Yeah, my goal is to become at least mostly pain free if the condition can be treated at all...

However, I refuse to take anything for pain that can't be bought over the counter... Reason being, I've seen way too many people(family/friends included) addicted to pain meds, to agree to taking any narcotic/opioid painkiller... If I can live with 10/10 pain taking not so much as Tylenol, then I can tolerate a reduced pain level with little to no pain medication...

And I may have found a better PCP than either me or my wife currently have... Just gotta see if he will take me as a patient, maybe as early as tomorrow...

 

good news on the pcp front!

I understand and respect the aversion to narcotics and opioids.
Nut there are other options to relieve pain, especially nerve pain, that do not involve the use of such addictive medications.

Medications like Lyrica were developed specifically to treat nerve-related pain without physical dependency on the drug like the narcotics and opioids.

Let's not put the cart in front of the horse.

Once we know the source of the pain, then we can all chime back in on what we think the appropriate path forward is.

Just try to keep an open mind about pain management options. Not every prescription drug is mentally and physically addictive like the opioids.

 

Addiction is a matter of the mind. Not saying that the chemicals don't help support the trigger of that, but I believe its a matter of the mind.


I'm a smoker, yes derf we had this talk. Can I quit? If I tried, probably. Do I want to? No, not really. And you may think I am crazy, but working in the restaurant industry, smoking is my stress relief.
But point being, I COULD quit if I wanted to. Really the best solution to anything that can be addictive is just not starting. A lot of research goes a long way.

 

I'm not against taking a medication designed specifically for nerve pain, but I'm firmly against narcotics... Partly to avoid addiction, and partly to avoid having to deal with my addicted family members where they are concerned(they would try to buy first, and then certain people would try theft and meet their certain end)...

And I'm gonna try and find a source of this agonizing pain...

Btw, I am noticing that it is significantly less painful when I'm not at work... There, I stand on concrete for 12 hours, whereas I don't at home... I can still go out and about without such severe pain(probably not over a 6/10), and it just about goes away when I'm sitting around the house...

Figured I would use this thread for note-taking as well as to receive advice...

 

Chiropractor probably contributed to the damage. My wife had a ruptured disc years ago and started seeing a quack. He never did an x-ray or MRI, just heard "back pain" and started doing his "adjustments". He made her worse and I finally convinced her to get a second opinion. She went to another chiro and he refused to touch her. He said he suspected a ruptured disc and no "honorable" chiro would touch someone with a ruptured disc. First guy was all about the money. Second was a straight up dude. She had to have back surgery and hasn't been the same since then. That was 20 years and 7 back surgeries ago. Every time she has one, it doesn't help, it just gets worse. Find a competent neurologist NOW!

 

I had sciatica after i had my son and it would knock my *** in the dirt...i couldnt walk...usually with sciatica it runs from your *** down your leg...i say give the brace a try it cant hurt...but it really does sound like a nerve is pinched...sometimes taking an anti-inflammatory can help relax the muscles around it and it will become unpinched.

Right now im figjting what i think is a mix of carpal tunnel and a pinched ulnar nerve in my arm...my arm keeps going numb and it tingles so bad it hurts and wakes me up. Scary feeling holding your baby and your arm goes numb and you have to worrry about dropping her. Its happening in both arms but mainly my right which us my dominant arm.

Good luck hun...hope something gets figured out

 

Dude, you might have a bulged or slightly herniated disc in your low back. You REALLY need to have a neurosurgeon examine you and then have an MRI with and without contrast. You start screwing around with your back and any type of meds without a proper diagnosis, and you're treading on a minefield. Trust me on this one. You don't want to screw around with any type of low back disc or nerve damage. My wife is living proof of the longer you go without proper diagnosis, the worse it gets! I'm done with suggestions and you will have to decide what you want to do and how long you want to be in pain. I'm under the impression that you're a fairly young and intelligent man, so only YOU can decide what to do and how much you can tolerate. Look at poor old, derf and how long he's suffered by going to INCOMPETENT doctors.

 

mandee -- might be something neck related if it's happening on both sides --nerve pinched, etc. I've had carpal tunnel and it's only your thumb, index, middle and the inside half of your ring finger that go numb. If it's all of your fingers, it is likely not carpal tunnel. I know what you mean about waking up at night b/c your body part is numb and you have to use your other arm to move it around. Quite unnerving.

Have you considered using one of those over the shoulders things where your baby rests up against your chest facing you?

 

The numbness is mainly in my those fingers but does go into the other one and my arm but its more tingly in those fingers.

I wear her in a sling type thing but not always because it takes time to get her adjusted. Id love to get a carrier like you're speaking of but a decent one is like $50 and i just dont have the extra cash. So ill just have to suck it up. Lol

 

New developments...

The doctor I am wanting to see won't be back in office until May 29, and I won't be able to see him until about June 6... Do I see a different local doctor until I can see him, or do I see somebody else at the same clinic until I can see him? I guess I can wait, but it will be painful... Maybe should begin an anti-inflammatory regimen... If something is inflamed and pinching a nerve, some ibuprofen could help the cause a little...