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Allodynia: Anyone else sensitive to touch?

Neuropathy | Last Active: Aug 30 5:28am | Replies (148)

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@mindfulness

Hi Rachel. We are looking into the PRC program for my husband and wondered if you might answer a couple of questions about your experience in the program. After getting information and speaking with staff from the PRC, we are a little confused. The goal of the program does not seem to be trying to reduce pain levels (at least a little) but more so on teaching someone to live with the pain, get in better physical shape with PT, and wean from drugs. After putting in three weeks full-time and all the associated costs, did you feel your pain improved at least a little bit or at least lowered your need to take medication for pain? We want to have an honest opinion from someone who has participated in the program to help decide whether this would be beneficial for my husband. Thank you for your help.

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Replies to "Hi Rachel. We are looking into the PRC program for my husband and wondered if you..."

Hello @mindfulness. I'd be happy to answer your questions about the PRC program. I'm so happy to hear your husband is considering it.

Absolutely my pain has decreased for the sheer fact that not only did I learn the tools to work towards pain reduction, but I worked diligently after PRC and applied the learned principles. The most important thing to understand about PRC is that you get out of it what you put in to it. If your husband invests 3 weeks of rehabilitation and does not buy into this program, it will not work. Surprisingly, it's not rocket science. It's basic healthy principles taught to improve physical, behavioral, and emotional health. Change comes from improving the mind and body to have a better, more manageable quality of life. It's a recipe for reduced pain, symptoms, depression, insomnia, chemical intake, anxiety, etc... PRC principles break the cycle of pain that most people get swallowed up in and can not see their way out of.

I discontinued several medications, as it is part of the PRC requirements and an important part of why I chose to be there. Medication omission, or reduction, can be very scary, but once understanding the importance of chemical reduction to pain rehabilitation, you begin to learn the negative effects certain meds can have on forward progress of life quality. The PRC has a pharmaceutical team that will analyze your husband's list of meds and determine which are necessary (blood pressure, heart, etc...) and which are not helping him in his pain rehab journey. I was safely weaned off an addictive medication, and discontinued many others meds while there. I had a meeting with the Mayo pharmaceutical team to discuss all meds, their purpose, or lack there of.

May I respectfully ask, if your husband is living with chronic, not acute, conditions and suffers from chronic pain and symptoms which no other treatments have helped, cured or fixed, and he is in emotional distress and physically decondition as a result, what else is left? The problem runs deeper. Chronic conditions typically mean just that, they are chronic and not going anywhere. One can continue to aimlessly search or they can come to terms and work on acceptance by way of learning tools that help increase quality of life. The PRC teaches a holistic approach to doing just that.

At the end of the day, Rehabilitation = bravery with the acceptance of doing things differently. No one knows what's best for you and your husband. You both have to make that decision. My advice is to have an honest, heart to heart about what the program entails and whether he wants to commit to a 3 week out patient program, and put in the work. I can attest that he will be in good hands. It's simply amazing what this program does and how they change peoples lives. The PRC has a huge success rate of giving people (and their families) their life back. There are people, however, that aren't ready to commit to change or don't buy into the program. In either case, I wish your husband the strength to make the best decision for himself. I wish you the strength to continue being the great support system that I think you are. Life ain't easy, but so worth living when you can find joy despite circumstance.

Do you have any other questions that I can help with?

@mindfulness Here is a link from a Mayo PRC graduate who shares their experience and gives insight at how the program is organized. I hope you find it helpful.
https://patient.practicalpainmanagement.com/resources/pain-self-management/time-mayo-clinic-pain-rehabilitation-center