Crocheting The Way Out of Chronic Pain

[tracyleigh]

I also am in continuous pain due to arthritis. Now, to be fair, I work on a computer all day to pay the bills and when I am not at work I am crocheting or painting.

My doctor has me on Arthrotec...helps a bit but not much.

I also injured my shoulder a while back and it seems to be a long time healing.

 

I went out and bought a magnetic bracelet. This one has 6 magnets in it and I swear by it. Without it I don't believe I could do the amount of crafting that I do.

[mythunderbird]

erin, you need to go to a new doctor, that guy sound suspisiosly like several of the ones i had. as for the never ending pain, there is medication that can help control it, its used by people with epilepsy and they also found it works great with nerve pain, the ease the pain, you need to go to a nueroligist who is trained in chronic pain, or find a good pain managment doctor, also there is some devices that they can implant inside you that when the nerve pain is triggered, it stops the impilse. i now someone who has that and they said it works fantastic, something else to think about , i will see if i can find our the name of i and post it hon, take a break and sit and crochet for a spell while waiting and i will be right back:hook kk am back, here is a article abour spinal cord stimulators which is what i was talking about before . this may help you or may not but its worth checking into i think

 

http://www.medicinenet.com/pain_management/page3.htm

 

 

 

i hope you can get some help hon, chronic pain sucks, i now been there now almost 7 years running i wish that someone could find a cure for us all

[ErinLindsey]

erin, you need to go to a new doctor, that guy sound suspisiosly like several of the ones i had. as for the never ending pain, there is medication that can help control it, its used by people with epilepsy and they also found it works great with nerve pain, the ease the pain, you need to go to a nueroligist who is trained in chronic pain, or find a good pain managment doctor, also there is some devices that they can implant inside you that when the nerve pain is triggered, it stops the impilse. i now someone who has that and they said it works fantastic, something else to think about , i will see if i can find our the name of i and post it hon, take a break and sit and crochet for a spell while waiting and i will be right back:hook kk am back, here is a article abour spinal cord stimulators which is what i was talking about before . this may help you or may not but its worth checking into i think

 

http://www.medicinenet.com/pain_management/page3.htm

 

 

 

i hope you can get some help hon, chronic pain sucks, i now been there now almost 7 years running i wish that someone could find a cure for us all

 

Did you mistake me for the other poster that I quoted in my last post?

 

I dont have severe chronic pain (I have chronic pain, but not severe yet) but I have just been newly diagnosed on monday with a degenertive neurological disease (which explains my back pain and probably why it's getting worse, but not severe yet)

 

I have more problems with numbness, which technically IS considered to be pain.

 

Last night I discovered that I'm extremely sensitive to cold weather. It was 65degrees in my basement (where my room is) and I felt like it was 30 degrees. (it was 18degrees outside at the time)

 

I'm also sensitive to hot/warm weather. I guess I need to move somewhere where the ambient temperature is a constant 72 degrees.

 

My nerves and neurons are starting to get on my last nerve...this is so annoying.

[scc51055]

the temperature things sounds like raynaud's disease/syndrome. i have it too. when you get cold you stay cold....the dr. told me to layer especially on your trunk. i find that the only way to get warm is a bath every evening. then on go the socks and a warm bathrobe. the heat bothers me too in the summer. my dh laughs and says my temp. range is 60-74! otherwise i am too cold or hot!

[ashleighraew]

Responding to moomooo a little late: Fibro is chronic pain/chronic fatigue. I think the major challenge many fibro sufferers have is that doctors never seem to believe you. You get treated like just another junkie! I feel so horrible about yelling at doctors that treat me like that, but what can you do.

[ErinLindsey]

the temperature things sounds like raynaud's disease/syndrome. i have it too. when you get cold you stay cold....the dr. told me to layer especially on your trunk. i find that the only way to get warm is a bath every evening. then on go the socks and a warm bathrobe. the heat bothers me too in the summer. my dh laughs and says my temp. range is 60-74! otherwise i am too cold or hot!

 

People with MS (that's me) apparently are VERY sensitive to warm temperatures and sometimes cold temperatures. I'm still not sure which one bugs me more since I was only diagnosed monday. Plus, some of the temperature problems that I've been having might have something to do with something in my brain screwing around with my internal thermostat, but I have no idea if that's the case.

 

Tonight my hands are warm...but my toes are cold!

 

I had a wee bit of a panic attack this morning. I felt like crap and had no idea if that was the MS talking or if it's me coming down with a cold. Then when I was talking to the doctor on the phone I started asking questions and started to cry (that poor doctor, probably thinks I'm nuts)

 

It was probably a combination of my neurons misfiring or something and me possibly coming down with a cold. I'm all sniffly tonight.

 

Hopefully I'll calm down soon and stop imagining that everything that goes wrong with me is something MS related.

[tbird]

I'm with you on the temperature variations. When it's hot out, my hands swell up badly, and sometimes get painful -- but there's all sorts of stuff you can't do easily even if it's "just" swelling.

 

If my hands get cold (I do have the Reynault's thing -- my fingernails go a lovely shade of asphyxiation blue), they don't swell, but they hurt like they're on fire, if you know what I mean.

 

I am perpetually taking off and putting on a sweater or one of my shawls...or grabbing the nearest cat-lapwarmer :-) and I won't go outside if the temp is below 40F, unless I'm wearing gloves.

 

I wanted to recommend a book to everyone here...I don't have the author's name handy, but it's called "Thriving with Your AutoImmune Disease" and it's jammed full of understandable explanations, treatment options, and coping mechanisms...it's really helped my mother and I come to grips with all of this. It does include fibro and CFS in its discussions, although they're not always classified (as if *that* meant anything) as auto-immune illnesses.

 

tbird

[ErinLindsey]

My medical terminology teacher had Reynaud's Phenomenon.

 

I saw first hand what Reynaud's Phenomenon looks like up close one night. One of the girls in the class lent her some heavy mittens and I gave her (to keep) a scarf I'd just made for myself. She spent most of the class with her hands in the mittens and the scarf wrapped around the mittens, standing by the classroom's heating vents.

 

Before she wrapped her hands up, she gave us all a close look at Raynaud's. We just happened to cover that section in our terminology book the week before.

[tbird]

I never had any idea my fingernails turning blue was a real medical condition until I read up on syndromes associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I guess having a name for it helps a bit...I mean, it's better than considering it some freaky thing that I can't explain...

[ashleighraew]

Reynaud's is AWFUL! I have to be really careful whenever I do anything. If my hands or feet go into extreme cold or hot, I get to watch the fireworks. I read up a little more on it, and saw something that said it wasn't supposed to hurt, that there was just no sensation. To me it feels like someone is sticking small pins in every single pore on my hands and feet and pushing them in until it hits the bone.

 

Tbird, I was told that my fingernails turning purple and blue was from poor circulation from the Raynaud's. I was told by my rheumitologist that it could be a combination of that and the nerve damage that comes from not protecting my hands in the cold. (Oh, the dangers of being a smoker.)

[tbird]

I can't blame it on smoking. But I did have frost bite a couple of times, from incidents involving car problems on very cold winter days when I lived in Minneapolis...moving around usually helps when it's bad now, cos it gets the blood flowing...

[ErinLindsey]

That's weird...I thought Raynaud's was supposed to be at least a teeny bit painful. At least that's what my medical terminology teacher told me.

[tbird]

To me it feels like frostbite, although of course the temperature is not cold enough for *real* frostbite. It is pretty awful. Then again, the arthritis itself isn't a walk in the park, either, so I kinda consider it all of a piece.

[mizduck]

Just wanted to give encouragement to all! Hang in there and keep believing that one day we'll be free from pain!!

[mythunderbird]

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erin i thought you said you have numness an pain radiating down your legs, which is what i was refering to, i am glad your pain level isn;t severe. what i was refering to for anyone really who has this(my in won;t pay for it or i would have it) is the spinal cord stimuilator, what it does is stops the trigger points of pain from reaching the areas where they are trying to go, for all who suffer, god bless and i pray that you soon will have relief. you can bet if it was a doctor having these problems they would find the answer. chronic pain( heck ANY pain )sucks. we need a button, i am a chronic pain sufferer

:P :P :P :P

[Stitchinpick]

I also have Raynaud's...it is a part of my lupus. Did you know that niacin (vitamin B6) helps? It does mine. Just remember that you never take niacin on an empty stomach or it will give you a rash. Also, there are now "slow release" niacin to help prevent it as well.

 

When I was told that, I thought "Oh, ya, sure..." Then I started taking it and had improvement in just a couple days. So give it a try.

[Misa]

Gotta love that Raynaud's First time DH saw my hands when it flared up he freaked out! Said, "What the heck did you do to your hands?!?" The backs of my hands always look like someone took a baseball bat to them and beat me black and blue Oh well at least these new hooks are helping me crochet again. Slowly and kinda painfully but press on I shall

[ashleighraew]

Misa, I feel so fortunate that one of the other two people in my household understands what I'm going through. We sit and watch our hands together, cry together, and if we both happen to be home at the same time, crochet together.

 

^I cannot believe how long that took me to type. I'm in so much pain today. I can hardly see straight, and to top it, I've got the flu. THIS SUCKS!

[Misa]

Aww, Ashleigh it sounds like you could use a hug...c'mon everyone gather 'round

 

[ashleighraew]

We can't let this thread die!!!!

 

*making small talk* How's everyone faring the winter weather?

 

It's gotten below freezing nearly everyday this past week here, and I think everyone's suffering just a little. It's too cold to survive.

[Starr]

I get worse in the cold weather and it's really cold here. I haven't been able crochet today

[mythunderbird]

i haven;'t crocheted anything today but i knitted:devil:devil:devil sorry i know thats a bad thing, but for some reason crochet today bothered my hand, what is wierd is the temp outside was darn near 60 degrees and almost spring like. course this month its been colder than ice and warmer too :lol:lol can;t wat for spring to come:D:D:D today wasa a bad day lots of pain:(

[kniteangel]

hey guys

 

I can't believe i have been on the ville this long and never saw this thread

 

I have been in chronic back and hip pain for 9 years feb.(slip and fall)plus anxiety.Also have OA.

So I can sympathize with ya

I think it made the fibro come on.I have all the symptoms.I have taken all the usual meds,like bextra,vioxx ,Amnytripteline,demerol..every anti depressant out there..and now oxy

it's the only thing that helps,i miss my so called life,I feel like I am missing out on my and my kids life.

It's hrd on a relationship too(now divorced)

I never mae plans with friends,even for the next day..because I usually have to cancel them from being in pain.

I have really bad times when I am in bed for most part of a month,then there can be managable days that last for weeeks.So I can't work,sometimes basic housework is a killer,and i get tired out so easily.I feel so guilty all the time and rarely ask for help..I don't have anyone to talk to about it because I don't like to complain.

rainy or foggy days are hard for me ..I seem to do better in winter than summer.

 

I even had one doc tell me basically I was crazy ,it was all in my head.. I hve seen a few specialists and had physio they won't operate because they are afraid to paralyze me.

sometimes I really consider taking the risk.

 

Thank god I have crochet to take my mind,and a heating pad permantely on high in my recliner.

[moomooo]

Hi Ladies:

 

Well I've not been posting here for a while but I've not forgotten you all..

I wanted to let you know that after 2 weeks pain non stop , no pills working and no pain patches working, I made a appt to see my doctor again this Weds

and I will ask him to please have me tested for Fibro, I've been reading up on it on line and and it all seems to related to the very dot to me...

 

So I will see if well if its fibro that i got then maybe they can give me the proper meds for that rather than the pain killers..

 

I've begun experiencing depression again as the pain hits and I don;t like that feeling...

 

I just hope he listens to me and gets me tested for the fibro... I know he will try me on some new meds.. he always does... I just don;t know what else is out there that he can give me...

 

So keep me in your prayers please I will will keep you all posted in tests results and what he tells me weds.

God bless

[ErinLindsey]

Hi Ladies:

 

Well I've not been posting here for a while but I've not forgotten you all..

I wanted to let you know that after 2 weeks pain non stop , no pills working and no pain patches working, I made a appt to see my doctor again this Weds

and I will ask him to please have me tested for Fibro, I've been reading up on it on line and and it all seems to related to the very dot to me...

 

So I will see if well if its fibro that i got then maybe they can give me the proper meds for that rather than the pain killers..

 

I've begun experiencing depression again as the pain hits and I don;t like that feeling...

 

I just hope he listens to me and gets me tested for the fibro... I know he will try me on some new meds.. he always does... I just don;t know what else is out there that he can give me...

 

So keep me in your prayers please I will will keep you all posted in tests results and what he tells me weds.

God bless

 

Hopefully they get you all figured out and find something that holds back the pain.

 

I just had a visit with a doctor last week to figure out one of my problems. Had some xrays of my kidneys and they got a wee bit invasive (nothing serious) to look at something else. The doctor said that I just had an infection-from-Heck and gave me antibiotics and sent me on my not-so-merry-way. Hopefully that infection will now finally go away. (it's been causing me problems in one form or another since June 2006!!) Yesterday was my last day of antibiotics, so hopefully I wont have that problem again for a long time. I'm getting tired of taking antibiotics all the time.

 

I just need to figure out what to do about the neurogenic itch that I have on my left thigh (neurogenic = misfiring neuron making me think I have an itch) I scratched my leg on saturday so hard that I left a bruise! (scratched thru my clothing...didnt break the skin, just bruised myself)