Mrs. D. I am sorry to hear you are having pain. I hope you have gotten some relief. Your gardens look beautiful. I son't know if that is your house on the water but I love it. I have always wanted a house on the water. I find being near water has given me a peaceful feeling all of my life. Hope you feeling better!!!

Thank you. The pontoon boat filled with "stuff" is typically how we get to our home on the island upNorth. I've been doing flowers up there for about 10 yrs now. When we started staying longer up there each summer, I decided to have planters on the shore.

I've had a Lidoderm behind my knee for two days now, and it is helping.

Also the amitriptyline I started seems to help. Most of that is working on my neck and shingle arm pain tho. Making me sleepy too.

I have taken amitriptyline is the past it did really make me tired. That is awesome that you have an island! It must give you a lot of peace and serenity. I like doing my flowers a lot in the spring and summer. I live up North in PA so we don't get too many months of warm weather. I also have to get a lot of help from my husband. I agree I think they secretly like planting. I'm glad to hear the lidoderm patches are working. I find they work well for me. Have a good night!

HI guys - sorry I havent kept up with this post, my arms have been spasming to bad to type lately.

mrsD your flowers are gorgeous! I really envy that your are able to do that. It was one of my largest passions and it is now something I cannot do at all as my pn is in my arms -but hey! you can come visit CA anytime!

How did your knee go out? How does the lidoderm patch work for you? I have tried it but a lot my pain comes from nearly inside my bone - the patch didn't reach. In fact I have had the sensation of my bones in my forearms itching at times - talk about driving my insane -

It has been very interesting to see how other people block out or battle thier pain, I have been trying the music these past couple days and I like it. I doesn't help me a lot, but it distracts me a little.

I also take amitriptyline and help bring down the intensity of my pain somewhat. I take it at night before I go to bed so I don't notice the grogginess quite as much - but then again I am on so many meds I don't know what I am feeling any more!
thanks everyone!

I ate for comfort for a long time. I have found a product which satisfies my need for sweet and is good for me. Sunsweet mango in a PKG. You can snak all day on them. Your need for sweet and munching on less nutritional things will go away. I lost 65 pounds, I was indeed obese. This was one of the things that helped me to keep myself under control. Pain did cause me to over eat. Mostly emotional pain. I hope this little snack can help you too. ginnie

The main nerve (peroneal) goes thru the back of the knee.
Also the meniscal nerve is back there. (my ortho showed me when I went to him the first time).

I just use a Lidoderm sideways, now, if it flares up like it did.
Don't know what caused it tho....I cannot walk or put pressure on that leg when it does that. I apply it above the bend of the knee on the back of the thigh, and tape the ends down so it doesn't move during sleep. The adhesive is not great on them, as most people know.

I am now cutting the Lidoderm in half and using one/half now that the worst is over. I am afraid to stop it all at once, since I don't know what is causing this, flare.

The first night on the amitriptyline, that leg "ached" for some reason...maybe I was so out of it, I slept on it funny? That is all I can think of. At least it is not red and swollen like the first time. I wore my brace the first day too. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to get out of bed!

Lidoderms are really good but you HAVE to put them in certain places to get the best results. It will vary from person to person depending on what is causing the pain.

I wish I could do something like the mango...but I have a terrible fructose intolerance, and that would make me so sick!
There IS alot of sugar in dried fruits -- diabetics beware.

The kind of mango in health food stores does have a higher content of sugar than sunsweet mango. Yes diabetics still need to limit but not as much as the health food variety. I did check for sugars, and it is less than alot of the cerals out there. ginnie

Ooooowwwwwww......I love mango! Is this the dried mango or cut and peeled refrigerated? The dried mango tastes more sugaery than the refrigerated mango - but the yboth super tasty! I think I will have to try using this as an alternate to ice cream - thanks for the suggestion and congratulations on loosing and keeping off the weight yah yay!!

Mostly I eat the dried variety from sunsweet brand. Less sugars than the ones in the health food stores, and it is absolutly yummy. I also loved ice cream, that was mybiggest thing to get over. I get to eat it now and then, but not like what I did before. Mango as a smoothie, peel and eat, or the kind in the grocery cold section is good too. The sunsweet brand has a "sweet" and a "tart" aspect to it, so you don't crave things like potatoe chips eithor. Some how this product was the one where I could eat it at any time, and I still lost the weight. I am indeed addicted to it, but at least I found something that is better for me. I hope it works for you. Hope you can find the way to better nutrition and loosing weight. I was 56 when I did this weight loss thing after a life time of trying. I am now 60 and I kept it off. Miracles can and do happen. ginnie

I have to try some of this. My thing is chocolate. I only eat dark but still!! I know I eat too much! Ginnie congrats! on the weight lose, that is awesome!!!