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Originally Posted by zookester
Thank you SloRan!! lol.. I had forgotten how much flowers mean to me also. My sweet husband started bringing home a bunch or two when he goes grocery shopping at Trader Joe's (FYI for anyone who doesn't know this.. TJ's has beautiful bunches for $3.99) and I really have gotten spoiled by this  They do brighten my spirits!! |
Yes, TJ's is da BEST place to get flowers!!! So inexpensive, I can't believe it! When it's daffodil season - WOW! So cheap, and so cheerful. Ditto with sunflower season. And I'm stuck in Arizona and can't grow flowers myself, like I could in California, where I had a whole WALL of pink and red roses ...
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Great idea on the Ocean sounds - I hadn't even thought of that! I will give it a try.
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I highly recommend that particular track. But try several, because you might respond differently. There are some that just send me up the wall, but this one really soothes me.
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When you used your Lidoderm patches did you place them on the nerve root above the affected site? At least for me they worked much better when I found the nerve root or the location of the nerve path closest to the surface of the skin for better absorption (always higher up the nerve path so the meds flow down the nerve path). But, as with everything else it doesn't always work for everyone. I also use medicated compound cream in the 12 hours that the patches aren't on and I do think the combo makes them both more effective.
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I'm a little different than most people here. I've been in remission for 6 years now. I definitely had RSD; it was confirmed by several doctors and I had all the signs. It started with torn tendons in my left foot, then I got surgery, then it was healing, then one day, that awful "why is it hurting so much all of a sudden?" My foot was horribly discolored, cold, shiny skin, less hair growth on the leg, all the signs. Plus the horrible, horrible pain - trying to take a shower while not letting a single drop hit your foot, or not wearing jeans because the hem would brush against your foot and feel like a chainsaw.
One time I was putting on my makeup at the bathroom sink and for some reason there was a penny on the counter, and it fell off onto my foot ... I collapsed on the floor in agony, curled up in the fetal position for a good 5 to 10 minutes. I know RSD - but mine never spread, and it went into spontaneous remission when I tore my shoulder ligaments and had shoulder surgery. The foot just went back to normal. I was going to get a spinal block for the RSD, but then the doctor retired, and before I found another, I tore my shoulder, and then the foot just snapped back to normal.
However, I deal with the RSD monster with my daughter, who got a stress fracture in her foot, which started healing normally, and then one day ...
And she went through 4 spinal blocks, and 6 Bier blocks, and was scheduled for a SCS implant surgery when we heard about Calmare and gave it a try and it worked with her and she went into remission.
I also deal with another monster with me - CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) and Fibro. CFS is horrible, too, but the pain isn't anywhere close to RSD. But the fatigue is much, much worse, and like RSD, it's an invisible disease. And people may not understand RSD, but they LAUGH at CFS. "I'm tired after a long day, too!" they say, laughing. They don't understand - on the BEST days, I have trouble even walking around the block - it's like a Himalayan expedition. On the bad days, I stumble around and walk into walls; that is, when I can even make it out of bed. I've had this monster for 30 years now. And I used to be so strong and athletic
Now when we go camping, instead of going on hikes, I send them all away with a cheery wave - "Have fun! Say hi to the waterfalls for me!" and I go back in the trailer and sleep so I can be at least somewhat coherent by the time they get back.
And when you're with a group of new people and they want to walk somewhere - "I'm sorry, but I have a health problem and I can't walk far; you guys go ahead, and I'll just sit here and wait for you to come back." The stares, the looks over their shoulders as they walk away. Or the field trips - everywhere you go, you look desperately for the chairs, for the ledges to lean on. And then once we were in a room with nothing - NOTHING - and I finally had to just sit on the floor in the middle of a tour group with all the parents and the kids stealing glances at me, as I tried to smile and whisper to those around me "I'm sorry, but I have a health problem and it's either sit down or faint!" That, of course, on the few field trips that I was even able to go on; most of them I had to turn down right away because they were too long.
I have a good deal of pain - I'm typically at a 4 or 5. It's nothing like RSD, though, and my heart goes out to you all. But I know RSD, and I deal with it with my daughter, and I just feel that this board is where I fit best, because I want to stay up with the trends and I have a lot in common with you all, and a lot of the same issues. So for me, as far as Lidoderm, I just put the Lidoderm patch on when I happen to have a very localized pain spot, which doesn't happen very often. But when it does, the patch is a godsend.