severe leg and nurve pain

[salamander160]

Hi, I am Adrien, I dropped a pan of boiling water on my left foot last year, it is still healing up, it has been almost a year now. The burn is healing slowly but the nurve pain is horrific, I am on babapentin, take codein, ibuprofen and paracetamol, oramorph when I need it. I also have a lot of pain from my knee down to my foot, on the same leg, it could be related to my burn, don't tink so though, i have a large swelling there, I have had lymphedema, they think it may be tissue damage but am waiting for a scan on leg to find out what is going on. I cannot control the nurve pain, any ideas please, it is horrible!

[bridgeit]

Hi Adrien, nerve pain is one of the most difficult to control and regular painkillers rarely work - according to my friend with neuralgia! Try to avoid taking too much ibuprofen and paracetamol. Taken on a regular basis, these drugs are really not good for your system. Also, oramorph has an unfortunate side effect of not working if taken regularly. It can also cause mental confusion and disorientation. Codeine can quickly become addictive. You are in a bad place with medications.

Damaged nerve tissue takes the longest time to heal; as long as two years or more.

I am not a medic, but based on my life experience I think there are things that might help heal traumatized nerve tissue.

Increasing blood circulation helps to feed nerves and eating the right foods helps too. Injured nerves will complain, loudly, as they heal but nonetheless try to get your legs moving regularly, with an indoor pedal machine if walking is difficult. Include in your diet leafy green veg, ginger, turmeric, omega 3 supplements daily, pumpkin seeds, wholegrains, walnuts, peas and beans, chicken, fish and soya to name but a few ideas. Good, fresh food; avoid additives and junk food with saturated fats.

Drink lots and lots of water, but avoid alcohol; it hinders healing. Chamomile tea is good, so is Imperial Pu Erh tea for the gamma-aminobutyric acid content which has a calming effect both on mental state and the physical system. Drink it sparingly, i.e. no more than once daily.

I would also suggest gentle massage, but with skin tissue damage this may be counter-productive, so take medical advice about that idea. Similarly, tens machines can help too, but where there has been a scald, this might not be a good idea. Check first. Chinese acupuncture can also help with nerve pain, but again, take medical advice before trying.

Finally, take warm baths with lavender oil added. It's very relaxing and lavender has been known for hundreds of years as a healing herb.

One left-field suggestion. Chinese herbalists may have good topical or herbal infusion treatments for traumatized nerves. Find a shop, don't order online. However, before taking anything unusual, CHECK with your pharmacist that you're not going to swallow something that contra-indicates with your current medication. Swallow no herb/drug that isn't first checked out for safety given your medications list.

Finally, do take some comfort in one thing; if your nerves hurt, they are still alive. That is good news. Total numbness would be an entirely different matter. Where there is life, there is hope for healing, but it will take time.

I hope this post gives you some ideas and that you soon find some relief from your pain.

[salamander160 in reply to bridgeit]

Hi Bridget, a very useful message, many thanks.

Firstly, my gp won't approve of my taking any supplements, he doesn't like me using them but I do anyway and take all but a few you mentioned. I take both cod liver oil and omega 3, garlic, cranburry for kidney and urine infections, multi vitamins, turmeric, cider vinigar, among others.

Just briefly, I am actually in a wheelchair, and am totally blind, have epilepsy, osteo porosis and epilepsy, so exercising is difficult for me but eating healthfully isn't a problem, again I eat a lot of freshly cooked foods, rarely have ready meals. I like most of the foods and drinks you mentioned, and like chamomile tea.

I am deffinitely getting nerve pain on my food around the burn but the pain in my leg below my knee is responding to the pain meds, yes I will have to be careful regarding ibuprofen, not sure how paracetamol is helping me, the nhs seems to give it out like smarties. I don't rate it very highly apart from keeping my temperature down.

I don't have a bath here, there is a communal bath upstairs but obviously I can't use it right now because of the bandages, although I removed the bandage from my left leg early this morning the pain was very bad.

Again, thanks for the email, very useful.