Natural remedies?

[jamdls]

Hi, had not noticed this part of the forum before great a place I can talk about my aches and pains. Ok a little background: in 2001 I had back surgery for a ruptured disc, back got better for a while but I continue to this day to have numbness in on leg which they say is nerve damage. I was advised to have another back surgery but declined and with occassional steroid injections and yoga I have been able to live fairly normal I just don't lift or move heavy items like I used to. In 2005 I was in a car accident I drove head on into a concrete barrier, my head was cracked open, my right ankle foot was completely twisted around and most every bone in my body was bruised or fractured but no broken bones. Other than those 2 things I dont remember any other physical damage except of course from alcohol. My problem: I can not stand or walk for more than 30 minutes w/o having extreme pain in my feet/ankles/legs if I exceed the amount of time it often takes 36-48 hours before the pain subsides. If I am on my feet for long I get burning shooting pains in the the heels and balls of my feet and ankles, I went to a podiatrist and I do wear shoes with orthotic inserts but they don't help. The same pain often affects my arms and upper thighs. My regular doctor sent me to a rheumatologist, great guy, did a bunch of tests and xrays and couldn't find the reason for the pain, he said it sounded like arthritis but my joints weren't stiff; it sounded like fibromyalgia but I didn't have pain in the primary trigger points; it sounded like lupis but the blood tests should only a mild inclination in that way. He then suggested it is likely nerve damage and/or neuropathy as a result of the car wreck/back surgery, and the xrays showed I have osteoporosis but that wouldn't be causing the pain. He gave me a prescription for the osteoporisis and told me to take advil. I do not sleep at night because of the pain, I can not take pain medication that is acetiminophen based because my alcoholic bottom was accompanied by a prescription overdose of pain medicine (that I had for my back) resulting in a hole in my liver--now my liver is likely healed by now it's been almost 2 years but I'd be too afraid to take pain meds. At night I take Desyrel, 2 Alieve PM, and Soma and I use Lidocaine patches on the worst pain and wrap the area with an ace bandage when possible Last night I took the meds then 4 hours later I still couldn't sleep because of the pain so I took another Soma and got about 5 hrs sleep which is not enough for me. Any one have wonderful natural remedies for pain?????

sleepless in Dallas

[DesertEyes]

Hello there Jamdls, and welcome to our corner of recovery

Sorry to hear that you are in so much pain. I know how rough it can be cuz I have my share.

None of us here are doctors, so we can't give you any medical advice. What I can tell you is that I noticed there are a few things you have _not_ tried yet in your search for pain relief. You mentioned nerve damage from a ruptured disc, possible neuropathy from a car accident, and that ocassional steroid injections bring you relief.

I don't see that you have seen a neurologist that specializes in neuropathy, or that you've been to a pain clinic. My neurologist has done wonders for me, so I recommend you look one up.

Mike

[kewalo]

Jamdls,
...my experience strength and hope:
I have 2 herniated discs, and, when they did the MRI they also found that I have 2 bad hips. I'm a Babyboomer Gold mine for the local hospital system. I'm really happy to find this site. And REALLY happy to find this category so I can share with people in the same boat. I've been sober for nearly 27 years. I'm cross addicted. Pot was my other drug of choice, along with tranks and sleeping meds. Don't know what cocaine is like thank God.
From my initial herniation injury to my first visit to the pain clinic, that desertEyes mentioned, I was getting blown out of bed every 2 hours from the sciatica pain. My doc prescribed Vicodin along with the usual anti-inflammatory stuff. I called my sponsor about the vicodin and he referred me to page 133 in the BBook, and, said take AS PRESCRIBED. I also researched the 1984 AA world conference adoption, that AA doesn't interfere with prescribed medicines. AA doesn't suggest we bite on a piece of leather for pain, nor does it prescribe sleep medicine, nor, does it tell us not to take or not prescriptions. Medicine is an "Outside Issue" as in tradition 10, unless your dealing with a pain specialist who's in AA also. In sobriety WE know what is good and what is bad. And nobody in AA is the Big Kahuna, able to point to you and say "you had a slip because you took pain meds". It's all up to us.
Vicodin indeed got me through the 2 weeks until I got my first ESI, which took very well. 1 more injection, along with a month of PT, killed the bad sciatica but I still get a swollen disc pressing on other nerves almost every day. So in the past year, every now and then, I felt I needed vicodin as prescribed for pain. But soon the vicodin "called out" to me. I'm a cross addicted alcoholic. I'm addicted to anything that hits my pleasure center. Once hooked on a drug, there is never enough of it for me. So, I had to stop the vicodin, even "every now and then". Quit while I'm ahead and still have a liver left.
The Pain Clinic, and physical therapy, is what works the best for me - but that's FOR ME. Every day I do a series of stretches and movements that my certified PT prescribed for me and I walk at least 3 miles a day to keep the fluid out of my discs. I'm a year into my injury and I'm also back to light windsurfing. But currently I'm heading back to the pain clinic June 3rd for another ESI because last year's wore off and the pain is back, although subdued in comparison to my initial injury. I live one day at a time addictive drug and booze free.
Yours in sobriety,
kewalo

[jamdls]

I wasn't really looking for medical advice just natural remedies for pain. I won't take pain meds not because of AA because I don't go to AA but because I don't like the way they make me feel. Yoga worked really good for my back pain but since I've had the trouble with my feet yoga is tough to do much. Thanks anyhow

[Sugah]

This is by no means a remedy, and it's often not a popular position, but my way of dealing with pain has been to redefine the role pain plays in my life. If I'm in a good place mentally, emotionally and spiritually, I can deal with more physical discomfort. I have meditative practices that help me to make peace with my pain and work with it rather than wishing it away. Sometimes, that means cutting my activity level, accepting more help or learning new ways of doing things, though rarely do I find I can't do what I want to do. Well, I haven't jumped out of any airplanes or learned how to hang glide, but most other things are do-able

Peace & Love,
Sugah