Options For Managing Neuropathic Pain

Today's post from neuropathydr.com (see link below) is a well-defined and simply-explained article by Dr, John Hayes jr covering most of the bases if you are meeting neuropathy for the first time, or are having trouble understanding what your options are. Dr Hayes never tries to hide the truth about neuropathy and its treatment and that's refreshing in itself. Although this blog doesn't advertise, the article does include references to his own clinics and certain treatments that can be found there. Following up on those is a matter of choice for the reader but the rest of the information is very useful and certainly worth a read.
 

Pain Management Options for the Peripheral Neuropathy Patient
Posted by john on December 12, 2013

If you’re a patient suffering from peripheral neuropathy as a result of

· Diabetes

· Post-chemotherapy

· Shingles

· Guillian Barre Syndrome

· HIV

· Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

· Or any other peripheral neuropathic pain

One of your greatest challenges (other than dealing with the pain and disruption of your normal daily activities) may be finding a medical professional to treat you with empathy and a real understanding of what you’re dealing with as a peripheral neuropathy sufferer.

Neuropathy pain can be hard to describe and even harder to measure. You can’t put a number on it and you can’t always give a concrete definition or explanation for your symptoms. That makes it difficult for the medical community, a community of science, to effectively treat you as a neuropathy patient.

The difficulty in finding a doctor well versed in treating peripheral neuropathy, in all its various forms, can make your life an exercise in frustration. Not only are you dealing with your peripheral neuropathy pain but you can’t find anyone to treat you with any success.

It might help to know what your treatment options are so you can interview your potential treater with some background knowledge about the pain management options available to you as a neuropathy patient.

Here are some of the options for pain management in peripheral neuropathy patients:

Medication[1]

The first line of therapy for peripheral neuropathy patients is usually pain medication, sometimes in combination with antidepressants. There has been some success with drugs used to treat epilepsy as well as opioids. Opioids may be effective but the dosages are very high and only help specific patients.

Always ask your treating physician about side effects from any medication prescribed. Many of the drugs used to treat neuropathy pain can have serious side effects and you need to take that into consideration before you use them.

Topical Treatments

Some creams can be help if you have small areas affected by your neuropathy.

Topical treatments usually don’t provide long lasting relief so talk to your doctor about a more permanent therapy if that doesn’t interest you. The exception are the cremes used in conjunction with the NeuropathyDR Treatments you’ll find HERE

Physical Therapy

Study after study has shown that active people heal faster. Period. By exercising your muscles, you will more easily adapt to your other physical limitations such as balance or gait issues.

Another benefit of physical therapy is that by keeping your muscles active and loose, you are less likely to suffer from severe muscle spasms, a common symptom in neuropathy patients.

But be prepared. NOT all PT is good and many PTs are NOT trained to help Neuropathy specifically.

When you first begin a course of physical therapy to treat your neuropathy pain, you will probably experience a little more pain than usual. You probably haven’t used those muscles in a while and they’re adapting to the treatment. If you need a boost in your pain medication until the muscle pain subsides, ask for it.

Psychotherapy[2]

Chronic pain or chronic illness leads to depression in many neuropathy patients. Treating the psychological aspects of your peripheral neuropathy pain is just as important as treating the physical symptoms. Any successful pain management therapy should include psychological counseling. Ask your doctor for a referral to a good therapist to talk about the emotional and psychological aspects of your neuropathy. You’re not overreacting to your pain and you’re not imagining it!

Other and “Alternative” Therapies

A good body/mind therapy regimen can be really helpful in dealing with your peripheral neuropathy. Consider yoga, acupuncture, relaxation techniques, hypnosis, or any other meditation technique as a complement to your pain management program. Any of these alternative therapies can increase the production of endorphins in your brain and help the body manage your pain in unison with any other medical treatment.

Neurostimulation And Laser

Applying small amounts energy via light AND or electrical stimulation (NDGen(TM) in various shapes or waves to the nerves and muscles may be successful in cutting pain levels dramatically and aiding them in functioning normally again. There are home AND clinic options with this unique tool!

Far from ordinary TENS, this combination treatment when properly applied cuts pain often dramatically and may even stimulate the nerve to function more normally again.

Learn more about the NDGen™ Home and Clinic treatment protocol or better yet, go visit a NeuropathyDR clinician in your area.

Our NeuropathyDR Clinician is a specialist in using the NDGen™ treatment protocol to cut your pain and drug use in many cases helping them to function more normally again.

For more information on coping with your peripheral neuropathy, get your Free E-Book and subscription to our Bi-Weekly Ezine “Beating Neuropathy” at http://neuropathydr.com.

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[1][1][1][1] See www.touchneurology.com/articles/treatment-options-neuropathy-patients

[2] See http://www.supportiveoncology.net/journal/articles/0102107.pdf

http://neuropathydr.com/pain-management-options-for-the-peripheral-neuropathy-patient/

Managing Neuropathy In Daily Life

Today's post from painhq.org (see link below) is a personal neuropathy story that will undoubtedly resonate with many readers. The writer has severe neuropathy in his feet and legs and like so many, has had to develop strategies to learn to live with the pain and discomfort. He offers no miracle cures but concludes that maybe the best we can do, is to be kind to ourselves and find small ways to make life easier. Worth a read - it may put your own case in perspective.

Managing my pain, managing my feet
J. Hawthorne

Figuring out how to manage your neuropathy can be a long, slow process. When you think you’ve got it figured out, something can change and you have to adjust your pain management strategies.
I am 59 years young and have had Type 2 Diabetes for the past 15 years. But that’s not where my journey began. I first noticed a problem when I developed a very sharp, persistent, pain in the corner of the big toe of my left foot. Slowly, the pain progressed to the top of my foot. Eventually, it spread to my right foot, to my ankles and my lower legs. The pain changed from the feeling of sharp pin points to larger throbbing areas on the top of my feet. After a visit to my doctor, we determined that I had neuropathic pain.

It wasn’t until three or four years later that I was diagnosed with diabetes. We were then able to narrow my pain diagnosis to diabetic neuropathy. The neuropathy has since spread and it’s beginning to affect my hands and my fingers.
Looking for treatment My first form of treatment for the neuropathy was actually through a research trial at a hospital in Kingston, through Queen’s University. I believe the trial was looking at a combination of the drugs gabapentin and duloxetine (Cymbalta). My experience with the trial was great; someone would check in with me every three days or so to see how the drugs were working and what my pain levels were like. We’d adjust the medications based on what was or wasn’t working. That trial lasted for three months.

I’ve tried some alternatives to manage pain. I had a naturopath who would give me ionic foot baths. The salts turned the water to a rust colour and it was supposed to help take some of the iron out of my body. I can’t say I found this helpful. But it did make me think about everything going on in my body that I might not even be aware of.

I still take gabapentin. I take it twice a day, to get the maximum allowed daily dosage. Though I’m in a bit of a transition period. My doctor retired and I’m waiting for my new doctor to take up his practice. Once I start seeing him, I might explore other treatment options.

Balancing a day and trying to sleep; simple things, like visiting a friend for tea, are affected by my neuropathy. I might have to stand for half of the visit to rock my feet, or pace, in order to manage the pain. For me, it’s about keeping my body moving and to keep stretching my feet out. Of course, there’s a balance; if I’m too active, and push myself too far, I can cause a bout of pain lasting two to three hours. Building in time for extra rests and breaks between commitments is critical.

In a 24-hour period, I might experience six hours of extreme pain (four of which occur at night). I don’t sleep very much at night, that’s when the pain is the worst. When I tell people I don’t sleep in my bed, they think I’m joking. More often I’m sleeping on the living room floor with my feet propped up on my chesterfield. Sometimes the elevation doesn’t help and I just need to walk it off. Winter is harder because I can’t exactly go for a walk at 2 am through all the snow and ice. Sometimes I’ll pace in my kitchen doing dishes, or I’ll do a few loads of laundry. Every once in a while, when I have a good night, I’ll sleep until noon.

My feet almost always feel tight and uncomfortable. Some days are absolutely great and others are extremely uncomfortable. I decided to retire a year earlier than originally planned. I was having extreme amounts of difficulty managing my blood sugar count. It was hard to focus, I was concerned about my vision and there was so much pain.

My neuropathy doesn’t seem to be tied to better management of my diabetes. Though I do feel better since having bariatric surgery. I’ve been able to reduce some of the drugs I use to manage my diabetes. I’ve been able to get more involved in my community and get out a bit more.

Finding support I heard about a neuropathy support group from an ad on TV. I’ve been involved with them for 3 or 4 years now and I find that it helps. The support group has different speakers come in – pharmacists, massage therapists, doctors. They all share different ways of dealing with pain.

It’s also good to connect with people. Because everyone’s in pain, we all have a common denominator. While our neuropathy may not all be the same, there’s always someone who understands it and we can share what has or hasn’t worked over the years.

My advice for anyone newly diagnosed with neuropathic pain?
Figuring out how to manage your neuropathy can be a long, slow process. When you think you’ve got it figured out, something can change and you have to adjust your pain management strategies.
You need to be good to yourself – exercise and watch your diet. Try and get out and be active in your community or with your church. Sometimes this can take your mind off of your pain. In general, be kind to yourself. 

https://www.painhq.org/connect/personal-stories/detail/managing-my-pain-managing-my-feet