Thats alot of meds. It sounds like you have other things going on besides this one issue.

I was thinking about trying Milncapiran for this burning pain. I found study below had success. granted its in mice.

http://www.mendeley.com/research/eva...ropathic-pain/

I've been reading your posts, Bent.

Looking at a dermatome chart, shows lower cervical distribution on the upper back and shoulders.

I hope you have stopped the massages? I had a massage once overstimulate my neck ganglia, and activate my shingles pain generators!

Do you feel this pain when you sleep? Can you sleep on your back?

You know from your earlier history posted here, I have some reservations that your pain is doctor induced somehow from the instrumentation you had for your swallowing problems. I gave you a link back then, that discussed contaminated instruments used in endoscopic procedures. They may carry disease agents, viral and/or bacterial into the test subject. This situation of contamination is becoming more well known as people come forth with illness from the testing.

Also I'd suggest for you to read some of Dr. Sarno. He is always controversial, but within that controversy are many people who have been helped by his point of view. I have read 2 of his books, and find them useful for my own family members.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Sarno

Tension myositis is what he calls pain that does not show up in MRIs or Xrays.

Along the same vein, I'd recommend you try some magnesium cream or lotion to apply directly to your back/neck where the burning is. It might improve the circulation there and lessen the pain overall. Tension myositis is a temporary reduction in circulation leading to reactive nerve endings which need better blood flow.

I sincerely hope that you do not have RSD. After reading some of the responses here, so far it appears that you may not.

Kirkman labs makes a cream you can by online.
CVS drugstores have a lotion called CVS Epsom lotion.

I would not use any strong soaps or body washes on your back either. A mild soap like Dove unscented does not defat the skin or upset skin integrity. Strong soaps with fragrances like Zest or Irish spring may be irritating. Rinse all shampoos off well in the shower. Some shampoos have irritating ingredients as well, and use Baby Shampoo for a while and see if that helps.

Ask your wife to double rinse your clothing, and bedding. Avoid fabric softeners too...as they can irritate skin. I've seen some awful reactions to fabric softener residues!

The fact that your problems have "moved around" quite a bit for you in the last year, suggests exposure to something that your body cannot handle. Beyond that is the fact that nerve pain can become "learned" for some people and that is why drugs like
TCAs and SSRIs etc are given, to help block the pain perception areas in the brain.

Finally there is a cream called Zonalon. This is doxepin(a TCA) in cream form. Some of the posters on PN over the years have reported that it worked well for them with nerve pain. It is expensive, and you don't slather it on. If you try this (RX from doctor) I'd start at the back of the neck where the dermatome charts show the areas affected by the cervical roots.

Using Lidoderm is very effective if you apply it to the correct areas. One needs to use Lidoderm patches every day to get a result down the line. First few days don't often show much.
Placing it over the nerve ganglion areas is more efficient than over the area where you feel the pain. Pain from nerve roots is generated THERE and not in the skin. Often people put the patches over the wrong areas and then success is not a result, but frustration instead.

There is one other avenue you might try... low level laser therapy on your back and neck/shoulder area. This is done by Chiropractors mostly...and we have a thread about it on PN.
The red wavelength of light has no temperature sense, and seems to engage healing for some. I've been using a 5mw red laser pointer myself, for a swollen ankle, with amazing success!
The Chiros have larger units for larger body areas. It is worth investigating IMO. Low level Laser(also called cold lasers) is used more commonly in Europe. (where I have seen some papers discussing it).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_level_laser_therapy

My ankle has arthritis and damage to tendons from a surgery long ago. It flares and swells for no apparent reason but when I do about 10min of my small laser on it daily it stops doing the swelling/pain, turning purple thing. Because I have a target (the scar on my instep), I think I found the success from it. It would be more difficult if one did not have an easily visible target to start with. So going to a Chiro may be worthwhile for you.

For me at least...the pain is constant and all the time. It's a deep, burning pain that is all the time. When something touches me...that pain is like someone dragging a hot poker or a blow torch across my skin in those areas, and this is on top of the constant burning pain. When cold touches it..similar thing but evern MORE intense (which is saying something). Weight bearing and moving the RSD areas also causes pain on top of the constant burning...but less than the way it flares with cold...but the TENS unit helps me enough to tolerate walking a little and to do my physical therapy. Weather changes also flare up my pain...and sometimes it flares for no apparent reason. With all that against me...that's why even things that help just a little bit are welcome. I'll do just about anything if it will give me some sense of normalcy in my life.

Looking at a dermatome chart, shows lower cervical distribution on the upper back and shoulders.
I hope you have stopped the massages? I had a massage once overstimulated my neck ganglia, and activate my shingles pain generators!

I haven’t had a massage in over 6-8weeks. But that is interesting you mentioned that overstimulation. How long did it last?

Again this back burning started after getting messages and acupuncture. I was getting acupuncture on the front of my body not the back for 3 months prior to the back burning. The messages were for about 6 weeks prior to the burning and targeting my neck and upper back so the area that’s burning is the area I was getting the messages.
The thing is the pain should of went away by now if those were the causes.
Do you feel this pain when you sleep? Can you sleep on your back?

Luckily, I sleep soundly so I don’t know if I have pain when I sleep. I sleep on my back and like I said in earlier post sometimes I wake up and have no pain but a few minutes after pain starts in but not to bad. Sometimes I wake up and the pain is there but again its almost never terrible or intense in the morning when I first wake up.
You know from your earlier history posted here, I have some reservations that your pain is doctor induced somehow from the instrumentation you had for your swallowing problems. I gave you a link back then, that discussed contaminated instruments used in endoscopic procedures. They may carry disease agents, viral and/or bacterial into the test subject. This situation of contamination is becoming more well known as people come forth with illness from the testing.

Yes, I read that. So what is the test to confirm a virus that would cause these symptoms. Again, I have no other symptoms except the burning. I am not sure if you also remeber burning started in my chest when I began to take amitriptlyine. I noticed this nurotalk thread http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ht=desipramine

Also I'd suggest for you to read some of Dr. Sarno. He is always controversial, but within that controversy are many people who have been helped by his point of view. I have read 2 of his books, and find them useful for my own family members.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Sarno

I have read a few of Sanro's books the divided mind and the body mind prescription. I spoke to my therapist and he and I agree this pain is not stress induced. Sarno's principles are about the brain cutting off oxygen to muscles causing back pain. I have no muscle soreness, just the burning sensitivity type pain. Plus I don’t have any unresolved things in my past to make myself this way. The only issue in my life is this ******* PAIN!.
Tension myositis is what he calls pain that does not show up in MRIs or Xrays.

Along the same vein, I'd recommend you try some magnesium cream or lotion to apply directly to your back/neck where the burning is. It might improve the circulation there and lessen the pain overall. Tension myositis is a temporary reduction in circulation leading to reactive nerve endings which need better blood flow.

I sincerely hope that you do not have RSD. After reading some of the responses here, so far it appears that you may not.

Kirkman labs makes a cream you can by online.
CVS drugstores have a lotion called CVS Epsom lotion.

I tried calling CVS but they dont care that lotion anymore. Wouldnt the voltaren cream doing something similar? It has a NSAID built into it to reduce inflamation.

I would not use any strong soaps or body washes on your back either. A mild soap like Dove unscented does not defat the skin or upset skin integrity. Strong soaps with fragrances like Zest or Irish spring may be irritating. Rinse all shampoos off well in the shower. Some shampoos have irritating ingredients as well, and use Baby Shampoo for a while and see if that helps.

Ask your wife to double rinse your clothing, and bedding. Avoid fabric softeners too...as they can irritate skin. I've seen some awful reactions to fabric softener residues!

MY wife is very careful with detergents. We have found ALL works the best and doesnt have alot of the other perfumes the oher brands have. She does use a liquid fabric softener but only on colors. Our sheets, whites, bedding don’t have fabric softer. I always wear a t-shirt inside out for the time being. Also, I did go to a dermatologist and they looked at my skin and said it was perfectly normal. They gave me a steroid cream to try and it did nothing to reduce the pain.

The fact that your problems have "moved around" quite a bit for you in the last year, suggests exposure to something that your body cannot handle. Beyond that is the fact that nerve pain can become "learned" for some people and that is why drugs like
TCAs and SSRIs etc are given, to help block the pain perception areas in the brain.

Finally there is a cream called Zonalon. This is doxepin(a TCA) in cream form. Some of the posters on PN over the years have reported that it worked well for them with nerve pain. It is expensive, and you don't slather it on. If you try this (RX from doctor) I'd start at the back of the neck where the dermatome charts show the areas affected by the cervical roots.

I have seen people in used similar creams with amitriptyline in them.

Using Lidoderm is very effective if you apply it to the correct areas. One need to use Lidoderm patches every day to get a result down the line. First few days don't often show much.
Placing it over the nerve ganglion areas is more efficient than over the area where you feel the pain. Pain from nerve roots is generated THERE and not in the skin. Often people put the patches over the wrong areas and then success is not a result, but frustration instead.

Based off my complainted areaswhere should I put it?

There is one other avenue you might try... low level laser therapy on your back and neck/shoulder area. This is done by Chiropractors mostly...and we have a thread about it on PN.
The red wavelength of light has no temperature sense, and seems to engage healing for some. I've been using a 5mw red laser pointer myself, for a swollen ankle, with amazing success!
The Chiros have larger units for larger body areas. It is worth investigating IMO. Low level Laser(also called cold lasers) is used more commonly in Europe. (where I have seen some papers discussing it).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_level_laser_therapy

My ankle has arthritis and damage to tendons from a surgery long ago. It flares and swells for no apparent reason but when I do about 10min of my small laser on it daily it stops doing the swelling/pain, turning purple thing. Because I have a target (the scar on my instep), I think I found the success from it. It would be more difficult if one did not have an easily visible target to start with. So going to a Chiro may be worthwhile for you.[/quote]

Ive asked about this in the color laser thread. One of my PT has class 2 and 3 cold laser. There are other places in NY what have class 4. I just don’t think I have muscle inflammation causing this. Also if there was inflammation by the nerve wouldn’t the Epidural injections resolved my issue?

First off, I am so sorry for the hell you are going through and I pray you get more relief.

I dont seem to have those symptoms if my skin is touch. My burning can increase in intensity, I dont feel like a hot poker.


I made an appointment with the PM Doctor who does the Qutenza applications. She told me that she has had great success in using Qutenza on people with allodyina pain. She reference one woman who had Trigeminal Neuralgia and actually put the patch on her face. She is pain free over 4 months. She mentioned of a RSF patient who broke her wrist and was in some much burning pain in that whole area and again Qutenza was applied and she is pain free as well for 3 months so far. She said she has used Qutenza for more off-label applications then shingles. I asked about insurance not covering it. She mentioned she will submit my application today. I have united healthcare. She said usually insurance company will pay even if its not for shingles, and Medicare is usually a problem but I won’t know till they hear back from my insurance company.
She would numb area for an hour first with lidocaine and ELMA cream for 60 mins and then put the qutenza patches for 60 mins. Last 15 mins it will burn like a mother. She uses ice packs.

But again she seems to think its works with the pain, and if it can and I can get off the gabapentin why the hell not.
I asked about what other drugs I could try for the burning. She mentioned Baclofen. I said isn’t that an anti spasmatic drug? Shes said “Yes, but many MS and stroke patients develop allodynia and that seems to be effective”

Not sure if anyone else had tried baclofen.