Chronic Pain Support Group
Physicians and professionalsdefine pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three to six months and is persistent. It's distinct from acute pain that is a direct result of injury or trauma. This support group is dedicated to those suffering from chronic pain. Discuss treatments that have worked for you, find advice for your specific experience, and find support. You're not...
Saw my Neurologist on Thursday because my wrists, hands and lower legs, and feet keep going dead and when I can actually feel them, the nerve pain is insane. If I use my hands too much, they just feel as if they are on fire....problem is I work in Finance, so they're always being used to fill out paperwork or on the computer. I've already been limited to working 25 hours a week, so need to be able to do that, because I've already told my Pain Doc, Neuro, Rheumy and the rest of the bunch that I will not quit working, its not even a question they need to ask. I've worked since the day I turned 16, through all the medical hell and the mental hell and I'm not quitting until their ready to put me 6 feet under.
So after an hour and 10 minute very thorough exam he said it's Peripheral Neuropathy. I've had my MRI and CT scans and X-rays, and several Blood Tests so rule out other things. I also have Carpal Tunnel in both hands, but I knew that already, I also have no reflexes in either hand. I'll be doing Nerve Conduction Studies next week, Yay :O(
It sucks because I can't take any of the Nerve Pain meds like Cymbalta or Lyrica because they cause me to go instantly, dangerously Manic.
My Dr. did point out the chain that caused it, 20 years of Lithium off and on, mostly on, which fried my left Kidney and caused Hepatic Stenosis in my Liver, developing Hypothyroidism, then a switch to Tegretol. I get to do blood tests every 4 weeks to make sure it's not making the Renal stuff worse. I also have to have an Ultrasound every 3 months now to monitor the tumor on my left kidney and the swelling of the Kidney.
It's kind of ironic, I've been the poster child for how to weave BiPolar Disorder into your life and still be able to be married and have children, have a career and be okay most of the time. I'm a High Functioning BiPolar and I have multiple College Degrees, but from the beginning when I was diagnosed 26 years ago I was determined to do everything my Dr.'s told me, take all my meds and still have a good life...and I did for the most part. But hell I'm running low on body parts, they've all been removed for one reason or another, I'm down to a Kidney and a Lung......and nobody would want my jacked up Kidneys.
And for that due diligence I get yet another medical condition and of course it has to cause pain. I pretty much just wait to die and get to heaven so I can ask God why the Hell I had to live the life I did, what was the purpose....
Sorry, I don't usually talk about me, because it comes out as a book...I guess I'm just feeling down and needed to get the junk out of my head.
So after an hour and 10 minute very thorough exam he said it's Peripheral Neuropathy. I've had my MRI and CT scans and X-rays, and several Blood Tests so rule out other things. I also have Carpal Tunnel in both hands, but I knew that already, I also have no reflexes in either hand. I'll be doing Nerve Conduction Studies next week, Yay :O(
It sucks because I can't take any of the Nerve Pain meds like Cymbalta or Lyrica because they cause me to go instantly, dangerously Manic.
My Dr. did point out the chain that caused it, 20 years of Lithium off and on, mostly on, which fried my left Kidney and caused Hepatic Stenosis in my Liver, developing Hypothyroidism, then a switch to Tegretol. I get to do blood tests every 4 weeks to make sure it's not making the Renal stuff worse. I also have to have an Ultrasound every 3 months now to monitor the tumor on my left kidney and the swelling of the Kidney.
It's kind of ironic, I've been the poster child for how to weave BiPolar Disorder into your life and still be able to be married and have children, have a career and be okay most of the time. I'm a High Functioning BiPolar and I have multiple College Degrees, but from the beginning when I was diagnosed 26 years ago I was determined to do everything my Dr.'s told me, take all my meds and still have a good life...and I did for the most part. But hell I'm running low on body parts, they've all been removed for one reason or another, I'm down to a Kidney and a Lung......and nobody would want my jacked up Kidneys.
And for that due diligence I get yet another medical condition and of course it has to cause pain. I pretty much just wait to die and get to heaven so I can ask God why the Hell I had to live the life I did, what was the purpose....
Sorry, I don't usually talk about me, because it comes out as a book...I guess I'm just feeling down and needed to get the junk out of my head.
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Define the ‘70s in five words.
I had carpal tunnel so bad I couldn't even hold a pencil, I was forever dropping stuff. What most people don't get, & I know you do is that carpal tunnel starts in the shoulder, runs to the outside of upper arm and then crosses over around the elbow and down the inside of the forearm. Unless you address it all most often carpal tunnel surgery won't work.
I started with needle accupuncture, then switched to electric as I found the results to be better, it feels like a little pinch. Within a month I was completely fine. I had no more pain, I could type for hours on end as that's what my job required. I also used to get horrible headaches, close to a migraine type. When having the electric Accuouncture there's a spot behind the right knee called liver 8, he'd hit that spot and within 15 min or so the headache would be gone. Now the Accuouncture was the second part of my treatment.
The first was adjustments. I refused to have manual manipulation as it's hard on the body and over time it can break or weaken the bones down. Instead my chiro used the Activator method. He used a devise that is a metal object sort of shaped like a T syringe. The bottom is a little larger than a dime but smaller than a nickle. He would put his thumb on the top and his pointer finger under one side of the horizontal piece & his middle finger under the other side. He would then press down with his thumb and pull up with his fingers, sorry but that's the easiest way to describe it. It felt like a light thump, no pain just incredible relief. He was even able to adjust me when I had a compression fracture in my back. Before I saw my first ortho, he kept me going for a whole year and in that time I never needed any meds. If you look up Acctivator.com you should be able to see if there is a Chiro in your area that uses this method. I'm not saying it will fix everything but I can almost guarantee between the two it will take care of the carpal tunnel or at the very least improve it. Sorry for the novel.
I know many will disagree with me & that's fine. I'm only sharing what happened to ME and what MY results were.
I love ya bunches my friend and you know I only want the best for you!
Love & Hugs
Lisa
Do my symptoms sound like what you have been having because I have never met anybody with my problem and I am wondering if I ever will.
Despite all your pain and conditions you amaze me that you keep your life as normal as possible. That is no easy feat.
Please keep us updated. Hugs
Nope, no diabetes. My dad has it, but i've been pretty lucky and skipped that one. I keep my weight down and pretty much live on fruit, veggies, greek yogurt and chicken breast, so I'm not really in the "risk zone" for Diabetes. I don't drink soda's or caffeine, no alcohol...pretty boring food life.
@nessa: I'm not looking forward to the nerve tests, their not the funnest in the world.
@jeremy: thanks for your kind words.
luvs & hugs bestie!
I want an Iron Man suit....it's just so cool!!!! lol
Thanks for all the ideas. I've been under the protection of American's with Disabilities for years now. The owner of the Company I work for is very understanding. He gets me whatever I need. He just bought me a brand new Mac that we had converted with a Touch System and Voice to Text software. I still use my keyboard some and my 10 key, I just wear my braces when I do. He also had custom ergonomic gel wrist rests for my keyboard and mouse pad, so they were made to the specifications of my hands. I also bought a new laptop at home that is a Touch system with voice software and I made a few other modifications to it.
I've put off the Carpal Tunnel Surgery for several years, but it's getting to wear I probably won't be able to put it off much longer, it's getting harder and harder to hold the steering wheel. And the State of NC already controls my rights to have a Driver's License each year. My Dr. has to fill out a 26 page report because of the Seizure Disorder and the fact that my hip, knee, ankle joints don't move very well. So i'll grin and bear it through the Nerve Conduction Study and see what he wants to do from there.
OCP
Oh yea - narcs are evil, but what about this stuff???
I am so sorry to hear this...
I know it may not help you at all, but my naturopath suggested Lyon's Maine and Acetyl-L-carnitine for Nerve regeneration.
Also I have a friend who contracted some mysterious illness that , judging by the symptoms, caused general nerve demyelination.he was paralyzed in arm and both legs for 2 years and he was able to reverse the nerve damage by becoming a vegetarian and using supplements.
I took him 2 years to recover to the point where he is almost symptom free.
I guess my point is - there has to be a way to fix this, but traditional medicine offers no good solution except for drugs with more sideffects.
Hugs!
Thanks for the suggestions. I've heard of the Acetyl-L-carnitine, but not the Lyon's Maine, i'll have to check that out. I'm pretty much a vegetarian, I eat like a chicken breast once every other week or so...but other than that I live on Greek Yogurt and fruit and veggies. I'm not big on food.
I hear new med commercials on TV or the Radio, and the list of "bad things" it can cause that they rattle off in rapid speech is so ridiculous its almost funny...I immediately think who in the hell would want to take that. I know people who just swallow whatever med their Docs give them and couldn't tell you what's in them, what they do, what the side effects are....it's insane.
Unfortunately for me, 26 yrs ago, they didn't have half as many Mood Stabilizing meds for BiPolar Disorder as they do now and Lithium was what allowed me to "live" and not wake up everyday wanting to be dead. It allowed me to finish college, have a career, kids, a marriage.....so I guess the trade-off wasn't all bad. Sometimes you don't worry about the far off down the road effects when the med works and keeps your brain out of crazyland.