Neuropathy When A Picture Says It Better

Have you ever wished you just had the right image to send to someone who'd just sent you yet another e-mail asking how you are and noting how well you looked the last time they saw you? You need the image that says more than a thousand words right? Now neuropathy is not normally a laughing matter but there are a few 'lighter' images out there you might want to send, without any explanatory text, or long explanations. Given the choice between strangling your well-meaning friends, or firing a humour-bullet...one of these may fit the bill. If you know of more...let us know..they just might make someone's day a tiny bit better.

I've Got Neuropathy...Deal With It!
Dave R April 2016

 

www.neuropathyandhiv.blogspot.com

Exercise And A Better Lifestyle Improve Neuropathy

 Today's post comes from denverpost.com (see link below) and is written by a certified fitness trainer. It talks about what you can do to help neuropathy problems in terms of exercise. You may think it's a little simplistic but the fact is that exercise is important for neuropathy patients, even if it is just to strengthen your frame and muscles so that they can bear the weight of your body better when your feet and legs aren't playing by the rules. As a whole, there is some good advice here for people who haven't yet accepted what they ought to be doing. You can only do what you can do, so if it is too much then take it easier and try to build up to more each week.

 

Exercise and weight control relieve peripheral neuropathy

By Linda J. Buch

 Q: I have diabetes and have been told I have peripheral neuropathy as a result. What kind of exercising can I do? — J.J. Gruber, Newark, N.J.

A: The Neuropathy Association reports that more than 20 million Americans have peripheral neuropathy, which is defined as a problem with the nerves that carry information to and from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles, skin, joints and internal organs. This causes numbness, pain, weakness and poor coordination. It is important to contact a neurologist for diagnosis and treatment as soon as symptoms are noticed to avoid or slow permanent damage.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, peripheral neuropathy can be caused by:

• Physical injury or trauma to a nerve, often from repetitive motion or pressure from a cast or crutches
• Tumors
• Toxins and/or exposure to poisons
• Autoimmune responses such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis
• Nutritional deficiencies, especially of vitamin B
• Alcoholism
• Vascular and metabolic disorders such as diabetes
• Genetics

The staff at the Mayo Clinic recommends the following steps to treat this disease:

1. See your physician for medication and pain relievers, including lidocaine patches and possible antidepressants.

2. Eat a healthy diet. Be sure to include B-12 food sources (meats, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy and specially fortified cereals) to get a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. B-12 supplements may be required if you are a vegetarian.

3. Take care of your hands and feet. Check every day for blisters, cuts and calluses. Do not wear tight shoes or socks.

4. Exercise. Consistent and regular exercise can relieve pain and will also keep weight under control, which will relieve pressure on the feet and improves circulation to the extremities.

5. Reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption, which adversely affects circulation.

6. Quit smoking. Smoking also adversely affects circulation.

7. Massage hands and feet daily. Massage not only improves circulation but also stimulates the nerves and can temporarily relieve pain.

8. Avoid prolonged pressure on hands and feet. Be careful with crossing your legs, standing for great lengths of time or leaning on your elbows too long. This can make your current situation worse and cause new damage to the nerves.

Archived reports at the independent medical research database, the Cochrane Library, suggest that strength training can be effective for those with this disease. Even though most of the research on strength training for neuropathy was tested on people with diabetes, the research results have been consistent: Those who participated in the resistance- training program moderately improved muscle strength. Improvements in being able to perform basic daily activities — such as walking to and from cars — were also reported.

Other suggestions are walking a little bit each day (followed by massaging the feet), water exercise classes, yoga or other stretching regimens, tai chi and/or qigong, Pilates and using a stationary bike. Always start slowly and increase speed or intensity of any exercise cautiously. Squeezing a soft ball has been found to be helpful for the hands. Warm baths and acupuncture can help too.

Linda J. Buch is a certified fitness trainer in Denver

http://www.denverpost.com/fitness/ci_18016919

 

 

 

 

 

A Better Understanding Of Both Doctors And Patients Situations

Today's post from health.com (see link below) is pretty much a plea to give doctors a break. As neuropathic patients often in chronic pain and discomfort, we can get frustrated at our doctors' apparent lack of answers; especially if their bedside manner is also somewhat lacking. This article points out a few of the reasons why doctors need to be let off the hook now and then because of the stresses they're under from time management and a results culture. That's not to say that we shouldn't stand our ground now and then and refuse to accept shoddy medical attention but understanding a doctor's predicament will gain their appreciation and lead to better treatment anyway.

How to Get Your Doctor to Take Your Pain Seriously. How to get the treatment you need 

Last Updated: February 29, 2016

 

Good chronic pain treatment can be hard to find. A chronic pain patient has every right to believe that his or her doctor will listen sympathetically and prescribe the appropriate treatment, but that is not always the reality. Truth is, many doctors have not been trained to deal with the complex, changing area of chronic pain treatment. One 2001 survey of primary care physicians' attitudes toward prescribing certain medications found that only 15% said they enjoyed working with patients who have chronic pain.
This can lead to frustrating encounters at the primary-care level, especially if your doctor is rushed.

Pressures on doctors

"Doctors don't want patients to suffer, they want people to get better," says Bill McCarberg, MD, founder of the Chronic Pain Management Program at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. "But they feel stress, they feel time constraints, they have to deal with pre-authorizations, it's not the kind of practice they wanted. They're stressed, and that leads to moving patients along."

"As a doctor in today's medical system, it's difficult to deal with chronic pain conditions," agrees S. Sam Lim, MD, a rheumatologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. "Most practices are forced to see a certain number of patients in a limited amount of time. [With chronic pain] it's not so simple as five minutes, a few questions, and handing out a pill. It takes some time. And our system isn't set up for that."

"The patient needs to realize that the doctor may not be able to discern what's going on in the first visit. Often it takes a few visits," says Dr. Lim.

Doctors are frustrated by what they can't "fix"

In 25 years of caring for her chronically sick husband, who was injured in an industrial accident, Ann Jacobs, 62, of Laramie, Wyo., has watched physicians struggle with the trial-and-error progress of his treatment. "Doctors are programmed for success stories," she says.

Meanwhile, because of its complexity, pain treatment has emerged as a separate, multidisciplinary specialty. That's good, but pain patients often need to get to a pain specialist through their primary care physicians.

Emotions can cloud the diagnosis

The emotional effects of chronic pain may also make diagnosis more difficult. Maggie Buckley, 46, from Walnut Creek, Calif., learned this the hard way. She suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare genetic tissue disorder that leaves her with chronically painful joints.

"If you say 'it's really depressing and upsetting me, I'm in so much pain,'" Buckley says, "doctors will see it in terms of emotion and treat it as an emotional problem, referring you to psychiatric care or antidepressants." That is sometimes the appropriate treatment route, because antidepressants can treat chronic pain and there is a link between pain and depression, but you need to stand your ground and make sure any treatment is addressing your specific problems.

Be gentle about your pain, but be firm

It's important to be clear about your pain and explain the way it impacts your life when you're talking to your doctor. Don't be intimidated. Stand your ground, calmly.

"Patients really need to be persistent about their complaints in a way that is constructive to get across to the physician that this is something real," says Dr. Lim. "There are some physicians who are more open to listening than others. It may take a few doctors to find a marriage."

"You have to go very gently to start with," advises Ann Jacobs. "Listen to what the doctor has to say first." Then, if you're not satisfied, press harder. But remember that the most important thing is to create a relationship with your doctor in which you're a team, both looking for the best way to alleviate your pain. After he or she has assessed your needs, you can consider seeing a pain specialist.

http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20188093,00.html