work on with a therapist.

Montel uses this to manage his MS. I find that I do not notice my pain

quite as much when I am so busy with the 28 toddlers in my class. When they

finally go down for nap, I can hardly walk. It is amazing. There must be some

way for me to harness that ability to not attend to the pain when I am not out

of my mind busy.

Good luck to you and welcome to the group.

[Guest guest]

:

I tried Neurontin(Gabapentin) and made me very drowsy. Lyrica is a metabolite of

Gabapentin meaning it is a compound that Gabapentin turns into in the body.

Metabolites of drugs useful in that hey may not manifest the same side effects,

Lyrica didn't put me to sleep, but one on the side effects that somehow is never

publicized is weight gain.

[start Hyperbole]So Lyrica helps with the pain, but then your knees, ankles, and

back start hurting because of the extra weight.[End Hyperbole]

I found better relief with Cymbalta and exercise -- low impact exercise. I walk

and do deep water exercise in a pool to limit the impact on my knees, ankles,

and back. One side effect that Cymbalta does publicize is weight loss. This is

due to the increased serotonin level that both dims pain and makes you feel

full.

As I have said in a previous post -- exercise and diet, not diet and exercise.

Regards.

--Larry

[Guest guest]

,

Boy can I relate! I'm laughing to myself because I've said it a million times:

why do I feel so much worse whenever I rest? When I'm in the middle of doing

things I don't even notice. I sit down for a minute and can't get back up. So

far I just take Naproxen, Ibuprofen or Excedrine (not at once) depending on the

particular pain and my mood. I'm to the point of needing it every day, though.

Thinking if I loose some weight, that might help.

Holli

[Guest guest]

Well I take Neurontin, actually the gereric form of it Gabapentin. It works well

for me for the nerve pain but I still have mild muscle pain when I take it (I

thought most of my pain (back and hips, ect.) was muscle pain but I was suprised

how much of the pain went away with the Gabapentin. It blocks the pain receptor

in your brain that recieve nerve pain. I take it with ibuprohen and it helps

tremendously.

I have 2 small children as well so I feel ya on the difficulty of raising small

ones when you have CMT (I have 1A as well) My children were both tested and they

both tested positive, they are showing early symptoms and we are in the process

of getting AFOs for the both of them.

In regards to your daughter with food allergies, the neighbor girl next door is

allergic to milk and eggs (were talking anaphlactic shock allergic) and she dose

very well with milk substitutes and she and her mother have learned to cope very

well with it. Wouldn't it be better to put her on rice milk or soy milk so that

she could have a mother who wasn't in so much pain, who had more patience and

could have fun with her?? Just a thought but you know what's best for your baby,

just don't forget to take care of her mommy too because she loves you and she

needs you!