[offinthedistance]

Does anyone have a good pain control regime that they follow and still work and function and not fall asleep with?
My GP is a bit hopeless to be honest, have a neuro appt in june and no plan of action.

I need something to help take away the pain in my skin, the feeling that my legs have tight stitches sewn through them and various pokey pains. But I also need to function afterwards...

Any ideas gratefully received.

[Dejibo]

There is a multitude of things that can help.

Muscle rubs
yoga
bio feedback
meditation
ice or heat packs
stretches
acupuncture/acupressure
Chiropractic care
distraction.
rest

as far as meds go, you will find you will need less pain meds if you add an alternative therapy to the mix. You can add a bit of muscle relaxer to a small amount of pain med and that will encourage the med to work better. Also adding things like caffeine make some meds work better.

it may be hard work but the better physical condition you are in, the easier it is for your body to balance and not pull you off center, or put excess pressure on your joints, and gait.

What meds have you tried?

[SallyC]

I just take Bayer asprin for PITA pain. Alieve if it's heavier pain. If you have chronic nerve pain, I suggest seeing a Pain Specialist for a pain management plan.

Feel better..

[ginnie]

Welcome to Neuro Talk. There are alot of people on this site who can help you find solutions for your pain. All the alternitive ideas are good. Accue pressure, Yoga, stretching, keeping healthy with good eating. If your MD is at a loss on how to help, and you feel you need real medication, a good pain specialist can be recommend to you from your PCP. There are medicines that work without the narcotics that make you sleepy. I would try anything like that before I took something stronger, as they do tend to make you sleepy and have properties that arn't good for you unless absolutely needed. I really hope alot of others will join in and give you some more ideas. Glad you found this site. There is also a forum on Cronic Pain. Welcome again. ginnie

[offinthedistance]

Oooh, yes, the chronic pain site., Forgot about that. thanks.

So far;
aspirin/diclofenac give me indegestion and heartburn.
paracetomol doesn't touch the sides.
tramadol 50mg good for short time but makes me sleepy.
panadeine forte (codeine 30mg) good for a night's sleep
endone good but foggy at work.

I keep on top of things with one tramadol and one codeine and work through the tiredness.

Alternative things are all very well but not possible when I'm IN work. Lots of walking, lots of thinking on my feet. Heat/cold packs are good but not practical. I stretch often.
I also can't show anyone I'm struggling as I could very well lose my job if I do.

Thanks for your help. I should have mentioned all this in my first post...

[ginnie]

[Read what you have tried so far. A friend I have up North takes tramadol. After awhile it didn't make her sleepy. I believe it is alot less addictive than some of the others that pain specialists try. Please do watch out for your stomach and heartburn with medications. It led me to a whole mess of ailments with my stomach and throat. I hope there is a doctor who can get you some help while you are working. It is hard to cope with pain in a work environment. Some of the heat, cold packs can be worn under clothing and not noticeable at work. I used the heat on my cervial spine with patches. Some work 8 hours and provided some relief. ginnie

[offinthedistance]

Thank you Ginnie. I'm just finding it so hard to cope with a day at work. I take the lift, no stairs. I pace myself. I sleep before work, I sleep lots the day after. I eat well. Exercise. Take copaxone.

I only want to manage one or two days a week at work.

[tkrik]

From your post, it sounds like you are dealing with nerve pain. Sadly, nerve pain is hard to treat. I take Neurontin (generic - gabapentin) for my nerve pain. I have done well on it, however, I do experience breakthrough pain. When I 1st started it did make me feel as though I had a beer or 2 but I found ways to counteract that. I am on a low dose comparatively (900 mg a day).

Ice does help but, you are right, it is not practical when you are working.

Salonpas work well. They have them in spray or patch form. They smell a little like menthol but it's better than being in pain and you can wear it at work and don't have to worry about ice and heat.

Others gave some great ideas and those are things that you can do on your days off.

A TENS unit works well for muscle aches but it is not good with nerve pain. I learned that the hard way.

I hope they find something that will work for you so that you can continue working.