Foot neuropathy: What gives you relief?
It seems if I get enough activity/exercise daily I don’t have pain; if not, am awakened from sleep and must get up (even in the middle of the night). What’s going on & what more should I do to avoid rest-disruption?
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Genie. Sounds like you may have a circulation problem, as well. Have you looked at the symtoms of Neuopthia? (sp?) Have you talked with you doctor? The shots are a help. Most Pain Management doctors will take your Insurance but will NOT pay for sedation. If you can stand the short lived pain of the steroid going into your back fine. If not the anathesia cost here in Florida is about $500.00.
Neck fusion sounds dangerous to me but I know nothing about the procedure. Shoulder replacement? Why? Did you fall? I had a similar problem with my shoulder and went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and they told me to do several useless exercises and for me never again to play tennis. Well. The first thing I did was to play some hard tennis and it popped my shoulder back in place. One doctor told me that it they operated on my shoulder to relieve the pain it would most likely cause my shoulder to break. I left that office.
You have a lot going on. I live in Floida so the humidity help with arthritis, etc. Do you live in a cold climate?
Hope this little bit of info helps. Good luck and feel free to chat whenever. I am home most of the time.
For Neurpathy I use Hempvana Pain Relief Cream and Hempvana Ultra Strength Pain Relief Lotion which is a roll on. Just put either all over your legs and the bottoms of you feet before going to sleep. That has helped me for Arthritis, as well.
Judith
Ketamine infusions of 10 hours or more have shown promise.
Good evening Genie @tigereyes2004. It sounds like you have made a decision that takes into account your age (73) and your current physical condition. My life at or around 73 seemed to present the same dilemma. I had a major fall down a mountain and my right shoulder had not responded to two surgical attempts. The only option was a reverse shoulder replacement. The pain I dealt with daily was not responsive to acupuncture, physical therapy, or medication. So with my surgeon's loyal support, I underwent the reverse shoulder replacement. The surgery was done well. I received excellent post-surgical care and physical therapy. After spending a year in pain, I was thrilled to be pain-free once again. My enthusiasm for my business, my friends, and my friendly pets came back easily and I just remember being happy every morning.
You may not have discovered this recent news. It is now possible to custom-make the shoulder replacement mechanism the same way they create the knee mechanics. That should make a lot of difference. Mine was the best choice at the time. So technological advancement has made that surgery more accurate.
Your other concern is neck fusion. About two years later I began to have pain and numbness in the shoulder replacement arm. Come to find out it was a neck issue and both surgeons supported a fusion surgery. That one wasn't the easiest surgery I have been through, predominantly because of the rather uncomfortable neck brace I had to wear for three months.
However, I have absolutely no pain or discomfort and good ROM as long as I do my neck exercises.
Now I am 81. At this age with SFN (small fiber neuropathy) complete with pain and strain........I, like you, would not want to spend a considerable length of time in post-surgical recovery. So....I think I can see both sides of your situation.
Have you been able to see videos of the surgeries? That sure helped me understand what to expect. I don't have the reverse shoulder images. However, I will attach the neck fusion results.
May you be safe, free, and protected from inner and outer harm.
Chris
I don’t know about neck fusion but I would think you could have the shoulder replacement. I have needed the shoulder replacement for many yrs but because my back pain is so severe I opt not to have it . I don’t think I could tolerate that much pain in my shoulder and my back . You would have to have a big comfy chair lounger for the replacement because you can’t lay down for a while, no way will my back hold up sleeping like that . I still can do everything I need to do with my arm except bring it up over my head and my arm doesn’t hurt so that the way I feel about it plus I’m 78 yrs old and I have smoked all my life so the surgeon would not operate on me until I quit for 3 months I’ve never stop
Three things have helped me:
1. Getting Rx for real, not generic, Celebrex (noticed a difference in 15 minutes of taking the real!); I had to do an appeal to my insurance to get the real covered, but now am happy to pay a higher co-pay to get a drug that really helps with arthritis;
2. I do the exercises in the book, Foundation, by Dr. Eric Goodman and Peter Park (foreword by Lance Armstrong) as these help build the muscles in my back (as opposed to only strengthening abs/front muscles) and to extend my spine;
3. Vitamin B12
Ps to my previous: I should have said 5 things have helped.
The 4th is doing the exercises in The Foot Fix: 4 Weeks to Healthier, Happier Feet by Yamuna Zake
She teaches you how to awaken your whole foot, improve your stance, and get stronger feet.
The 5th is the book “Life After Pain: Break Free of Chronic Pain and Get Your Life Back By Dr. Jonathan Kuttner and Naomi Kuttner
This helped me understand how our brain interacts with our nerves/nerve centers and pathways and suggests some useful ways to make this knowledge work for you. I used this after foot surgery for a torn Anterior Tibial Tendon.
Any back surgery is very dangerous. Try the shots to the area where the nerves are pinched and you should have relieve for at least 3-6 months. If you can afford it have them put you in Twilight Sleep. You won't feel a thing during the procedure.
I have used it for 2 days now and I agree it works well for the foot pain.
Is there a less expensive source?
The cheapest I have found it was on Amazon. There is a double pack that makes each single a bit cheaper, if one can afford the double. I will post if I find it cheaper.