Pain !!

[Grizzly7168]

Goodmorning everyone, Yesterday I was doing housework with my husband ( he vacumes and does the floors )  I was fine but after being stopped for 10-15 mins I received a jolt of reality.  I was in so much pain and it went totally down both legs.  Took my T3's and waited but not much happened.  It did not hurt as bad when I was not walking, walk and it was horrible.  My  question is how can I deal with this instead of taking narcotics?  I am still in pain this morning so took advil because I have to go back to work.  I am an EA. so I am on my feet most of the day.  Sorry but OWIE !!!!

[Bananas5]

Sounds like a flair up and the cause??? Doing too much.

You will have heard about pacing yourself?? That is exactly what it means.  You say you work and presumably manage your pain while working. Clearly anything on top of that...ie housework is too much.

I know you want to lead as 'normal' a life as possible but with chronic pain that is no longer an option. You have to meet the paon meds half way and do less while they can help manage that pain.

I take it the extra you took were for breakthrough pain? The more common words for breakthrough pain these days and activity related pain. Again that is exactly what it is. Do more than your body with that dose of meds is just too much. You can possibly increase your basic meds but then you are unlikely to have any life at all.

Have you ever been on a pain management course? They teach you how to manage your pain, live with it and not let it completely rule your life but the golden rule is to stop before you start hurting. Not after and increase meds.

Hope this helps

x

[Grizzly7168 in reply to Bananas5]

Thankyou for your words of wisdom.  You are completely right about not stopping before the pain has taken over my body.  Today I am still suffering but I do think it has calmed down a little bit.  Funny takes maybe 5 mins to create this break through pain and 2 or 3 days calm it.

I am working with a pain management team and right now we are still trying to figure what method of treatment is going to be best for me.

Have a wonderful day.

[Bananas5 in reply to Grizzly7168]

Wisdom comes with age and too many years of looking after my David!

But glad you are working with pain management. I am their number one fan!!

x

[RAYJAYC]

Hi Grizzly

Sometimes you can do some specific gentle stretches for when you've 'over done it' rather than take narcotics. It doesn't work for a lot of people but your physio or pain management team will be able to show you the 'safe' movements to do to get that darned sciatic nerve lubricated & moving smoothly again!!

RAYJAYC

[Grizzly7168 in reply to RAYJAYC]

Thankyou Rayjayc you are right about the stretches.  I do have some that I try to do every morning before I get out of bed, but maybe I need to step it up a bit and do them in evening as well.

[johnsmith]

This may be an engineering problem.  When we have a damaged part of the body the amount of movement that part of the body can accommodate without a reaction is reduced.  Think bruising.  When you first bruise yourself there is no swelling of tissue.  After a few hours the bruising swells and becomes more painful.

Take a nerve which is quite comfortable where it is.  There is no pressure on it.  Start to apply muscular pressure to the surroundings which is constricted in movement for one reason or another.  The tissue is bruised and as a result starts to swell.  This applies increased pressure to the nerve which quite rightly complains with pain and discomfort.

The task is to change how you move so that you reduce the muscular pressure being applied to the area which is constricted in movement.  This is an area that you can investigate for yourself and see if it applies in your circumstances.

Hope this helps.