@brendakaye, Good afternoon. I have just reread your post about the pain you are experiencing in your hands. Am I right in assuming you have only pain and no numbness or tingling? Pain in my arms and hands was the presenting symptom that led to my cervical surgery. After the recovery period, I was great for a while and then the pain accompanied by numbness came back. X-rays and an MRI demonstrated visually that there was one nerve at the bottom of the surgical area that was so bruised and damaged, it could not recover within the years that I may have left. We age more quickly than nerves can become healthy again. They are not like bones. They heal slowly and the pain appears to remain during that process.

Like you....I began taking gabapentin. It did not work during the day and so a change was made to take it an hour before bedtime. That change was quite significant in permitting restful sleep. As you can see, I still had the daytime to figure out. So, I launched my search without the daytime gabapentin. I tried the Biofreeze product and an ointment created to my neurologist's specifications at a compounding pharmacy. That was reasonably soothing for perhaps 20 minutes. And at about $80 for a small amount and with 4 applications a day, it might last 2 weeks.

Keep looking I told myself and dove into Essential Oils. Same thing.....very modest staying power. What's left you ask and the answer was medical cannabis. I experimented with these "new to me" topical medications for a year.......complete with Uncle Joey's homemade ointment, to a CBD roll on that seemed very familiar to the short-lived lidocaine compound. Finally, with the guidance of James at the dispensary, I was introduced to Papa and Barkley's 3:1(CBD/THC balm. Just enough THC to activate the CBD. I have one in my purse, one on my nightstand and six backups in the drawer. I never want to be without it again. I use it during the day as soon as I sense the pain increasing. It simply works ...... for me. And we are all different but this is worth a try. There may be other balms on the market and either available to all or only sold with the appropriate license depending on your state. Good luck with your search.....you may have an entirely different experience that I did. Update us occasionally so that we can all benefit from your trial and error journey. Be just as free of suffering as you can be today. Chris

papaandbarkley.com is the site.