@dogrobertson
Pain is a struggle and unfortunately some pain management clinics are clueless. I am suffering from nerve pain caused by a dermatologist who administered a needle for shave biopsy that caused some damage. Pain mgmt docs at Columbia Presbyterian wrote a script for rigorous physical therapy which I did for 8 weeks at 90 minutes per session. It was of no help and it kept my nerves in an aggravated state. Now my neurologist has told me to stop the PT. He did offer me gabapentin but I will not take it--being a zombie which is the term you and my dentist who tried it also used, is not for me. My neurologist did prescribe lidocaine Rx patch but I have yet to receive them thanks to bureaucratic red tape. My friend has phn due to shingles and her scalp feels like it is on fire all the time. I am hoping that my pain will heal. My neurologist said prognosis is "good" but every day seems like a struggle. I also have celiac disease so I cannot order out food which means my poor shin does not get lots of rest as I have to stand by my stove and cook gluten-free meals. Celiac is probably also delaying my healing and I have neuropathy as result of it. I am leaning into this support group as my brother criticized me for being too focused on my pain. I live alone but do have my dog for company. I did not need the biopsy either as the lesion was benign. Before this I was in fine health with hardly any pains