I use anti-vibration gloves to help me drive. I forget the brand name now, I am at work. I'll try to remember to get the brand name for you when I get home. They have an gel in the palm and fingers for people who work with weed eaters and heavy equipment to take out vibration. "Regular people" think they are amazing when they have tried mine... to me, they take out about half the vibration, since I am now overly sensitive to vibration. For me, they make the trip to the Cleveland Clinic bearable - it is 3 hour drive one way for me. They are lovely soft leather. I had to order several types and sizes till I found a size and style I could wear. (the company gladly took back the ones I did not want) Most had tight cuffs and my hand swelling would make them too tight -- I finally found a style that had a velcro tab closure at the cuff - so I just leave them open there. BUT - I don't have all the sensitivity on my hands... just the sensitivity to cold, heat and vibration. My cold/heat is not as severe as yours though. So, this might not help because you may not be able to stand the leather. However, it might be worth a call to the company. They may be able to fix you up with a piece of the gel material, say 4x6 for each hand, that you could hold on the steering wheel, or pin to it or something. They seemed very accomodating when I was working with them. I'll look the name up for you in the next day or so if I forget tonight when I get home.

I know in this modern day, everyone showers once or even twice a day. But, I was having such a hard time with my skin about oh...15 or 20 years ago. I went to a board certified dermatoligist. I found out I am allergic to sodium laural sulphate (sp?) the most common thing it seems in body washes, soaps, skin cleansers. It's what makes things "suds"... I have an awful time finding things that do not have it, both for showers, baths, or hair shampoos. He told me at the time that people would have many less problems if they only showered or bathed 2 times a week! Clean the important parts with a "sponge bath" and leave a bath or shower to twice a week. I usually do 3 times a week, unless I have been working outside or have otherwise done something where I have become very sweaty, or am going out to dinner or some social event. My skin improved dramatically. Of course, you don't dare tell people that - they think you can't be clean if you don't shower once or twice a day! But like that doctor told me, people survived a LONG time on this Earth without constantly showering.

Lisa, I don't know how else to help you other than have you tried chronic pain meditation? Won't help you shower, but when you are crying as much each day as you are, it will help you be more calm. Before I tried the meditation, I was crying 6 to 9 hours a day, sometimes more. The book /tape that worked for me, and I tried a few (!) was Shinzen Young's "Break Through Pain". On the old BT board, there was a long time member who had been to a few of Shinzen's retreats that used to have some PM conversations with me about Shinzen and was a great follower of his, but I can't remember his name. He posted on the board about Shinzen also. Since you know how to search those archives, you could search for Shinzen on there to learn more. The book did me a lot more good than the CD-- I got the basics from the CD, but just used it as a starting point. In the book though, there is a lot of good info about pain and how it affects us. If it gets bad while I am at work, I'll go in to the restroom stall and do some of the meditation for 10-15 minutes and calm myself down, and it will really lessen the pain. Or at least it feels that way - which is really what is important. I think Young's meditation has helped me be able to stay working and stay off the heavy pain meds. It helps take the fear out of the pain, and to make me more calm about it. Hard to explain. And, I don't feel I am very good at it. But, I keep working on it, because it has worked.

(((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))
Jules