Controlling your pain

Tuesday turned out to be a long and hard day for me.  I didn't know this until on my way home and the pain was getting stronger and stronger.  It's been a while since D got home from work and found me on the couch.  I stayed there from 5-6:15 and gave up on supper and settled for a Weight Watchers frozen dinner.  I took two different things out of freezer that morning to cook something good and healthy but I just couldn't get up and stand long enough to do it.

I started realizing after I got home that I never took my evening dose of pain medication.  This doesn't seem like a big deal but when you are controlling chronic pain and you let it get to intense it's hard to get it under control.  Especially knowing the kind of day I'd had, just don't know how I forgot.  The two things together turned out to = bad news ;-(

I changed programs as soon as I got home to see if that would help and after I ate took my pain medicine and some added ibuprofen two hours later for added help.  It was late night before I felt comfortable enough to get to sleep and I slept in this morning until 9 am.  

Thank goodness the flair up was under control later this morning.  I spent 30 minutes in the pool stretching and floating to relax some muscles.  Therapy session at noon so didn't give me much time before leaving to get anything done around here.  I was determined not to have a wasted day.  Pain control was much better today but we had rain this evening and it was my ah ha moment in explaining some of the increased pain yesterday and this morning.  

I've mentioned previously that I've cut back on pain meds since implant of the SCS.  My mistake sometime is thinking the low dose I'm taking I don't need.  I believe when you've taken for a long period of time at high doses you body just needs more and more to work for your pain.  Even changing pain medications wasn't helping before surgery.  It was a scary move to taper down after surgery but what I found once I passed the withdrawal symptoms it was working better.  The stimulator had a lot to do with it, but before surgery I felt as though I was just swallowing pills for no reason because I had to do something even though they didn't help.  I wasn't willing to just take unsafe doses.  So now that they are working properly, when I miss I'm reassured they do help!

I really want to encourage my readers who are dealing with any sort of chronic pain to try and work through some sort of exercises, stretches, or whatever it is that can keep you moving.  For me, it's a double edge sword.  As I sit here and type my back pain is increasing more and more.  My point, not moving, hurts.  Moving hurts, but the moving hurt is good for me.  Sitting is the absolute worst.  When I'm still for a short time, when I go to get up nothing wants to work.  My knees, my feet hurt on bottom and it takes a few steps to get my balance and legs moving.  My back stiffens up and slowly starts to get better as I start moving.  When I get up in the morning it takes a good 10 minutes to walk like a normal person.  The same thing happens when I exercise.  I fight through the pain, knowing staying still will have me bed bound before I'm 50.  I can get through the exercise whatever it may be, but I pay for it after.  I trust my doctor in knowing that he says I can't hurt myself in any of the exercises he has ok'd for me to do.  I want to stress to you that you don't just jump into exercising.  I don't know what each reader is dealing with.  You MUST check with your doctor.  

10 years of back pain and out of those 10 years I only spent a year and a half of no exercise.  If you have a pool, please use it.  If you don't, check into joining a club that has one.  Most YMCA's do and they usually have a pool and sometimes an indoor one also for the winter.  I remember right before my first surgery in '09 passing through the indoor pool to go to the outside and seeing the "silver sneakers" doing their routine in the pool.  I thought to myself, it won't be long and I'll be doing just what they are. And here I am today, doing just that.  I do swim laps in my pool but on days like this morning when I was still fighting this break through pain I just simply relaxed and did some routines that I was taught in PT and in Aquatic therapy.  You may feel as though your doing nothing good for yourself but do some research on swimming and water exercises.  On another post I'll tell you some I do, but without pictures it's hard to explain.  You can find just about anything on the internet today.  Please remember to check with your doctor and make sure you are healthy enough to do this.  Just walking is great and let your arms drag through the water, it strengthens the muscles in your arms in a safe and painless way. 

Today I ran across a news clip about SCS that is recent.  In another state, but great information if your considering one.  I have tired multiple times to upload a video and have not been successful.  I'm putting the link for those interested because I've given up on getting a video to work :-(
I'm still learning about blogging.  My next challenge is to create a button.  I've read about it and think it's a little over my head.  I'll need to study a little.  I went back to video to post link and see that it will let me create a blog post straight from site so that's what I'll do.  


My grand daughter had her first visit to the dentist today.  Glad to see smiles on her face, and so happy mom shared some pictures with me.  I even got some texts from A behind the photo's.  Something like
a;lkdsjfalkdjf      .z,mxcv,.mz.x,m    M N U Q.  Maybe she was letting me know the letter she was working on in preschool.  

A's first visit to the dentist

Her mom said she did great!

GNA and remember

The things you take for granted someone else is praying for.