Phantom Pain II - Triggers

[MichaelJH]

And yet I leave here again

Suffering that dreadful phantom pain

I've taken my Gabapentine

Yet it's provided no relief

I'm still suffering that wicked pain

My brain in total misbelief!

Yes I suffering for the third night this week. Yesterday though I suffered it from. 8:00pm.through to 10:00pm.

This has got me thinking about triggers. The most definite one for me is stress. It has been a very stressful week for me sofar causing me to frustrated and angry.

I cannot decide between my second and third. One is my BG level (I have been a Type I diabetic most of my life). Going over 11 - 12 seems to be a trigger. For those who have lost a leg is smoking a trigger? When I attended rehab one or two sem to pop out for a few minutes for that crafty cigarette. The other is overdoing exercise and physio. I have checked and it is not ketosis. Could it be lactic acid?

Anybody noticed any triggers?

[PeggySusi]

Hi Michael, long term amputee here, awake with migraine though.. very rarely get phantom pain. Have you tried the residual limb pain section of the online forum Stuff that Works? You might find help there. Good luckstuffthatworks.health/resid...

[Trenholm]

I don’t have diabetes pain is due to damaged nerves. I take gabapentin but it doesn’t relieve the burning pain just makes me sleep. If I wake after a few hours I put an ice pack wrapped in a towel in the bed and put my feet in it. Relieves it a bit

[Crystalbowl]

Hello Michael. I am not an amputee but I do live with chronic pain. Having tried a wide variety of alternative/complementary therapies, medication, herbal remedies, lotions, etc. , none of which have made mush, if any, difference I am now investigating the biopsychosocial model of pain. There is a lot being written about this at the moment and they do talk about phantom pain. Two of the best IMO are ‘The Way Out’ by Alan Gordon who has developed the Curable app curablehealth.com and ‘The Pain Habit’ by Drew Coverdale thepainhabit.com There is also the Pain Management Workbook by Rachel Zoffness. These approaches are not a quick fix but I am hoping will help to reduce and preferably eliminate my pain as I work with the ideas. Hope you find some relief whatever you choose to do about it.

[wellness1]

I'm sorry to hear of your phantom limb pain, MichaelJH. Have you ever tried mirror therapy? This treatment was developed by Dr. Vilayanur Ramachandran. I don't have any experience with phantom limb pain, but read about it in another context.

amputee-coalition.org/resou...