Hi All,
I recently posted about PN in my buttocks, legs, and feet that resulted from a rock climbing injury 8 years ago. Basically, it was a stupid stunt that I regret. My safety harness had been worn too low on my pelvis throughout the day and I fell repeatedly and even at one point was hanging for about 10 minutes with all of my body weight bearing down on the harness which was strangling my pelvis. Ever since, I've had skin crawling sensations in both buttocks that goes down the back of my thigh, muscle fasciculations in both legs (developed 8 months after injury), buzzing in feet, and meralgia paresthetica in both legs. Must have stretched/crushed the sacral nerves. This had been very troubling to me because I could have prevented it with some more awareness on my part. But what's done is done and I have to live with it. I've had 5 EMGs over the past 8 years and all show nothing wrong. The docs didn't even see the fasciculations in the EMG and they told me that if there were fasciculations they would have definitely shown up on the EMG because its such a sensitive test. They haven't really provided any help other than prescribing Neurontin, which does nothing for me. My reflexes are intact, there is no weakness, and my muscles in general are very strong. It's the sensory nerves that I am trying to help out.

I've tried a bunch of things to help. I've done hot yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic, qigong massage, weight lifting, supplements, but nothing's really helped me. Since the docs can't pinpoint a problem and tell me there's no nerve damage at all, I've decided to look for my own solutions. I recently purchased some high gauss magnets after reading the magnet thread here. So, we'll see how they do. But getting back to my main topic...

I wanted to ask about lidoderm patches. I have a strange feeling that my nerves have healed physically, but my body might not have healed energetically, leaving me in a constant state of heightened awareness about my condition, with a constantly overstimulated sympathetic nervous system, which only gets compounded by my worrying, and inability to relax.

I was thinking about trying out the lidoderm patches. Maybe I could place them strategically upon my sacrum in order to control the tingling down my buttocks and hamstrings...Then maybe they could go near my feet to control the buzzing sensations.

Does anyone agree that this would be a wise plan? I'm hoping that by doing this for a while it will teach my nerves to relax so that they are not in a constant state of panic. I feel my nerves still keep firing because it was so traumatic for them to get injured. But I want to teach them that they can stop firing and go back to normal eventually. My goal is to use the patches and the magnets to relax the nerves so that I can permanently rid myself of the neuropathy.

Does anyone think this will work for me? I feel that this is my last ditch effort and that I'm running out of options.

Thank you,
Joe

Did you go to my link, about placement?

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...light=Lidoderm

There is a link to a 3D body image program on it, which allows you to see the nerves. The nerve plexus in the sacrum is a first
option to try. If it doesn't work quickly, move up the lumbar slowly to find the source.

MP is really a sensory thing, involving the front of the thigh only...the distribution of the lateral femoral nerve.

Where you describe pain, also involves tendons, fascia, and muscle. There is a condition called piriformis syndrome where the sciatic nerve can be damaged from injury. It runs thru the piriformis muscle in some people in such a way as to be able to be compressed with falling on the buttocks, or like you describe.

Figure 2A on this site shows it:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000401/2109.html

I would try the magnets first to see where the intervention works best. Use the 3D program to visualize where the major nerves are. Since the magnets are reusable...they don't cost alot of $$ to find placement solutions. The Lidoderms are expensive to experiment with. With the Lidoderms, I'd do 1/2 patch on each side of the lower sacrum. Lidoderms take a few days to work.

The magnets are faster, but the effect goes away when you take them off. Over longer periods of time, they may retrain the nerves too. But the Lidoderms I think chemically work more efficiently for a possible reversal. I still have about 10% of my MP but I consider it so mild now, I often forget about it.

One thing to remember....HEAT will activate that nerve problem. So avoid heating pads, hot tubs and steam treatments. Heat excites nerves, and should be a very short, intervention, no more than 10-15 minutes for nerve pain.

You will know when you hit "the sweet spot".

Thanks Mrs. D...I did check out the links so thank you for them. I'm just discouraged and hope the magnets and lidoderm patches work out. I'm seeing my doc on Friday and will ask him what he thinks about the patches. I should be getting my magnets in the mail soon and will let you know how I make out with them.
Joe

Just wanted to let you know I use the lidoderm patches, and I feel they really help. I also use Flexor patches, same principle behind them, different med.

I have trouble keeping them stuck, no matter where I put them, so I use a paper tape to keep them in place. They are expensive as Mrs D said, and its quite annoying to wake up and find it has rolled off.

Good Luck!

Thing is HOW you SIT, where you sit, and what you sit ON all can ease or contribute to problems! For me? It was an exam, which pressed on the key nerves/muscles and caused issues, then another exam 6 months later did the same? You will reallly have to look up things on a nerve chart to see what might have been aggravated? Better yet? Ask and talk to your docs candidly. Which is what I did, and I'd suspected 'pressure's? But yep, they were there.
This is a good site to explore and see how things inter-connect to other things? http://www.innerbody.com/image/nervov.html
It's easy to use, just click on?
As for Lidoderm patches working for your pain? That I cannot tell! Sometimes the patches work great for me? Other times they do very little...no matter where applied or what the issue. I've used them to the point where feet were totally numb? Once numb, feet can be dangerous or be injured dangerously....which is why I always support that anyone w/pn feet treat them as if they've diabetic PN? The dangerous side effects etc. are all likely to occur to US w/PN as those w/Diabetic PN.
As for pain pills? I've found nothing that eliminates PAIN. Plain and simple. When injured and hospitalized? I was on morpheine [likely a good dose?] and it cut, say about 15% of the total pain? [It was about a 9 in my low key estimations] Brain-wise tho, those meds? Well, I didn't care! Nor could I make rational decisions? IF I coulda bit someone or did serious damages somewhere? I think I might have felt better? The trade offs of pain killers vs meds and then our behaviour have to be carefully assessed by US the patients? Caution is the rule here, and I'm betting your docs are cautious too?
Ask your doc? Even w/good insurance know they are NOT CHEAP! Use prudently, read all the 'prescribing information' and know what could go wrong. I use them, infrequently but with prudence. I don't want to be dependent on any med too much. [Because I'm on too many other meds anyhow? for other things] I use these with CALCULATION - meaning, when I know I'm gonna get whupped somehow? I use them in advance to either avoid or lessen whupping!
s! Hope this helps?

Any chance the "skin crawling" is kin to Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). A long shot, but I have a long term lower back injury which may be responsible for a lot of my problems.

Again, just a thought. MY RLS is miserable to live with, luckily I have a good Neurologist who figured it out, got my dosage right and I am doing much better with that one problem.

Good luck with it.

Hi dllfo,
I haven't had a doc yet mention RLS but I'll bring it up on my visit this Friday. My symptoms were a direct result of nerve trauma so I never thought about RLS. Does trauma bring on RLS???