Posted , 5 users are following.
I've been taking pain meds for several years and they help but the side effects are hard to deal with, I want too stop taking them to feel better but I wonder how I will deal with the pain. I have arthritis in my hips, neck, both shoulders and my low back. Does anyone out there take meds other than narcotics?
0 likes, 7 replies
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martin_F joe21532
Posted
joe21532 martin_F
Posted
LayneTX joe21532
Posted
The only thing helping me right now (I'm on Prednisone, plaquenil, Sulfasalazine, pretty good diet) is meditation, learning how our brains work with our body. We feel pain, it tells brain, then brain tells body to feel pain, then back up. I've been able to circumvent the pains by breathing into the painful area, being aware how much tense up my body, how much I think of the pains and sadness of not being able... Learning to enjoy the littlest things. I'm trying to get off the drugs because they've done such a number on my body. Also meditating on seeing your self pain free and totally enjoying that and that's how you want the body to be. Changing my brain wiring. The brain is designed to heal too.
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Also, not sitting longer than 30 minutes.
Dance a little...
joe21532 LayneTX
Posted
lyn1951 joe21532
Posted
I have found that treading water in the local heated pool, in the deep end, surported by noodle under my arms, stretches me out.
I allow my lower body to fall into the water under the noodle, I have a ruptured disc at S1-L5, a buldging disc at L5-L4, and a third bulging disc at L4-L3, work hard treading water for an hour or more 3 times a week, has strengthened up my back muscles no end, and i have been able to give up the really strong painkillers, t quiet now how, but started taking them further and further apart, rather than just stopping them altogether, was on every 4 hours, then every 4half hours, then every five hours, discovered I only needed them at night, then finally stopped altogther.
Surprised even myself, and the Dr is delighted I am managing without painkillers.
When i get a jolt of really bad pain, I get back in that pool, and dooo some more treading water.
Also musn;t miss that I dooo a lot of stretching though shoulders, modified breastroke like reaching out in front of me and pulling myself foward with just my arms, when my neck and shoulder are really sore hurts, but feels better afterwards, and I don;t push toooo hard if really painful, don't want to make it worse.
I too have arthiritis of shoulders, at one stage unable to lift arms more than a couple of inches off side, slowly slowly I worked out that tightness, stenosis of spine, double hip replacement a big help with worn out hips.
LayneTX lyn1951
Posted
Wow Lyn, treading an hour or more? That's a long time. Guess you have people to talk with? That's incredible, and it's so nice to hear someone making that progress! Good for you! And thanks for sharing. Not sure I'd want to do an hour 3 x's a week, but wish you were here to do it with
you got me inspired, thanks.
lyn1951 LayneTX
Posted
We have an amazing group of people at the pool who have become friends, some with hip replacements like me and some with back surgery, others there just to lose weight, one lady i find an inspiration has lost about 200kgs, to less than 100kgs, she was huge, amazing to watch her fading away, and becoming much healthier.
We all share our horror stories and fun stories, and have a chatter.
I also take my husband along, he has serious heart failure, with the Dr's permission, and he also enjoys just relaxing in the warm water, our friends enquire how he is going, and have been very pleased to hear he is doing very well since they installed a pacemaker a few months ago.
When i started at the pool I could only manage about half an hour, but have built it up over time.
Also have had a physio check on me to see how I am doing, very impressed with generally strong muscles in back and legs also hips, only corrected me in one area of my hips and gave me some very specific exercises to do for those muscles, had worried me that I had a weakness in my left leg especially post THR, and couldn;t seem to get it right by myself.
Overall very pleased and suggested she would be sending more of her post THR patients to the pool if i was any example of how much it helps.