Non-chemical or alternative pain relief?

[blackdog]

so heres the problem.

i managed to do some damage to my forearm with a fillet knife.

it severed both arteries, tendons and nerves.

5 hrs in theatre, 3 days in icu, 46 stitches, and a cast now up to my shoulder. they reckon it will be about 12 wks for recovery.

now, im chewing through the codiene at quite a rate for the pain, and for the actual injury site this seems to be working quite nicely

the problem is my fingers.

no feeling in them wotsoeva due to severed nerves (stick em with a pin and i wouldnt know it unless i'd seen it) but they hurt like a bitch! it might just be in my head, but it doesn't make it any less painful. i liken it to sticking your fingers in a deep frier.

anyone got any ideas? doc reckons the nerves can grow back at about 1mm per day, and they have about 30mm to make up.

not riding my bike is hell, and 1 handed typing is a pain in the arse as well

[onearmedbandit]

Mind over matter. My pain level is on average 7-8 out of 10 24hrs a day, spikes in excess of 10 literally hundreds of times a day (I need to readjust my pain scale lol), and I stopped taking all medication over 8yrs ago. I use a combination of mental processes to keep it under control, such as realisation (that I'm damn lucky to be where I am today), employing the pain to be a boost (if I can overcome this pain in any given situation and retain my cool then I can overcome anything), and actually mentally overcoming the pain by releasing my mind from fighting it.

It isn't easy, it can be very taxing, but the bigger the pain rush (I'm talking pain like my flesh is being torn from the bone, that there are spikes in my arm tearing it apart internally, that my hand is being crushed by an enormous force, that my palm is grasping a hot blade, my flesh feeling raw on my palm, my elbow and forearm being crushed in a vice, feeelings of my shoulder wanting to burst from internal pressure, to sometimes feelings of molten metal pumping through my veins ( an intense burning pulsating pain).) the bigger the release. It's like a drug.

So try to not fight the pain, it isn't going anywhere, you can't run away from it. Don't give in to the pain as such, just let it do its thing and wash over you. If you save the mental energy of fighting the pain (it's impossible btw) then you have more energy for dealing with it.

All this has taken a fair bit of time to adjust to of cours, whether you can adapt in the time required to do this is up to you. My pain thresehold has risen dramatically as well, enabling me to do with my base pain better.

Good luck with it all, be thankfull it's not worse, and keep yor spirits up. Live is a wonderful thing full of highs and lows, and if it wasn't for the lows the highs wouldn't feel nearly as good.

[steve_t]

Dude! That sux! Hope it comes right soon! Are u not allowed other pain relief medication besides codeine?

[Genie]

So try to not fight the pain, it isn't going anywhere, you can't run away from it. Don't give in to the pain as such, just let it do its thing and wash over you. If you save the mental energy of fighting the pain (it's impossible btw) then you have more energy for dealing with it.

Not that I have any comprehension of your level of pain, but this is how I did giving birth 5 times (2 for 1 last time).

Best of luck to both of you, it's never nice to get hurt and Mr Onearmedbandit, very sorry to hear that you are crap at pole dancing.

[Elysium]

May I reccomend the Necromonger technique of "One pain lessens another"


On a serious note my right hand caught an infection about last week and has inflamed my Eczema badly that my fingers and hand are lightly swollen, bleeding, puss and the works. Now it had an annoying arche that would wake me time from time during the night and found the common Nurofen worked for me at times. Just maybe take about two or three tabs for your situation?

[blackdog]

tx 4 takn the time oab.

its alot to absorb, and i can defnitely relate to your symptoms (molten pulsating etc)

howd u stop from going stir crazy?

[p.dath]

Way out of my area of knowledge, but see if you can find a distraction. You need to stop thinking about it.

TV, radio. I read about one person on hear that found listening to white noise helped (get a radio, and deliberately tune if "off" a station). Perhaps try reading a book that has complex subject matter or study for something.
Maybe work the other hemisphere, and try ark work, or something creative (obviously with your one good hand).

[blackdog]

Dude! That sux! Hope it comes right soon! Are u not allowed other pain relief medication besides codeine?

tramadol aswell, but even the morphine in hosp made very little difference

[blackdog]

(obviously with your one good hand).

thats wot the missus suggested

[blackdog]

May I reccomend the Necromonger technique of "One pain lessens another"


On a serious note my right hand caught an infection about last week and has inflamed my Eczema badly that my fingers and hand are lightly swollen, bleeding, puss and the works. Now it had an annoying arche that would wake me time from time during the night and found the common Nurofen worked for me at times. Just maybe take about two or three tans for your situation?

cheers elysium

yea im also on voltaren (an nsaid like nurofen) and amitol (supposedly for the nerve pain) as well as aspirin (blood thinner) and antibiotics,

when i walk, i rattle!

[onearmedbandit]

tx 4 takn the time oab.

its alot to absorb, and i can defnitely relate to your symptoms (molten pulsating etc)

howd u stop from going stir crazy?

No problem, I've become a it of an expert in pain management. That's the key word, because quite often it's not about relief but management.

How do I stop from going crazy? My situation is a bit different, it was life changing. I am thankful I had the accident (1997) because if it hadn't happened my life would've taken a different path, I wouldn't have my two beautiful daughters, I wouldn't have my fantastic partner, I wouldn't have my current bike, I wouldn't have all the great things in my life that I do have. Maybe things would've been better, maybe worse, but most definitely different. So the pain is a small price to pay, I have no regrets, no resentment.

Another point is I always remind myself how damn lucky I am, fuck I'm alive, I can walk, talk, ride, everything. There are so many people in worse off situations than myself, who am I to have self-pity or allow myself to cop out. At least I don't have to find my food from a dump, dodge bombs, be persecuted for my beliefs (or lack there of), suffer any of the atrocities that millions of others suffer everyday. I'm one of the lucky ones, we all are, we all have nothing to complain about.

Positive attitude, that keeps you from going crazy.

[duckonin]

TBS we do not all heal the same way pain is just that and no bloody thinking about anything even a good root is not going to help, you would need to have a packet of viagra ...hang in there time will do it's job suck on any pain relief you can, had the same prob as you when I put the axe right through the back of my hand taking out tendons and all...It took a looooong time to come right but it did..

I love listerning to those that have done no more in life than stub their toe HUH.....Most doc's and surgeons come into this catergory also..

[blackdog]

cheers again oab, all stuff im going to make a conscious effort to remember. i spect the physio is going to be fairly gruelling as well, its good to have this sorta stuff to reflect on

[blackdog]

TBS we do not all heal the same way pain is just that and no bloody thinking about anything even a good root is not going to help, you would need to have a packet of viagra ...hang in there time will do it's job suck on any pain relief you can, had the same prob as you when I put the axe right through the back of my hand taking out tendons and all...It took a looooong time to come right but it did..

I love listerning to those that have done no more in life than stub their toe HUH.....Most doc's and surgeons come into this catergory also..

did u get all ur movement back in the end? i dread the thought of having to ride a dn-01 or mana coz i cant operate a clutch.....

cant say enuff good stuff about the surgeons and hosp staff, they were amazing

[mashman]

Ask for better drugs! Unlucky man, must hurt like an absolute bastard... unattached nerves banging around the inside of the body sounds like it could be very painful.