paraffin/gonna plead with pcp today

January 10, 2007

Has anyone here tried using paraffin to soothe aching joints? I remember that

my hand therapist used to have my dip my hand/elbow into a paraffin bath before

she'd start manipulating (torturing LOL) me.

Recently, I saw a Homedics Paraffin bath at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I don't much

like Homedics products, but I went online and found a " professional " paraffin

bath for home use and purchased it. It was somewhat costly ($140), but I've

already wasted so much money in my desperate attempts to get some pain relief

that I figure one more useless purchase won't make much difference, if that

turns out to be the case.

I used the bath for the first time this morning, and so I obviously haven't

seen any results yet. I'm going to use it again this evening, and then twice a

day for a week or so to see if it helps. I'd keep my fingers crossed if that

didn't hurt so much to do. LOL

Two notes: Remember to take off your jewelry before using the paraffin. I

forgot to take a ring off, and trust me, it was no fun getting the paraffin out

from between the stones. (Brain fog, anyone?)

Secondly, don't forget that you haven't yet washed off the capsaicin from the

day before. OUCH! My elbow still apparently had some capsaicin on it, and now

it's very irritated and sore. Okay, mildly burned.

On another note, I'm going to call my pcp in a few minutes and ask him once

again to get me into a hospital like Hopkins or Mayo Clinic. At first he was

gung-ho on the idea, then he said that he'd talked to my pain-management doc and

they decided not to send me because they didn't want to give me " false hope. "

Well, the more I think about it, the more I get angry. Because quite honestly,

right now, I don't have ANY hope. And I still don't know what's wrong with me.

I've never felt like this before, but I'm starting to believe that whatever is

wrong with me (besides the obvious neuropathies) is going to do me in. And I'm

scared. I find myself not only becoming more and more disabled, but new symptoms

of " something " keep cropping up. First it was the (still unexplained) spasms,

now the shaking. I believe fully that I need a complete and thorough

neurological workup. I need to know what's wrong with me, and if there's

anything that can be done about it. If they tell me that whatever *it* is is

fatal, then so be it. But maybe they'll tell me that " it " is something like

diabetes, manageable but not curable. That's about the best I can hope for, and

I'll take it. But I need to know!

Thanks for listening.

Hugs,

a

Recommended Posts