arghhhh!

hi Bob

i already take it in the evening, i am now taking painkillers more often to control the pain i have.

I have been diagnosed with chronic back pain, the mri is to see if anything is happening that we are not aware of.

Just generally feel low at the moment.

Anxiety is hard somedays too

There are techniues to control Chronic Pain, that are advised by Pain Clinics. At this time you are not near that point

I do not know what you feel you have done with your back, I would suggest. Relaxation Techniques (Mindfulness) and Breathing Techniques. both are on the web.

With regards above I would look up Posture, and try those techniques as well. 

How old is your bed, if older than ten years you need a new one, Memory Foam type beds work well and give good support. You could try purchasing a topper  with memory foam for your bed, they are cheeper and will give you time to save for a new mattress.

Look at where you sit in the evening, your seat should have a firm back and the seat part should be firm and not sink you down to a position lower than your knees, so you actually slid off the seat and this gives you the chance of giving more support to the back. You can purchase additional cushions that increase the hieght of the lower cushion.

Take showers, use a five spray type shower head and use the intence setting on the shower head, spray the part that is painful and let the warmth of the spray enter the part that is giving problems.

Baths can be problematic getting in or out. and can be costly if we have a Chronic (Long Lastin, continuous ) condition, it has just cost us £800 to upgrade.

Give above a try

BOB

 

Hi Bob,

Having read your post i have tried everything hence the pain clinic and the MRI

i have recently purchased a new bed with a better mattress which is making me sleep better, just wish i could sleep for longer than i do.

I have chronic constant pain all the time, which can be worse with wet/damp weather.

I also see an osteopath for my muscles as a preventative treatment to make sure i dont fall back into the spasms i was getting all the time.

I actually see her on Monday.

No matter what seat i sit in it is painful, so bad now that when i am sitting at work i have to get up, also when i get home reclining to take the pressure off of my back is the only way to get comfortable.

I have an exercise ball which i do use for stretching but again that i can only do when i am able to, if the pain is worse i dont tend to do that. Baths are not really going to work as it is only a short term fix. I do use a hot water bottle in bed if i need more heat for my back.

I am trying everything but unfortunately i am still waiting for my MRI results to rule anything serious out. my consultant who was a locum and very nice should be reviewing my results today. (19th jan) i will get a letter with those hopefully soon.

I tried the tens machine that he said might help but that made my pain 10x worse so i sent that back to them. I was hoping it would have worked but never mind.

I am down to 2 lots of pains meds today as i really only take them if i feel that it is a really bad day then i up it to 4x a day.

thanks for your advice

 

Dawn let me know how you get on.

If needed I can explain how you need to operate your TENS when you get your results.

For my condition it can be really expensive to get adaptations done, one piece of kit for the bath cost nearly £900 and the shower was heading towards £600. The bath is Hydro therapy and was heading to £1500 and even the shower has the shower head and six shower heads in the wall of the shower.

Our house has also been fully adapted

BOB

HI Bob,

I had full training for the tens machine by the hospital but didnt get on with it so returned it.

Sounds like you are far more advanced than me, but i do manage with what i have.

I rang the pain Clinic Secretary yesterday i should have the results letter within 7-14 days

take care

Good Luck with your results, they do courses in our Pain Clinics, If you need any training to set up nerve blocks I can chat to you and explain.

BOB

sorry for the late reply, i really didnt want the nerve blocks although i can change my mind but at the moment i am trying to deal with it myself

Hello Dawn

Do not feel unsettled regards Nerve Blocks are concened, they are not the complete length of the nerve just the area arounf the nerve area.

TENS also works around a wound 

A  tens generally covers the length of four inches, with one set of electrodes or about ten/twelve inches with a dual channel device

BOB

Maybe but i am more concerned that it can do more harm than good.

How long do they tend to last for? (i was probably told but i have forgotten)

The tens was a disaster made it far worse than it was.

Dawn

 

I had TENS Training in Pain Clinic.

Some people seem to get about an hours rest from while others can get much longer. They used to restrict the use to around one hour now they can suggest you use it continous to get more control of your pain

The last time I used it over an extended period, every hour I would change the burst control and speed. The secret is not to leave the machine on one treatment patern, you need to vary it if used over extended period.

Time can also be tependent on the areas you want to treat, You should have a booklet to explain use paterns and intensity

BOB