Pain Management

[whotoldya]

Been working with various pain management centers around the region. Seems most want to give me pain killers. I do not want those. Rather find alternative methods to ease pain.

Some of the herbs at the local herb store have helped some.

Also the Rehabilitation Center I go to has begun what they call an "Independant" program. Pay by the month go as many times as I want. No assistant but I remember most things they taught me.

Seems Rehab centers in other locations are starting to offer the same service. Been telling other friends about this. They are doing the same thing.

Anyone have any thoughts on this topic?

If you wish to post a topic you should be able to.

whotoldya

[lehman-parker]

I bet it did feel good! 🙂

[agnessrainn]

You bet it felt good Pat ... it's not that I dress up ... after all I have no place to go as I don't drive ... haven't in 8 years ... but it is nice to wear real jeans again! 

I worry though about what will happen when I finish the round of the drugs if the pain will come back.

Kate

[lehman-parker]

I had a fracture in my foot when I was a kid and once it healed I didn't have any pain. I hope that will be true for you, too.

[Anonymous]

I have 3 different health conditions that are all pain related. I take Lyrica and it does help. I don't take any other Rx pain meds because of the side effects. I do take about 5 different herbal supplements and vitamins. I also find that what I eat has a direct bearing on how I feel.

Everyone is different and reacts differently to meds and supplements. So what works for me isn't necessarily going to work for you. However, I can tell you that red meat and certain carbs always make me feel worse. Fruits and veggies always make me feel better. and then there are those times when my big bag of cheese doodle makes me feel better and worse all at the same time 😉

[agnessrainn]

then there are those times when my big bag of cheese doodle makes me feel better and worse all at the same time ...

How true ... some days cheezy puffs are the best!

Kate

[lehman-parker]

I have 3 different health conditions that are all pain related. I take Lyrica and it does help. I don't take any other Rx pain meds because of the side effects. I do take about 5 different herbal supplements and vitamins. I also find that what I eat has a direct bearing on how I feel.

Everyone is different and reacts differently to meds and supplements. So what works for me isn't necessarily going to work for you. However, I can tell you that red meat and certain carbs always make me feel worse. Fruits and veggies always make me feel better. and then there are those times when my big bag of cheese doodle makes me feel better and worse all at the same time 😉

Is Lyrica relatively mild in terms of side effects? My husband's going through a lot of pain from arthritis and takes Aleve but has to go easy on it because of the potential GI effects. I feel really bad for him.

I also have to be careful with what I eat, and also have a problem with carbs (sugar and processed grains). Funny, though... because I developed a sensitivity to salicylates, I can no longer eat most fruits and vegetables so my diet is relatively heavy on the meat and cheese side.

For a couple of years, I was trying to do the right thing and eat lots of what's supposed to be the "good stuff"... veggies and fruit, olive oil, etc. And I kept getting worse instead of better, especially my breathing. It turns out the "good stuff" for me was not so good after all.

[Anonymous]

Lyrica is one of only 3 drugs that help with fibromyalgia pain. It helps some people but not others and it also depends on the dosage. The side effects are pretty severe but I'm on such a low dosage that they are manageable.

I've got osteoarthritis and my rheumatologist wanted me to try Cymbalta. I couldn't handle the side effects from that. I don't think the Lyrica does anything for my arthritis. Especially if it's raining.

[agnessrainn]

Where are you from Soloinar ... does it rain a lot where you live ... just wondering because you said the rain affects your arthritis.

I too, suffer wild and crazy side effects... I am hypersensitive to so many drugs ... sometimes I just have to fight through the side effects ... other times I stop taking the drug.  Depends on how bad the side effects are.

Hope you are having a pain free day ...

Kate

[lehman-parker]

Lyrica is one of only 3 drugs that help with fibromyalgia pain. It helps some people but not others and it also depends on the dosage. The side effects are pretty severe but I'm on such a low dosage that they are manageable.

I've got osteoarthritis and my rheumatologist wanted me to try Cymbalta. I couldn't handle the side effects from that. I don't think the Lyrica does anything for my arthritis. Especially if it's raining.

Thanks for the info about Lyrica. It doesn't sound like a good solution for my husband.

[Anonymous]

I'm in north central Arkansas in the Ozark foothills. Memphis is about 2 1/2 hours east, Little Rock is about 2 1/2 hours south and the closest interstate is about 2 hours away. It's clean, quiet, friendly, and in the middle of nowhere.

I've been here a year and there hasn't been a lot of consecutive rainy days. Last summer was very hot...had a few days of 120 + temps. We're already getting close to 80 and it's the middle of March so everyone is talking about how bad the summer will be. I don't do well with the rain but I do even worse in the heat. So I may have to consider moving at some future date.

I just love it here so much that I'm trying to adjust to the heat. We'll see how it goes.

[whotoldya]

Accupuncture has helped me some.

Also having my wife bring me out into the sun for about 15 minutes helps.

We have zillions of birds out there cause she feeds them. During my lifetime I have learned how to whistle with the birds. They respond back and forth with me. My wife says I sound more like a bird than the bird does.  :^O

One of the neighbors calls me "Dances With Birds".

You are right the north central part of Arkansas is beautiful.  Do you ever take a good look at the birds up there?

Hope everyone is pain free today.

whotoldya

[lehman-parker]

Whotoldya, uh, I mean dances with birds... thanks for sharing that. Your post made me smile. 🙂

[Anonymous]

The birds around here are amazing. I had a hawk visiting for about a week. There are about 3 different types of blue birds. The cardinals are striking. I'm not too crazy about the crows. They're really noisy. I'm thinking about getting a book and a pair of binoculars.

Right now I'm staying in a house on one of the lakes. My house has a mold problem and the rental agent has put on a new roof and will be tearing out the ceilings and the insulation next week. Even though it's barely a mile away, the diversity is astounding. My house is higher up and I've got different birds up there. Down here by the lake the ducks have arrived. And I thought the crows were loud!

I'm loving it all...except the mold...working on getting rid of the respiratory problems and am hoping the antibiotics do the trick. I think they will because I'm feeling much better being in a mold-free environment. I'm looking at this "displacement" as a free vacation. Nice house right on the lake and once I get my breath back, I'll walk down the hill and hang out on the dock. It's been close to 80 and the warm weather is supposed to continue thru next week.

[whotoldya]

Dances with birds here. tweet tweet tweet 😄

There is something about watching and whistlin with the birds that really makes me feel better. We have osprey nests that are the size of a Hilton Hotel out here. :^O

The crows come around trying to steal the eggs the pair of Ospreys have in the nest. It's a big battle out there. The Mocking birds support the Ospreys and chase the crows away. Quite the scene to see a mocking bird chase 2 or 3 crows out of town.

Sure enjoying our group. Up to 61 members as of this morning. WOW

whotoldya

"Dances With Birds"

[lehman-parker]

Tweet tweet tweet back at ya! 😄

I remember one time when I was living in Boston I watched a flock of birds flying overhead and thought how wonderful it was that they could move so freely from place to place, with no need to follow city traffic rules.

Now that the weather's getting warmer I want to start walking again. We live on a backroad in a very countryish suburb, and I really enjoy it here on nice days.

-- Edited by lehman-parker at 03/16/2012 10:31 AM PDT