I have read about what Joe was talking about with the buckets of water a while back, apparently it does work, i haven't tried it myself so Joe is the best one to explain the buckets of water method,

With the one i have, its in the manual itself that you must wet the skin or the electrode before actually placing the electrodes on a person, i have tried it without and it doesn't work any were near as good.

here is a link were they use water on the contacts instead of gel, with a TENS machine.
http://www.sportstek.net/wireless-tens.htm

I can understand and respect you for being extra careful seeing its not your machine.

Brian, I clicked on the sportek link. Fascinating stuff.

And what made it even more fascinating is that this machine uses CUPPING also.

Now, I don't know if this is the same CUPPING that my italian grandmother used to do 40 years ago. Let me explain. Oh, the CUPPING used back then was to get pnemonia, bronchitis, or a simple cold, out of your lungs.

Here's what she did to me. I must have been 10 years old, with a bad congestion. My grandmother's little old lady friend came into my house and she took a candle, a clear wine glass and a quarter.

Oh, in italian, they used to call this PICCERADA. Do not ask me why, that's what they called this in my house.

So I lay on my stomach and my mother exposed my back. This little old lady took the quarter, put it in a piece of cloth, and took the lit candle, put the candle to the cloth and it went on fire, and immediately put the lit cloth containing the quarter on my back. Then she immediately put the wine class out of it. The CUPPING happened when the wine glass made a whoosh sound and pulled part of my skin up into the wine glass. Everybody stood around me going "ooh, look, the cold is leaving her lungs and coming out of her body. She did this 10 times on my back, and when she removed the wine glass, it made a popping sound. It also left rings on my back.

Well, (and I don't remember if I got better or whatever), but I DO REMEMBER what happened the next day when my mother took me to the family doctor and he decided to take his stethiscope and examine my lungs. When he raised my blouse and saw all the rings on my back, he stood back and said "what the hel* are these rings all over Melody's back??" My mother proceeded to explain that this was the italian way to take a cold out of the body.

That doctor gave it in spades to my mother. He made her promise (and I will never forget his words). "Please, no more voodoo"

So I have no idea if the CUPPING that is mentioned in this TENS UNIT thing, is what they are talking about. But boy, did it bring back memories.

Melody

I Have Had One For 15yrs, My Nuero Gave It Me & Showed Me How It Worked [ Easy For Her ]
I Had Back Pain Due To Laminectomy 35 Yrs Ago,
Try Placing Those Electrodes On Your Own Back By Yourself
{ Not Easy For Me ] I Soon Gave Up On That One, Got More Pain Using The Things.
Sophia Uk

Melody - I have no knowledge of a tens unit but I wanted to say that if you have a choice, don't put the electrodes on top of the foot. I had some pain treatment from a podiatrist several years ago and he was adamant about not applying this gel on top of my foot near the base of the toes which is where I was then having the most problems. (I think it was associated with ultrasound but it WAS for pain relief, strange I know)

Try the "toughest" part first, what about his heel or the ball of his foot?

Good luck and keep us posted. I was also interested in a tens unit and wondering if there was any long lasting benefits. Seems like it might "reprogram" the pain paths that I read about occasionally which say that once you have the pain, your memory of the pain may keep it going even if the source of the pain is removed.

Texas Geek:

you wrote: "don't put the electrodes on top of the foot. I had some pain treatment from a podiatrist several years ago and he was adamant about not applying this gel on top of my foot near the base of the toes which is where I was then having the most problems."

Now that's exactly where Alan has the pain. So why would I put the electrodes on the hardest part of the foot? Like the heel??

I am thoroughly confused now!!!!

Anybody????

Melody

--you probably could put the pads on Alan's foot tops, provided it was on a low setting.

There's a considerable amount of trial and error involved in finding the best places to put the pads, the best wave form to use, and the best intensity level. Even small shifts in pad position, with the wave form/intestity remaining the same, produces different sensations in different places.

The pads that I use have the conductive gel on them, in order to allow for the current to make a circuit--normal skin is actually somewhat resistant to current, so this helps. It's also why one uses the pads at least two at a time in an area (in different places)--to make a circuit that (hopefully) includes the region you want to target.

The general principle is that the electrical impulses coming from the unit interfere with the slower pain impulses that come from the small-fiber nerves, but there also seems to be some evidence that usage over time can re-ccordinate the nerve firing pattern in an area and therefore reduce the pain long-term. (Pain is often thought to be maintained in an area by patterns of neural firing that get triggered more easily the more they are elicited, to the point that normal non-painful stimuli trigger them, resulting in allodynia--TENS and inferential therapy units, as well as the Rebuilder, work on the theory that one can "re-train" the neural circuits and make them more likely to fire in less painful patterns, if one makes them fire in these patterns often enough.)

Okay, I read what you said (didn't understand a lot), but I'm learning.

So I have four pads with some aluminum siding on the back. I assume, I peel back the aluminum and stick the pads (now where do I put these four pads), two on each foot, I assume??? Exactly where should I put the pads.

I will read the manual and learn how much voltage, etc. etc. and for how long. Just tell me please exactly where to position the pads.

I'll electrocute this man yet!!!!! lol

Melody

I am no expert but you usually place then right on the sore area, everyone is differant and may not react the same, if he wants to try it i would play safe with a very light strength to start with and see how he goes, as you know very well unfortunately how the nerves can react as its part of the small nerves job is to sense vibration.
I placed my electrodes on the top of my feet, on a light slow pulse, i tried the soles but didn't feel anything and that was the same with my magnets they only worked on top of my feet, but those i left on all the time, except for bathing and they worked much better than the electrodes probably because they were on 24/7 and the electrodes were only for 3 or 4 hours at a time.
good luck
Brian

Well, I'm not the one that's going to use this gadget, that's for sure. Alan's feet are completely numb and he has the PN between certain toes of his feet. I asked him where he wants to put these things and he said "on the bottom of my heel". Now i have no idea why he said this but tomorrow, during Alan's visit with the new podiatrist at Methodist, I will definitely bring up the tens unit and ask this guy what we should do. I just hope he doesn't go "What's a TENS UNIT?". The reason I said that??? When Alan had his first 5 IVIG treatments at the hospital, I remember leaving his room, walking over to the front desk and seeing a doctor just sitting there. I said "do you mind if I pick your brain about IVIG treatments??" His response?? "What is IVIG?" And yeah, he was a physician.



Melody

i just burst out laughing with what that response was off the doc
my god we put our lives in these people hands scary isn't ?
Believe me.,since the start of my PN i have met some real d... heads that call themselves doctors & specialists, the only real good doctor was my neuro, who doesn't even charge me anything extra to see him in his consulting rooms besides what the goverment allows for a visit.