Long time no see!!

[hjones]

WoW! Just looked and my last blog post was 26th nov so its been a while! I have had the most amazing few weeks!

No pain, very few painkillers, pretty much able to do whatever i want! Its been heaven!

And then BAM! Thursday night a not so nice big flare up comes my way!

I knew it was coming since id been doing so well but its still puts me straight on a downer back to lots of meds and steroids (fat face heading my way!) Thank god i can pick up on when a bad flare is coming and ordered some new pads for my tens so i can at least have some slight relief to at least sit down comfy and move slighty.

Xxz

[laffoutloud]

Thats great that nyou got to experience a spell of good health..and a bummer that youve been hit by a bad flare up.

Can i ask in your experience what levle do you set your Tens to?..ive recently acquired a secondhand Tens..its maybe 10years old so not the ones currently for sale..it has no instructions so im not sure how high to set the levles and best places to place pads etc. It has 3 variations of stimulation..1..a steady level buzz 2. a deep throbbing pulse..and 3. an escalating steady buzz that peaks then descends and repeats.

I find i cant stand the deep jerky throb pulse its too uncomfortable,hurts my head and makes me jump too much even at a lowish setting. My question is..am i trying to block the pain by turning the buzz up high enough that its greater than the pain? or what is the aim. I cant say i feel painreleif from it..it feels like its causing tension and irritation but maybe im setting it up wrongly. Alsao im not sure best placement of pads..there are 2 sets of two on this machine...for shoulder,neck between the shpoulder blades area of pain?. Any advice would be great. Thanks

[hjones in reply to laffoutloud]

Hi, my tens machine has 8 dofferent programs, i tend to use the cupping, massage and accupuntcre settings. It goes from strength 1 - 15 but i can only get to strenght 3 otherwise its too painful!

Mine tends to help best when i am in spasm in my back, the current stops the spasm but as soon as i take the pads off the spasm is still there so it doesnt take my pain away but gives me some relief from it so i can at least get around. Mine just has 2 white sticky pads which i can place wherever i need them which is great as my back spasms in different places so.i can move them to where i need them.

There is an old blog of mine somewhere on here when i first got it and a few people said same as me that it was the best thing they had bought but then a few said it never agreed with them for similar reasons youve said.

Mine is actally called a digital therapy machine which is why it has 8 programs, it only cost about 6pound from.ebay, had to wait a while as it came from hong kong but i i would recommend them. It could just be that the tens your using isnt quite right for you maybe

X

[laffoutloud]

Hi

Thanks for replying..ill try putting digital therapy machine in ebay and see what comes up. Yeah the machine ive got has only the 3 positions and two intensity dials..no numbers on it just goes from small blackdot increasing to larger black shape..like a volume control.

Yeah im desperate to find an alternative to pain meds as im so supersensitive to meds i get such bad side effects on even the tiniest dose. I pay to have regular acupuncture which helps a bit with sleep and ibs etc but doesnt do an awful lot for pain,just makes me feel a bit stronger in my mind i suppose. If i didnt have it i dread to think what mental, emotional state i would be in,with having pain 24/7

Im glad you have something that helps..have as painfree a day as poss.

[hjones]

Thats the main reason i bought it, as an alternative to meds, in a bad flare i am taking 17 tablets a day!

Im waiting to go to the pain clinic and hoping they offer me accupuncture to try, sleep is something that doesnt seem to like me during a flare! I always have fatigue even not in a flare but the flare makes it so much worse but i still cant sleep! In the last 3 days i think ive had about 8-10 hours of broken sleepso im running on empty but still cant sleep!!

[Hidden]

Hello Holly, good to see you back with us, we missed you!

Always here for you whenever you pop in to see us all!

(((hug))) xxx

Libs

[hjones in reply to Hidden]

Thanks libs!

This is one of the first places i turn when i am feeling down or having a flare or just need a good old moan!

Xx