Neuropathy and Brain Neuroplasticity

Fantastic Lori, you are one in a million! Best wishes.

@user_che214927 Hi again, Barry. I love your spirit! Awesome! And not only are you learning to use chopsticks, but are learning with the hand you don't use for eating? Norman Doidge would be so proud of you if he knew! I may steal your idea, and try chop sticks, too! What the Hell! And yes, it is fun, as I dribble food all over myself. I am washable! Last night I sang Barbra Streisand's "Don't Rain on My Parade," with my version; "Don't Pain on my Parade." I sang inside my head for about 20 minutes and no concentration on the pain. Drifted off to sleep. The challenges of a painful life. I hope to conquer some of it, at least! My best to you, Lori Renee1

@user_che214927 @jesfactsmon and to all my fellow Pain sufferers; I have been watching Norman Doidge extensively today. Had an extremely bad pain day, and plodded through. This distraction helped my pain a lot. I really started thinking, and want to convey what may be important insights. Doidge explains that there are 12 places in the brain that can signal pain, and are attached to various areas. For instance, pain can be signaled in the emotional part of the brain, and that is why it is often associated with irritability, sadness, crabbiness. It can be signaled in the motor parts of the brain, and that is why certain parts of our bodies hurt. Doidge's main pain study that he talks about involves a guy who kept imaging 3 MRI's of his pained area. He would concentrate on these images over and over during a very long period of time, and his pain finally went away. I don't think I could do that, so I started thinking about what I could do to kind of trick my brain during pain battles. I know I love to sing, and in one of my most painful episodes, I changed the lyrics to a Barbra Streisand song, and belted it out for about 15 minutes, and the pain went away. I am planning on doing this every time I am in pain. I am not giving up. Because I write parodies to songs, I wrote a quick parody to Barbra Streisand's song, "He Touched Me." Hear it on you tube to see what I am talking about. Anyway, this is it, kind of; still working on it!

It hurts me,
I simply have to face the fact;
it hurts me!

Control myself, and try,
to manage my pain.....

Won't let it hurt me,
Can't hurt me,
And every, every, every thing....

WILL CHANGE!!!!!!!!

Repeat 1,000 times, or until the pain stops, or the police knock on your door cause of all the noise.....

John, you can use any Rapid Shave commercial you want to. Am I remembering that right? Make new lyrics.

Anyway, hope you don't all think I am nuts. I gotta do something!!!!!!!!!

Lori Renee1

Oh Lori, you slay me!!! You forgot to say to sing until the neighbors move out!!!! That would be my case! Keep it up girl, I can definitely relate to singing and music. They both are healing!!!! You know how i feel about you, Sunnyflower

@user_che214927, @lorirenee1, @sunnyflower and others, I thought you might like to read this interesting article on neuroplasticiity forwarded to me by @steeldove.

Chronic pain is surprisingly treatable — when patients focus on the brain: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/10/15/chronic-pain-brain-plasticity/

My wife and I are going to our first Tai Chi class tomorrow. I will report later how it goes and if it helps. I have been walking on a device called a Sanddune Stepper that helps me with balance.

I take Tai Chi 3 times a week and have been taking it for 15 years. I have terrible neuropathy in my hands and feet. It certainly helps with balance but my feet are not
good at all. Walking may be more beneficial for the feet,
but Tai Chi is good in many other ways.