Ver would love additional pain relief advice!

[verwon]

I don't want to add more drugs, I have enough of those already and most therapy and exercises are out of the question as well, so I am looking for some more natural ideas, like essential oils, vitamins and/or supplements, stretches and etc.

I do get some help from stretching each day and I tried Glucosamine/Chondroitin but it didn't do much, even though I tried it for months, so I am looking for some more alternatives to help.

Please remember though, like I said above, most therapy and exercises are out since I have a spinal condition.

[Jennifer M.]

We've talked before about stuff, but my physical therapist has suggested a TENS unit for my back/neck which hopefully I will be getting tomorrow. I didn't realize they did more than just muscle pain. I am hoping it will help relieve my migraines and the neck problems I am still going to therapy for.

Have you tried one of those?

[katlnhats]

No, I haven't Jenn,
But, thinking about it this way, that whenever you have pain, all your muscles tense up immediately, this will help with that and thus help with the pain.
How about a flax seed (this is natural) not actually a pillow but more of a band filled with flax seed, that's sewn and you can put it in the freezer for a few... in the microwave for heat, and then set it on where it hurts - I just got three lbs. of flaxseed in and will be making some. They've worked for a lot of people, especially for headache/neck pain, also shoulders..

Kat

[katlnhats]

Ver,
The only thing that's really helped my hip when it really acts up and I've literally "crawled" out of bed to use it is a natural pain blend I make, it's made with aloe gel, adding a 10% total blend of Plai, Sweet Orange and Cedarwood (Himalayn), essential oils and a .5% of preservative, not vitamin E. It helps me a lot.

Kat

[verwon]

Sounds awesome Kat, how do I get some?

I do use pillows and hot/cold packs similar, though they don't have flax seed in them and they do work great, however, we noticed the cold one doesn't stay cold for very long. The heated ones hold the heat for a long time, but the cold one warms up very fast, so I was kind of disappointed in that one.

As to the TENS unit, no, I haven't tried it. My insurance won't cover it, and my doctor really doesn't think it will help me anyway. Most of my pain is caused by my spine being out of whack, so nerves are constantly pinched or having pressure put on them, thus nothing really gets a chance to relieve it, since that pressure is always there. The TENS units, according to my doc, work better for intermitten or occasional pain, since pressure isn't always there, it gets a chance to relieve it and keep the pain at bay.

Just like pain killers, the TENS units, tend to work better at keeping pain from starting, than they do at stopping it once it is already hitting you full force.

[katlnhats]

Ver,
I'll send you some that I made with the garlic that's sitting here looking at me! LOL (BLUSH)

Kat

[verwon]

LOL! I wasn't worried about it, knew it would show up sometime when you could send it.

[katlnhats]

LOL, this is bad. I'm so far behind on making things as I've been making soaps every week for the other food pantry, that I actually have blisters on one hand, and I got Mark to help out with the soap-cutting! (he didn't like it! LOL) I've got a huge bowl of whipped shea that I've made that's not scented, colored or put in jars, though I have the jars, another huge bowl of the second batch of a lotion that I make, that's got to be scented and put into 4 ounce bottles, sitting there.... two crockpots filled with each 2 lbs. of different soap bases, also looking at me, I have everything I need for this years potpourris, and haven't made them up yet!
I've done two test batches of lotions with different oils in them, like them both and want to do a third one, with the ones (oils) I finally figured out that I really want in them, so that'll be just waiting for my hemp seed oil to come in.. its been shipped. Let's see, what else haven't I done?
Well, I went to get a bag of herbs to refill a container and there's your garlic, in a foil bag, looking at me, lol, and I'm thinking OMG, I didn't mail that, so I'll put some of the pain blend in there too, which is easy to make and I always have that onhand. Oh yeah, I experimented with a new butter for libbalms, made raspberry and watermelon and then needed someone to test it on. The lady that runs the food pantry that I bring the soaps to has 5 teenage daughters, and they were my testers, for the first batch of lotion too, they all like them, so I'll be making that too. There is NO room anywhere for my coffeepot, AT ALL, so I'll be using it after I finish making things for Christmas, started my Christmas soaps today, by mistake almost as Mark suggested making some bright red transparent with cinnimon essential oil, so I did and they looked so Christmasy, I put them in a separate bag so at least I've got those started, too bad I didn't use a Christmas mold, but I have to get those out! AHHHHHH!
Insanity in action... is normal around here.. lol!
Kat

[Jennifer M.]

Originally Posted by verwon

As to the TENS unit, no, I haven't tried it. My insurance won't cover it, and my doctor really doesn't think it will help me anyway. Most of my pain is caused by my spine being out of whack, so nerves are constantly pinched or having pressure put on them, thus nothing really gets a chance to relieve it, since that pressure is always there. The TENS units, according to my doc, work better for intermitten or occasional pain, since pressure isn't always there, it gets a chance to relieve it and keep the pain at bay.

Just like pain killers, the TENS units, tend to work better at keeping pain from starting, than they do at stopping it once it is already hitting you full force.

My Physical Therapist suggested the TENS unit for my Scoliosis/neck problems but I wanted it more for the migraines. I just got mine on Wednesday. All my insurance needs is a letter from my doctor saying it was necessary for my pain and they will cover 80% of it. The one they gave me is around $600 and I will find out tomorrow if the doctor sent a letter, they sent the script for it so I don't see an issue with getting a letter if the PT recommended it to begin with. Even if the insurance doesn't cover it, I will still keep it because it's really helping my headaches go away faster. I've read it's similar to your body taking morphine without the side effects.

Who knows maybe it's just a fancy placebo to my brain, but it's working so far

[verwon]

Yes, sorry, I am not familiar with that product, what is in it and where do you find it?

Jen, who cares if it would be placebo or not, if it helps, that is what matters! I am so glad you are getting good results from it, that is so awesome.

Kats, don't get me started on lip balms, I love them, I have about 80 around the house in different types and flavors, I will try anything once. I can't resist buying them when I see a new type and flavor, Andy just laughs at me because I have so many and keep getting more. LOL!

[katlnhats]

Eighty lipbalms? OMG! ROFL, I just got a couple new flavors, butter rum and bavarian creme, but haven't made anything with them yet, also have coffee butter coming so I'll try that out on lipbalms too. I think I have one in my purse and it's a roll-on type, spearmint that I made

Kat

[twin66]

I use a tens unit from my chiropractor for my back and neck problems, but I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia this past year after a couple of years going to doctors trying to get it diagnosed properly.
It really works for me and I know it when I forget to use it. By the next day or so, my neck is tense and start getting a headache and my back and neck muscles tighten which in turn cause the back/neck issues.
I was born with what they call "hypermobility" or "stretchy ligaments" in my joints and have screws in my knees since I was a teenager from 2 major knee surgeries. Since then my body has been through having 2 sons, partial hysterectomy, deviated septum surgery, and laproscopic knee surgery.
They say fibro is caused by something major happening to your body, and I would say it is definitely true. I have worked mostly retail/childcare jobs all my life and which required repetitive motions, which cause problems.
I have used this thing from Big Lots I got for $5, it is long and filled with something, and you can microwave it for heat, or put in freezer for cold.
I keep some of those soft blue ice packs in fridge for headaches,etc..
My therapists taught me to do ice massage as well for certain problems like tendonitis,etc...
good luck,
twin66

[verwon]

Well, I picked up some more, plus I now have a few of yours, so I am well over 80 by now, probably over 100, and when I counted them up one night, I had over 67 different flavors, before I lost track. LOL! Can't help it, I love them. Keep them all over the house, too, plus in my purse and in the car, so I always have some in reach when I want or need it.

Thanks for the info twin66, someone mentioned the TENS unit to me before, but my doc said my insurance will not cover it.

I just had a doc's appointment Friday, I have them once a month since I am on narcotics for pain management, and the types I am on can no longer have refills on the scrips. You have to see your doc every month for an evaluation and new scrips, and you can only get 30days worth of each at a time.

I was really glad, too, as if I didn't have an appt. I would have had to call and schedule one, I was getting headaches recently that I just couldn't get rid of, and they would later turn into full-blown migraines laying me up for days in a row. She had my latest MRI results in front of her, so we were both able to look over the report and see what was causing this new problems and the recent changes in my pain.

I do have to say I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw the MRI report, not over the results, since mine are never and never will be good, but at what they did with my MRI. It was ordered for the lower lumbar, and most places would do the scan and then just read that section of the films that they were ordered for, and only give a report on that, ignoring the rest.

The last time I had them done, at a different facility, they didn't even look at it enough to note that I had severe scoliosis. They said the gross spine was "NORMAL!" and we knew that was impossible.

But this time, at this new place, before doing the scan, the girl was asking me about my pain, what was causing it, how long I've had it and etc. so when I explained about my scoliosis and it being degenerative, she made sure to note that in my chart. See most times, even though they are requested to scan a certain part or section of your body, the nature of the scan does show them much more than just that little section.

So when she got together with the doctor to read my films, at no additional charge or requests from my doc, they looked at the entire thing, everthing they had on the films, which turned out to be my entire spine!! They picked up on the severity of the scoliosis right away and then, because they know it is degenerative, and they even noted this on the report, they felt they would be remiss if they didn't provide information from my entire spine, not just the lumbar area as ordered by my doc.

So from one MRI test, we had a nice comprehensive report, which also cuts out my needing a ton of additional scans. They evaluated everything from my neck to my tail bone, and that is how we were able to find an explanation for my new headaches so easily, without needing to order another one, or perhaps x-rays or a CT scan.

Anyway, while the curve and degenerative disc disease haven't had any significant changes, they are where they are expected to be after the intervening years from my last MRI.

The significant changes though that showed up, and like I said, if it weren't for the concern and diligence of the MRI people, we wouldn't know about it all, were the developing arthritis in three spots in my spine. On in my lumbar area, right near the tailbone, another in the thoracic spine at t4&5 and then one that explained my headache/migraine problems at C3&4.

I used to have 3, yes only 3, straight vertebrae, the first 3 in my neck, not a lot, I know, but at least it was something! LOL! Now, due to the arthritic inflammation pushing it out of place, I only have 2 straight ones left.

Traditional migraine treatments have never worked for me, not even when I was younger and before the arthritis started, because mine weren't caused by the usual trigger problems, but by discs in my neck that would herniate. Now, the inflammation from the arthritis is adding to the problem and treatment options have not improved for me, either. We are trying some steroids to hopefully bring the inflammation down and lessen the frequency and duration of them, and other than that, just prescription strength Ibuprofen.

I am somewhat familiar with hypermobility and the problems it can cause, the other site I work for is medical related, so I do a ton of research to help people find needed information. I am sorry to hear of the complications and problems you have and are suffering from it, though.

Your condition is very similar to mine in one basic respect, some people have it and never have any major problems or pain, and then others have it and always have severe pain and major problems with it.

See, many doctors who develop that 'god' complex and don't keep up to date on modern medical finidings, because they think they already know everything and of course, they think they know more about your body problems and pain than you do, believe that scoliosis is NOT EVER painful. That's they way it was taught in the olden times, and many of these doc's are stuck there. I have been to a few who tried to tell me that and I have to admit that I, literally, broke out laughing at one of them, right in his face, I just couldn't help it. He said it with such definite certainty and all of his information was so outdated that my gut reaction just took over.

Really, scoliosis is just one of those funny things, if it is painful depends on if you received proper treatment as a child, the severity of it, the degeneration rate, and whether your discs herniate or push on any nerves. There are people with curves as severe as, or worse than mine, who never have any pain or significant problems, then there are others, with very, very minor curves who have severe problems and issues all the time.

People who are born with it, also usually suffer from a corkscrewing of the spine, I can't remember the medical term for it, but rather than just curving side to side, they have a twist, just like a corkscrew, so it curves in and out as well. Usually, these people who have severe curves, end up having to take the risk of spinal surgery, because those additional curves put pressure on their various body organs, like the lungs, heart, and etc. So if they don't have surgery to straighten the spine, their lives can be in danger.

They consider mine to be idiopathic, since I do not have that corkscrew curve, no pressure on my organs at all, just the side to side curve with a slight hump in my left shoulder blade.So for me, the surgery would be only cosmetic and not worth the risks.

I have a similar thing to what you are talking about, I can chill it or heat it and use it when I need hot or cold packs, it has herbs and stuff in it, so it smells really good and is relaxing as well. I also keep ice packs in there, plus a child herbal gel eye pack in the fridge, works great for some headaches and neck pain with stiffness.

I also invested in a heat chair massager, it staps to the chair, couch, or car seat, you plug it in, it even comes with a cigarette lighter adapter for the car, and it has 5 different massagers, plus a heated section for your lumbar area. It is from HomeMedics, I found it at Amazon, it is nice because you can adjust the intensity of the massage, don't have to use the heat if you don't want or need it, and you can selectively use the massaging areas, like just the top areas if that is what you need, or just the lumbar areas.

I also picked up a battery powered massaging lumbar pillow that is made from memory foam. It works good for awhile, but if you use it for a few hours in a row, the foam tends to compress and you start to feel the battery pack and massage electronics poking into your back, so you have to take a break from it for awhile.

I also keep on of those sensor electric blankets on my bed, all year long. If I just don't feel up to going out to heat up on of my other things, or looking for the heating pad in the middle of the night, I just reach down and turn on the blanket, then I can crumple it up and lay against it and let the heat reach whatever spinal area I need it on. I found this big, huge, microfiber body pillow at Wal-Mart, so I can lean against it to support me and hold the blanket or any other necessary hot or cold pack in place. I can also use it to take the pressure of various parts of my body when I am laying or sitting in bed.

I have another one of the thinner, regular body pillows, it also comes in handy for various things.

I really have a ton of pillows that I keep in my bedroom, that way I can use them however I need, I have all different types and sizes. I have some of the egg crate ones shaped to support your head and neck, one of the buckwheat hall ones, a memory foam head pillow, which is the best I have ever found, plus some of those rolled pillows you can use to support your neck, lumbar spine or whatever.

[katlnhats]

Ver!
Over 100 lipbalms? ROFL! You know they spoil, right?
Just made some with coffee butter and cocoa butter, it's like french roast with a hint of chocolate, which Mark won't use as he doesn't like coffee, but I sure will and know a lot who also will.
Glad to hear that your MRI was done and done right this time. That's great news!

Kat