Hi
I thought I should have give more of my experiences and details about PN and cannabis.
I was introduced to Marijuana by one of my Sports Medicine Doctors. When he asked how I was doing, I blurted out about my foot pain, (which was NOT his specialty.) My pain was indescribable, so I was wide open for any kind of help! My feet were screaming so loud, I had to use a walker. At about 6:00 in the evening, I had to go to bed. I could not stand to have my feet touch the floor another minute.
That was 2016.
Nothing worked for me until I found Cannabis. BUT, I tried for the first year and a half to land on WHICH ONE WORKED! I did NOT want any side effects. I have NO desire to get high, SO I avoided that like the plague. Lots of trial and errors, patience and pain before I got it right. It's like saying "I like dessert," or "I like dancing," but there are so many different kinds. I had to find the right combination, the correct strength, for it to be MY pain reliever. It took a while. I feel sure that most of you are doing the same thing. Huge differences from one STRENGTH, one pain reliever to the other. Trail & error is pricey, but worth it.
Here's hoping you find "the one!"
Best wishes!
I've no doubt you're 100% correct, that it all comes down to trial & error. My experiments with cannabis, lidocaine, Diclofenac, et al, were all about soft tissue pain (muscles, ligaments, etc.), nothing to do with my PN. That's because I've no foot pain, and my sole PN symptom (at least to date) is poor balance – poor balance and what that means for walking. When I was trying cannabis, I can't remember if I had offered a number of different strengths to try. I didn't pursue it because those strengths I had tried didn't do any more for me than my lidocaine and Diclofenac concoctions, plus the cannabis was significantly more costly. For those of us with foot pain, I endorse a trial & error approach to finding relief. And I wish everyone success! –Ray (@ray666)
I have been diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy of the my toes and the balls of my feet and it is becoming more painful and starting to go up my leg. I have an appointment with a neurologist who is going to evaluate me for a Electromyography nerve test. During the test small needles are inserted thru the skim into the muscle to detect neuromuscular abnormalities. Has any one heard of this test or had it done and if you had the test did it help in your treatment? I also have to praise this site because it is thru my readings of everyones struggle that I have found several options to help manage the pain. So thank you one and all for sharing your experiences because they do make a difference!
I had my only EMG a little over a year ago. It gave me my diagnosis of idiopathic peripheral neuropathy. Because mine is idiopathic (The Great Puzzler!), the test didn't suggest a treatment plan (because there really isn't any), but it did at least give me the name of what I've got. As there are as many kinds of neuropathies as fish in the sea, your test may suggest a treatment plan. I hope it does. That will set you on a promising path. You'll hear from others on this topic. In the meantime, I wish you well!
Ed– Lidocaine? And it's second-cousin Diclofenac? Any difference? No, not really, not with my PN, certainly. The same was true of cannabis. I suspect all these topicals with all their "secret ingredients" can only penetrate so deep. Okay for muscle aches maybe, but that's where the magic ends. –Ray
The compounded cream had Diclofenac as one of the ingredients along with Lidocaine and several others.
When I called the componding pharmacy to tell them about my reaction to it, they said mostly it was from the Diclofenac.
They can makeup another cream without it if I want and my doctor agrees.
Waiting for a response from them.
The compounded cream had Diclofenac as one of the ingredients along with Lidocaine and several others.
When I called the componding pharmacy to tell them about my reaction to it, they said mostly it was from the Diclofenac.
They can makeup another cream without it if I want and my doctor agrees.
Waiting for a response from them.
Apparently, Diclofenac has a certain potency requiring a measure of caution in its use. I've never had a negative reaction, although I know others have. My partner, for example, can use Diclofenac, but she has to be very careful about how much and how often. If your pharmacy can prepare a lotion without Diclofenac, that's great. I hope it works out. –Ray (@ray666)
Lidocaine cream from Aspercreme is my temporary relief. I use it twice daily. I am currently trying Nervive, one a day for carpal tunnel nerve pain. It has alpha lipoic acid and several B vitamins. The ALA has long been recommended for several of my nerve pain issues. I think it is helping my wrist pain!!! Of course, now I must do the hand exercises to get some strength back.
Another thing that helps my foot nerve pain, is to slowly roll a small rubber ball all over the bottom of the foot. It gives gentle stretches to relax the foot. I hope this helps someone.
LA
I have been diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy of the my toes and the balls of my feet and it is becoming more painful and starting to go up my leg. I have an appointment with a neurologist who is going to evaluate me for a Electromyography nerve test. During the test small needles are inserted thru the skim into the muscle to detect neuromuscular abnormalities. Has any one heard of this test or had it done and if you had the test did it help in your treatment? I also have to praise this site because it is thru my readings of everyones struggle that I have found several options to help manage the pain. So thank you one and all for sharing your experiences because they do make a difference!
I had the EMG test recently, ordered by my new hand specialist because I am losing strength in both hands. The test was not very painful and sounds scarier than it actually was. And I was scared! My test results showed that I need carpal tunnel surgery, which I cannot afford. And I have no one to help me because I cannot lift anything for 10 days, etc. I had visions of the EMG test telling the doctor where to give me shots or something but I was told only surgery will help.
I left thinking, well, orthopedic doctors make their living through surgery, so of course, surgery was the answer I got. I guess that is cynical, but there it is.
I've no doubt you're 100% correct, that it all comes down to trial & error. My experiments with cannabis, lidocaine, Diclofenac, et al, were all about soft tissue pain (muscles, ligaments, etc.), nothing to do with my PN. That's because I've no foot pain, and my sole PN symptom (at least to date) is poor balance – poor balance and what that means for walking. When I was trying cannabis, I can't remember if I had offered a number of different strengths to try. I didn't pursue it because those strengths I had tried didn't do any more for me than my lidocaine and Diclofenac concoctions, plus the cannabis was significantly more costly. For those of us with foot pain, I endorse a trial & error approach to finding relief. And I wish everyone success! –Ray (@ray666)
Well, it is like many diseases, even the "common" cold...which is so different from one person to another! It could be a sore throat for one and a stuffed up nose for the other. The other poor guy might have both. Anyway, why do they call it "common?" A cold though, goes away...so it was a poor comparison on my part. We all know there are a lot more studies to be done with/about PN. Does anyone have problems finding s Doctor that really knows about it?
The thing that is so difficult for me to understand is extreme difference in our symptoms. Like you said, some folks have balance problems, but little or no pain. I just hope there will be more studies done on the disease and more answers. I am so grateful for this site! Best wishes,- Fala
I've yet to find the "perfect" doctor for my particular brand of PN. It's not that I've met with many, only a half dozen or so. Each begins with a sincere willingness to help. Still, that willingness starts to fade, replaced by regret (too easily mistaken by some patients as indifference) as PN's unsolvability raises its ugly head.
As some here on Connect know, I'm currently recovering from sepsis. If anyone had told me I'd one day find myself dealing with a condition more troublesome than my PN, I'd not have believed them––but today I would! Sepsis has laid me lower than my PN ever had. I find myself longing to get back to merely dealing with my PN. (I just used the word "merely." "Merely," and PN? That's bizarre in itself.)
I wish you the very best, Fala. Better days lie ahead. I know they do.
I have been diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy of the my toes and the balls of my feet and it is becoming more painful and starting to go up my leg. I have an appointment with a neurologist who is going to evaluate me for a Electromyography nerve test. During the test small needles are inserted thru the skim into the muscle to detect neuromuscular abnormalities. Has any one heard of this test or had it done and if you had the test did it help in your treatment? I also have to praise this site because it is thru my readings of everyones struggle that I have found several options to help manage the pain. So thank you one and all for sharing your experiences because they do make a difference!
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Hi, Fala (@fala)
I've no doubt you're 100% correct, that it all comes down to trial & error. My experiments with cannabis, lidocaine, Diclofenac, et al, were all about soft tissue pain (muscles, ligaments, etc.), nothing to do with my PN. That's because I've no foot pain, and my sole PN symptom (at least to date) is poor balance – poor balance and what that means for walking. When I was trying cannabis, I can't remember if I had offered a number of different strengths to try. I didn't pursue it because those strengths I had tried didn't do any more for me than my lidocaine and Diclofenac concoctions, plus the cannabis was significantly more costly. For those of us with foot pain, I endorse a trial & error approach to finding relief. And I wish everyone success! –Ray (@ray666)
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2 ReactionsI have been diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy of the my toes and the balls of my feet and it is becoming more painful and starting to go up my leg. I have an appointment with a neurologist who is going to evaluate me for a Electromyography nerve test. During the test small needles are inserted thru the skim into the muscle to detect neuromuscular abnormalities. Has any one heard of this test or had it done and if you had the test did it help in your treatment? I also have to praise this site because it is thru my readings of everyones struggle that I have found several options to help manage the pain. So thank you one and all for sharing your experiences because they do make a difference!
-
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3 ReactionsGood morning, redbetz (@redbetz)
I had my only EMG a little over a year ago. It gave me my diagnosis of idiopathic peripheral neuropathy. Because mine is idiopathic (The Great Puzzler!), the test didn't suggest a treatment plan (because there really isn't any), but it did at least give me the name of what I've got. As there are as many kinds of neuropathies as fish in the sea, your test may suggest a treatment plan. I hope it does. That will set you on a promising path. You'll hear from others on this topic. In the meantime, I wish you well!
Cheers!
Ray (@ray666)
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsThe compounded cream had Diclofenac as one of the ingredients along with Lidocaine and several others.
When I called the componding pharmacy to tell them about my reaction to it, they said mostly it was from the Diclofenac.
They can makeup another cream without it if I want and my doctor agrees.
Waiting for a response from them.
Apparently, Diclofenac has a certain potency requiring a measure of caution in its use. I've never had a negative reaction, although I know others have. My partner, for example, can use Diclofenac, but she has to be very careful about how much and how often. If your pharmacy can prepare a lotion without Diclofenac, that's great. I hope it works out. –Ray (@ray666)
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionLidocaine cream from Aspercreme is my temporary relief. I use it twice daily. I am currently trying Nervive, one a day for carpal tunnel nerve pain. It has alpha lipoic acid and several B vitamins. The ALA has long been recommended for several of my nerve pain issues. I think it is helping my wrist pain!!! Of course, now I must do the hand exercises to get some strength back.
Another thing that helps my foot nerve pain, is to slowly roll a small rubber ball all over the bottom of the foot. It gives gentle stretches to relax the foot. I hope this helps someone.
LA
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 ReactionsI had the EMG test recently, ordered by my new hand specialist because I am losing strength in both hands. The test was not very painful and sounds scarier than it actually was. And I was scared! My test results showed that I need carpal tunnel surgery, which I cannot afford. And I have no one to help me because I cannot lift anything for 10 days, etc. I had visions of the EMG test telling the doctor where to give me shots or something but I was told only surgery will help.
I left thinking, well, orthopedic doctors make their living through surgery, so of course, surgery was the answer I got. I guess that is cynical, but there it is.
Well, it is like many diseases, even the "common" cold...which is so different from one person to another! It could be a sore throat for one and a stuffed up nose for the other. The other poor guy might have both. Anyway, why do they call it "common?" A cold though, goes away...so it was a poor comparison on my part. We all know there are a lot more studies to be done with/about PN. Does anyone have problems finding s Doctor that really knows about it?
The thing that is so difficult for me to understand is extreme difference in our symptoms. Like you said, some folks have balance problems, but little or no pain. I just hope there will be more studies done on the disease and more answers. I am so grateful for this site! Best wishes,- Fala
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHello, Fala (@fala)
I've yet to find the "perfect" doctor for my particular brand of PN. It's not that I've met with many, only a half dozen or so. Each begins with a sincere willingness to help. Still, that willingness starts to fade, replaced by regret (too easily mistaken by some patients as indifference) as PN's unsolvability raises its ugly head.
As some here on Connect know, I'm currently recovering from sepsis. If anyone had told me I'd one day find myself dealing with a condition more troublesome than my PN, I'd not have believed them––but today I would! Sepsis has laid me lower than my PN ever had. I find myself longing to get back to merely dealing with my PN. (I just used the word "merely." "Merely," and PN? That's bizarre in itself.)
I wish you the very best, Fala. Better days lie ahead. I know they do.
Cheers!
Ray
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Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHow did the nerve test go? Were they able to find out more information asto the cause of your neuropathy?