@armesdennis1, cs2023, Thank you for such a wonderful email. I am so sorry you are going
through so much pain. Think about this. Oral pain meds affect the kidneys & liver more than the injections.

I did not do so well with the gel injections in my knees as it made them so much stiffer, but, it
did help with the pain. I am a sensitive Nellie to everything, so it may not affect you that way.
The injections last a year with me and I have had them twice and I opted out to not get them
this year due to getting so much stiffer. Yes, I do have more arthritis.

The sterioid injections have worked the best for me, but, they are not without issues. They
and having to take oral steroids for asthmatic bronchitis wiped out my cortisol levels, so
be careful not to get too many of them. As I said, you can only get an injection every 12 weeks.

I am going to a Fibromyalgia/Arthritis/Spine specialist who has had some special pain cream
made up for me at a compounded pharmacy. It works better than Voltaren gel and NO NARCOTICS are in them. It takes the edge off of my pain. You can only apply 8 pumps of the
gel a day. I find putting a heat pack on me after the gel is applied really helps. I can no longer
take tub baths due to needing total knee replacement soon, so I take a hot shower to loosen
my muscles and then apply the cream. The cream does not have a name and a Pain Clinic or
Neurologist can have this compounded for you . It has 2% Lidocaine, 2% Flexeril (Muscle Relaxant), 2% Gabapentin & 2% Diclofenac (What's in Voltaren Gel) and it helping me. The key is to reapply. No more than 8 pumps (1 pump is a Gram) daily. It is out of pocket and runs around $80. They will mail it to you.

I hope this helps and I agree with your precious comments my friend. No comparison to
our sufferings & Christ's. Praying for you right now. Blessings & Prayers....