Being Old With Chronic Pain plus Loneliness

Teresa @hopeful33250 - I sometimes tap the banner instead of the heart. What does the banner mean? I always fix it. My index finger often has a hard time touching the precise spot, as I don't really have sensation there.

Jim

I'm going to make copies & hand them out. I have a few friends that wouldn't mind their own copies to do the same. Thank-you.

@jimhd~ Is peripheral neuropathy only caused by diabetes? I had mine years prior & my docs would say it's from arthritis (never telling me which kind I had or how to treat/handle it). One doc might say a pinched nerve is the cause, or it's from a past injury. I still think my diabetes being in the 'pre' stage wouldn't warrant so much pain that I have to wear braces. ~sometimes we use recorded music at church when our pianist is out for a while, I hope you feel better.

Hi Jim, @jimhd

The "banner" is the bookmark icon, it's purpose has been explained to me many times (but I'm still hazy on it and therefore don't use it much) - it has something to do with marking something you want to come back to. I'm going to tag @johnbishop and see if he can provide more info and explain it again.

Teresa

Hi, Jim. Hope you're feeling better today. I'd done what you suggested, looking up the doctor - unfortunately, after my visit. Not impressive. I left my comments for the very reason you suggested. I see him again tomorrow, possibly for the last time depending on how things go. My depression seems to be getting worse daily, despite being on antidepressants. Time for a change I guess. I had an appt. with a good psychologist who helped me before, but she just cancelled, saying she's too busy. I would think she, of all people, would realize how fragile her patients are.

Thank you so much lillyanne for your post. I go to the shelters all the time, but it never occurred to me that I could take them out for walks. What a great idea. You haven't been too personal at all. I don't know how to message anyone on here - where would I find out? The SPCA has low cost services and specials on dogs. They offered me one for $15. The thing is, I can't pay all of my bills each month, so I don't know how I will be able to take care of a dog. I think much of my depression stems from my financial situation - never expected to wind up like this. Thank you for your encouragement.

Hi Jim (@jimhd) and Teresa (@hopeful33250) - The bookmark icon is pretty useful. If you click on it, it saves a "bookmark" to the post that you can find for future reference by clicking on your profile at the top of the window and selecting My Bookmarks, then find and click on the link to get to the original post. I also use it by clicking the right mouse button on the bookmark and selecting "copy link address" then I past it in another post like this...the link should take you right back to Teresa's post above.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/76746/bookmark/
I normally open up another tab for the browser and open another Connect window and do a search through the posts to find a specific post, then copy the bookmark link and paste it into the post that I'm working on in another window.

John

@paracat and all, to message a specific Connect member privately, click on their Connect username (@something) and click Send Private Message. This will send an email directly to the person. The How to Get Started on Connect link is in the left column on the bottom of each page on Connect...or you can click the link below to get there:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/get-started-on-connect/
John

@lillyanne - My knowledge is limited regarding pn. For one thing, there are different types of neuropathy. There are various causes, as well. Diabetic neuropathy is perhaps the best known. Some neuropathy is the result of cancer or cancer treatment. If the doctor doesn't know what type of neuropathy you have, they call it idiopathic. I have idiopathic peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral means that peripheral nerves are involved. As far as I know, feet, legs, hands and arms seem to be affected most commonly.

The neurologist asked if I had had trauma to my head when he saw neuropathy in my head - I fell from a second story window when I was two. The nerves in my feet may have been damaged during my work as a house painter, ladder work, scaffold, jumping or carrying heavy weight - an 80 lb 5 gallon bucket of paint in each hand. Regardless, he can't say for sure. IPN started as pins and needles and numbness in my feet and legs, and gradually became burning pain in my feet, getting worse over the course of a couple of years. Neuropathy is also affecting my hands, bladder and brain stem, and may be associated with esophageal dysmotility, arthritis, choreiform movement in the back of my tongue, dizziness with buzzing and possibly ED. I feel like it's overtaking my body.

So, multiple possible causes, multiple possible involvement, multiple kinds of neuropathy. I hope that clears up all of your questions. 🙂

Jim

@parus - not at all outlandish. It's kind of the opposite of me. My feet eventually hurt less as they rest. Walking is the worst - well, the worst except for standing still. Even sitting, my feet hurt if I rest them on the floor. Contact hurts.

Pain definitely interacts with emotions. Sometimes pain causes emotion. In my case, I was being treated for major depressive disorder, along with a few other disorders, before neuropathy pain started, and as the pain progressed, the disorders grew worse, leading me to start thinking about suicide. Fortunately, I was able to begin therapy during that time, and am now in a much safer place.

I'm pretty sure that depression et al exacerbates pain, as well.

I felt myself today and went to church, which is an all day routine. Leave home at 9:40 am, church at 10:30. Lunch in town, usually fast food, but today we splurged at Shari's. Fabric store, fill up at the gas station, grocery store, humane society thrift store, Goodwill and after a couple of hours of dog walking and rest at a park, picked up things at Walmart, and back to church at 6, home after 8. That's our weekly Sunday. I'm always wasted when I get home. I often want to stay in bed, but Marilyn reminds me how much the music means to the people who gather on Sunday evening. So, I get up and do it all again. No, I never used to be like this. I served happily, for the most part, as a minister of music for 25 years, and later as a pastor. Sunday was part of my identity. I never wanted to stay in bed - until depression hit. Then, there were weeks when I had to call a minister to come and fill in for me. Two years later I was attempting suicide, and had to retire. I was only 55.

That's a piece of my life. And now I have to stop and get to bed.

Jim