PILLOWS, pillows, pillows under your arm(s) whenever you're sitting down - find ones you like and make it a habit! I loved my Boppy pillow, the U-shaped pillow made for nursing moms, used it in the car riding or driving , at church and visiting others homes. But left it in the Philly airport on one of many trips and haven't replaced it yet. Also use and love my Tempurpedic cervical pillow, hard to sleep without it!

Warm baths with Epsom salts before bed, music, time spent relaxing somehow everyday is good to keep stress down. Walking, even a short distance, to get fresh air and sunshine will help mood and prevent muscle loss. Tuck hands in a pocket or stick your thumb thumb in a belt loop to keep strain off plexus. Dress warmly, gloves, scarf, etc, so you don't "hunch" shoulders in reaction to cold. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, meds will often cause dry mouth. Try to practice especially good oral hygiene and see your dentist every six months as dry mouth can cause cavities to form due to absence of "rinsing action" of saliva.

Practice good posture - do a quick body scan several x a day. Are shoulders back, not forward, but relaxed, not military stiff? Is head also back, not poking forward? Are you clenching teeth? Tense? Relax any body parts that are tense. Practice this til it becomes natural to do body scans without thinking, it's really helpful in breaking the bad habits we've fallen into and keeping pain levels lower.

Try to sit up when reading, and support the book on pillows or a bookrest. I found myself tending to slouch when reading on the sofa until I put my feet up on a footstool and a pillow behind my low back (and under my book!).

There are a few creams/lotions that help to numb neuropathic pain at the worst spots a bit. They help because the active ingredients are absorbed right through the skin instead of taken orally, so they are pretty effective, at least for a while. The one I use and swear by is called Sombra; ingredients include menthol, camphor, aloe vera, capsaicin, grape seed and green tea extract, Rose Water and Witch Hazel. It does smell of menthol, but the relief is more than worth it. BioFreeze is another effective pain-relieving cream that does not have an odor so can be used without the locker-room scent.

Pharmacists can also make compounded creams or ointments that include ingredients like ketamine, lidocaine and other pain relievers with a prescription from your Dr. These can be VERY effective, depending on the specific RX.

Pack away, give away or get rid of heavy stoneware dishes, find a nice pattern by Corelle and place dishes, glasses and everyday kitchen needs on the lower shelves in the kitchen. Corelle's unbreakable, which makes it very user-friendly for children assigned to dishwasher-loading and unloading.