Gunny,

I am sorry you are having such a hard time. Dealing with pain day in, day out is exhausting. As we know it can even take away one's will to live. I experienced a dark time of despair despite a beautiful family and a still beautiful life because I was just so damned tired of hurting.

It was at that point that I went "Holy Crap" I need help dealing with this. Even though I had run through a lot of treatment options I had not addressed the emotional component of distress, loss and anxiety related to my condition. I kept thinking I would get better and not need therapy. I was wrong, I had not factored in how my emotional state affected me every day. Where we are emotionally DOES affect our pain even though the pain is very real and physically based. Just from a neuro chemical standpoint this is true. When the physical interventions aren't working attack it through your mind. Breathing exercises, meditation, visualization. Relaxing the body and reducing stress is always good. I found help with this through a therapist experienced with pain, chronic illness and trauma. She was a tremendous help to me. Some of our work was focused on dealing with the trauma and loss of what I had gone through and some was focused on techniques like hypnosis, imagery and EMDR that helped me deal with the pain and distress more effectively. Some PM clinics have therapists on board or can recommend someone. I found mine through Psychology Today's therapist database online.

Keep searching for options. Get support, lean on others. Sometimes it's nice to share how low one is just to lighten the burden a little. We all have days where we have felt like giving up. Don't do it! You never know when the day may come that has an opportunity for healing.

On the TENS, I would not go on high. IMHO when you are in pain your nerves are already overstimulated, just give them a little distraction to focus on not a big barrage.

Sending Healing Love,
Littlepaw