Cool sites I found about pain & what to do. I think sometimes, when we have Fibro, and the magic pills have failed us or are unavailable, I think we forget that there are other things to try that help, as outlined here:
http://www.backandbodycare.com/home/neck/neck.htm
Another one on my other weak spot, arms/wrists:
http://www.backandbodycare.com/home/wrist/wrist.htm#TENDONITIS
Good stuff, especially the exercises, some of which are stuff that they had me do at Physical Therapy, so I KNOW they help.
Showing posts with label painkillers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painkillers. Show all posts
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 22, 2010
A little bit of peace, brain scatter, and my remedy for a killer sinus headache
I'm feeling silly right now, not sure why. But in a good way. I'm home alone, sitting at the dining room table sipping some Yogi Detox Tea, and for some reason, right now, that is enough. All is well with the world.
Just a couple of hours ago I was near the desperate edge of misery fighting off an excruciating sinus headache. Yep, the allergies are back with a vengeance. It seems what was doing the trick were all the enzymes I was taking, and I had to lay off them during my monthly cycle, because if I don't bad stuff happens. (I won't gross you out w/any more details.)
What is this miracle allergy cure I've discovered? (Well not a cure, but pretty damn close!) Well, I have been taking a supplement called Inflatrol, which contains Papain, Bromelain, and Quercetin (of which the first two help by thinning secretions, i.e., mucous/phlegm, and the third works as an anti-histamine) along with a negligible amount of Vitamin C, and Ginger and Turmeric, two potent antioxidant/anti-inflammatories. That helps a bit. But the last couple of weeks on this diet, I've been taking another digestive enzyme formula as well (it was free, and it contains pancreatin, along with other ingredients which aid in digestion, including some more papain & bromelain). But what I think has really been the key is the Natto I've been eating, which contains Nattokinase. I've noticed the difference right away whenever I have some of the gooey stuff. So yay for the Body Ecology Diet! (I'd heard of Natto awhile back, actually been taking Nattokinase supplements to help keep my Endometriosis in check for awhile on & off, but it wasn't until I heard Donna Gates' Liver Cleanse protocol that I decided to try the icky sounding stuff. As gooey and slightly icky as it is, I can't seem to keep away from it; my body just seems to love it. The protein from the fermented soy beans seems to do be me good, plus it's not as heavy as Tempeh, and seems to help digest whatever else I eat with it.
So today, as I was having a rather unpleasant reminder of just how awful allergies can be (I had no energy, brain fog up the yazoo, although only slightly worsened by the allergies, and I was starting to feel fluey, feverish, heavy-headed and just plain miserable. And oh yeah, the sinus headache felt like my forehead/skull were being pried in two. That bad!) when I decided to say screw it, and get back on the enzymes. First, I had some Natto, whipped up with some gluten-free Tamari, some Nori flakes, and a side of cultured veggies. (I know that sounds totally gross, but I feel compelled to eat it! Almost, even, maybe...LIKE it!)
In slight desperation, while out running errands, I'd taken a pseudoephedrine (decongestant that is an upper, sometimes sets off my POTS, or makes me very restless and cranky) but that wasn't helping, neither was my nasal spray, so I gave in and did a sinus rinse (I cannot get used to that whole deal!) and what a relief right there...well about halfway... Next I took a couple of acetominophen (paracetomol for those in Europe or outside the U.S.) and some ginger tea (in hopes of it acting as an anti-inflammatory. I also sucked on some chewable enzymes (about $3 a Trader Joe's, great for when you forget to take the non-chewable kind in time, and in this case, for liquifying & loosening phlegm clogging up your sinuses. I knew it wouldn't all help instantly, so in the meantime, to keep any more allergens from entering my poor nose, I coated it with Vicks Vapo-Rub and trapped the vapors inside w/cotton. An hour later, much better.
Now if I could just get my attention span back...I can barely even seem to write an e-mail, much less chat or Tweet...can't even seem to watch a DVD...To think I used to be the Queen of Multi-tasking...not much hope trying to do anything useful until that improves a bit...
In the meantime, I'm going to rev up the detox tea and water w/lemon, since I seem to be out of Vitamin C, and it just occurred to me that the reason they keep saying to sip water w/lemon is possibly partly at least because of the Vitamin C in the lemon...good for energy...well off I go to throw my hippie self into a reclining position, back's so tired!
Oh wait! Speaking of back!
The rheumy I saw yesterday called and left me a message that she looked at my MRI report (uh, that's what I gave it to her yesterday! Shouldn't she have done that then?) and I have some issues w/my spine that cause pain so she's going to refer me to a pain management doctor and there's an injection that they can put in my spine to help with that.
!!!?!!!?
Hmm. Needle. Spine. I'm not in THAT much pain!
I actually feel grateful, because my pain is actually not constant, and even though it's been worse this past year than it has been in awhile, I know if I could just afford to see a chiropractor I could get it under control, probably completely, plus some physical therapy to strengthen it and get rid of those trigger points I always get...
Maybe she didn't believe me that 30 Vicodin last me at least 3 months... I know that stuff is addictive and if I don't have anywhere important to be or anything to do, I'd rather ride it out in bed w/my trusty ol' heating pad, unless it gets really bad. Other than that, I only take them when I have something to do, like drive...go to family function, etc. and being out for a couple of months and detoxing my body w/this diet has made me want to take them even less frequently. (Not to mention people close to me abusing Rx meds or becoming dependent on them! Still enough of a control freak there that I couldn't stand to have a drug controlling me.)
Fun stuff when you're poor and have a pain condition! One doctor alternates between pushing pills I don't need (which I declined!) and then warning me they're addictive, another tells me if I should lose my bottle I won't get a refill! I miss my old doctors. They knew me, had access to all my med records for the last several years, and never made me feel like a drug seeking addict. Ah, well. Someday I shall know the joys of private insurance again! Or not need pain meds other than Tylenol! I know the day will come.:)
Just a couple of hours ago I was near the desperate edge of misery fighting off an excruciating sinus headache. Yep, the allergies are back with a vengeance. It seems what was doing the trick were all the enzymes I was taking, and I had to lay off them during my monthly cycle, because if I don't bad stuff happens. (I won't gross you out w/any more details.)
What is this miracle allergy cure I've discovered? (Well not a cure, but pretty damn close!) Well, I have been taking a supplement called Inflatrol, which contains Papain, Bromelain, and Quercetin (of which the first two help by thinning secretions, i.e., mucous/phlegm, and the third works as an anti-histamine) along with a negligible amount of Vitamin C, and Ginger and Turmeric, two potent antioxidant/anti-inflammatories. That helps a bit. But the last couple of weeks on this diet, I've been taking another digestive enzyme formula as well (it was free, and it contains pancreatin, along with other ingredients which aid in digestion, including some more papain & bromelain). But what I think has really been the key is the Natto I've been eating, which contains Nattokinase. I've noticed the difference right away whenever I have some of the gooey stuff. So yay for the Body Ecology Diet! (I'd heard of Natto awhile back, actually been taking Nattokinase supplements to help keep my Endometriosis in check for awhile on & off, but it wasn't until I heard Donna Gates' Liver Cleanse protocol that I decided to try the icky sounding stuff. As gooey and slightly icky as it is, I can't seem to keep away from it; my body just seems to love it. The protein from the fermented soy beans seems to do be me good, plus it's not as heavy as Tempeh, and seems to help digest whatever else I eat with it.
So today, as I was having a rather unpleasant reminder of just how awful allergies can be (I had no energy, brain fog up the yazoo, although only slightly worsened by the allergies, and I was starting to feel fluey, feverish, heavy-headed and just plain miserable. And oh yeah, the sinus headache felt like my forehead/skull were being pried in two. That bad!) when I decided to say screw it, and get back on the enzymes. First, I had some Natto, whipped up with some gluten-free Tamari, some Nori flakes, and a side of cultured veggies. (I know that sounds totally gross, but I feel compelled to eat it! Almost, even, maybe...LIKE it!)
In slight desperation, while out running errands, I'd taken a pseudoephedrine (decongestant that is an upper, sometimes sets off my POTS, or makes me very restless and cranky) but that wasn't helping, neither was my nasal spray, so I gave in and did a sinus rinse (I cannot get used to that whole deal!) and what a relief right there...well about halfway... Next I took a couple of acetominophen (paracetomol for those in Europe or outside the U.S.) and some ginger tea (in hopes of it acting as an anti-inflammatory. I also sucked on some chewable enzymes (about $3 a Trader Joe's, great for when you forget to take the non-chewable kind in time, and in this case, for liquifying & loosening phlegm clogging up your sinuses. I knew it wouldn't all help instantly, so in the meantime, to keep any more allergens from entering my poor nose, I coated it with Vicks Vapo-Rub and trapped the vapors inside w/cotton. An hour later, much better.
Now if I could just get my attention span back...I can barely even seem to write an e-mail, much less chat or Tweet...can't even seem to watch a DVD...To think I used to be the Queen of Multi-tasking...not much hope trying to do anything useful until that improves a bit...
In the meantime, I'm going to rev up the detox tea and water w/lemon, since I seem to be out of Vitamin C, and it just occurred to me that the reason they keep saying to sip water w/lemon is possibly partly at least because of the Vitamin C in the lemon...good for energy...well off I go to throw my hippie self into a reclining position, back's so tired!
Oh wait! Speaking of back!
The rheumy I saw yesterday called and left me a message that she looked at my MRI report (uh, that's what I gave it to her yesterday! Shouldn't she have done that then?) and I have some issues w/my spine that cause pain so she's going to refer me to a pain management doctor and there's an injection that they can put in my spine to help with that.
!!!?!!!?
Hmm. Needle. Spine. I'm not in THAT much pain!
I actually feel grateful, because my pain is actually not constant, and even though it's been worse this past year than it has been in awhile, I know if I could just afford to see a chiropractor I could get it under control, probably completely, plus some physical therapy to strengthen it and get rid of those trigger points I always get...
Maybe she didn't believe me that 30 Vicodin last me at least 3 months... I know that stuff is addictive and if I don't have anywhere important to be or anything to do, I'd rather ride it out in bed w/my trusty ol' heating pad, unless it gets really bad. Other than that, I only take them when I have something to do, like drive...go to family function, etc. and being out for a couple of months and detoxing my body w/this diet has made me want to take them even less frequently. (Not to mention people close to me abusing Rx meds or becoming dependent on them! Still enough of a control freak there that I couldn't stand to have a drug controlling me.)
Fun stuff when you're poor and have a pain condition! One doctor alternates between pushing pills I don't need (which I declined!) and then warning me they're addictive, another tells me if I should lose my bottle I won't get a refill! I miss my old doctors. They knew me, had access to all my med records for the last several years, and never made me feel like a drug seeking addict. Ah, well. Someday I shall know the joys of private insurance again! Or not need pain meds other than Tylenol! I know the day will come.:)
Friday, January 2, 2009
The Evil of Heels, 48-hour Backlash, on Painkillers, and Financial Frustrations
Happy New Year everyone!
I somehow managed to get out to celebrate a bit. I got superstitious after feeling too sick last year, and having the year from HELL. (Had to give up my apartment, moved in with a bitchy roommate, barely made it through school, had to move to a Sr. Community an hour away from the life I'd so painstakingly begun to form, and lost another appeal with the SSA for Disability Insurance. And that was just the major stuff.)
So I did get out this year, though I almost felt too ill at the last minute, but that was because my allergies were acting up. (Definitely allergic to dogs now too, as it turns out. Another consequence of CFS whacking out my immune system.)
I had a pretty good time, especially after the alcohol kicked in. For some reason, alcohol relaxes my muscles, numbs any pain completely, and gives me a ton of energy, all of which makes me very happy while it lasts. It's the next day that it usually kills me. I don't get a hangover, at least not like normal people.
Most of the damage seems to come from the fact that I don't feel the pain. So whereas if I had been sober, I wouldn't have been able to stand even standing in my inch & a half heels for long (I actually did have to sit down after about 5 minutes because my legs were getting shaky and hurting.) After a drink or two, none of that matters. I even had the gall to DANCE a bit in them. (How can you not have dancing at a holiday party?)
Now, I thought by some miracle, I'd escaped the consequences of my actions when I woke up feeling just a little sore today. (For some reason the worst pain of all comes the 2nd day after the offending activity, whether it be pushing a little too hard at the gym, dancing, or slipping & falling.) But by this evening I was feeling like I'd been hit by a truck.
But thank goodness for pain medicine. Until this past year, I hardly ever took it when I didn't have something absolutely pressing to do, usually if I was at home, I'd do everything else possible. But right now, my mood is a little precarious, and the hellishness of a severe flare can push me over to THE DARK SIDE.
Besides. One of the biggest reasons for my enduring the pain was the little voices in my head of people who did not approve of my taking pain medication. Usually people who couldn't take it themselves for one reason or another. (Their body's intolerance to it, or former addiction.)
I've learned to trust myself though, and especially as my pain levels have steadily increased w/the lack of access to chiropractic & other alternative care, I don't need to listen to those little voices anymore because they just don't make sense, and I don't need to justify myself to them.
I knew I'd made the right decision when I found myself making dinner instead of desperately wiggling on my massage chair trying to get all the bad spots and overheating myself to misery on my heating pad, and found my mood lifting back up as I no longer felt the mood crushing effects of my connective tissue burning and aching.
(I'd also carried a heavy backpack to my car, against my better judgment, so my whole upper body was aching too.)
And a good thing, too, because I soon found out that apparently my car insurance has been lapsed for weeks now. It's enough to make me want to work myself into the ground if I have to, just so I have some control over things like that.
I started wondering if maybe I should've pushed harder and tried to do things even if I was feeling super sick, instead of worrying more about taking care of myself at the moment. I tell myself I'm not going back to work because my body just can't take it, I'll just end up sicker. But then stuff like this happens, and I ask myself if maybe I should do it anyhow, because the stress of not knowing if things are being handled as promised is just about as bad...
Of course, then I realize I have been doing the best I can already. It would take too little time to work myself into the ground, not enough time to really make a difference or make it worthwhile, so I better just hang in there for now...
It's okay, I'm still hanging on to my optimism.
I somehow managed to get out to celebrate a bit. I got superstitious after feeling too sick last year, and having the year from HELL. (Had to give up my apartment, moved in with a bitchy roommate, barely made it through school, had to move to a Sr. Community an hour away from the life I'd so painstakingly begun to form, and lost another appeal with the SSA for Disability Insurance. And that was just the major stuff.)
So I did get out this year, though I almost felt too ill at the last minute, but that was because my allergies were acting up. (Definitely allergic to dogs now too, as it turns out. Another consequence of CFS whacking out my immune system.)
I had a pretty good time, especially after the alcohol kicked in. For some reason, alcohol relaxes my muscles, numbs any pain completely, and gives me a ton of energy, all of which makes me very happy while it lasts. It's the next day that it usually kills me. I don't get a hangover, at least not like normal people.
Most of the damage seems to come from the fact that I don't feel the pain. So whereas if I had been sober, I wouldn't have been able to stand even standing in my inch & a half heels for long (I actually did have to sit down after about 5 minutes because my legs were getting shaky and hurting.) After a drink or two, none of that matters. I even had the gall to DANCE a bit in them. (How can you not have dancing at a holiday party?)
Now, I thought by some miracle, I'd escaped the consequences of my actions when I woke up feeling just a little sore today. (For some reason the worst pain of all comes the 2nd day after the offending activity, whether it be pushing a little too hard at the gym, dancing, or slipping & falling.) But by this evening I was feeling like I'd been hit by a truck.
But thank goodness for pain medicine. Until this past year, I hardly ever took it when I didn't have something absolutely pressing to do, usually if I was at home, I'd do everything else possible. But right now, my mood is a little precarious, and the hellishness of a severe flare can push me over to THE DARK SIDE.
Besides. One of the biggest reasons for my enduring the pain was the little voices in my head of people who did not approve of my taking pain medication. Usually people who couldn't take it themselves for one reason or another. (Their body's intolerance to it, or former addiction.)
I've learned to trust myself though, and especially as my pain levels have steadily increased w/the lack of access to chiropractic & other alternative care, I don't need to listen to those little voices anymore because they just don't make sense, and I don't need to justify myself to them.
I knew I'd made the right decision when I found myself making dinner instead of desperately wiggling on my massage chair trying to get all the bad spots and overheating myself to misery on my heating pad, and found my mood lifting back up as I no longer felt the mood crushing effects of my connective tissue burning and aching.
(I'd also carried a heavy backpack to my car, against my better judgment, so my whole upper body was aching too.)
And a good thing, too, because I soon found out that apparently my car insurance has been lapsed for weeks now. It's enough to make me want to work myself into the ground if I have to, just so I have some control over things like that.
I started wondering if maybe I should've pushed harder and tried to do things even if I was feeling super sick, instead of worrying more about taking care of myself at the moment. I tell myself I'm not going back to work because my body just can't take it, I'll just end up sicker. But then stuff like this happens, and I ask myself if maybe I should do it anyhow, because the stress of not knowing if things are being handled as promised is just about as bad...
Of course, then I realize I have been doing the best I can already. It would take too little time to work myself into the ground, not enough time to really make a difference or make it worthwhile, so I better just hang in there for now...
It's okay, I'm still hanging on to my optimism.
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