Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

@lioness

How did you sign up for the Humana policy you have? If you have an agent, they could walk you through it. If you want to you can go online to your current account and look up the prescription mail order pharmacy. If you need help, I can help you figure it out. Obviously I'm not employed by Humana. In fact I'm not employed by anyone.

Jim

I’m not sure where this topic belongs. I have Raynaud’s disease. I very very often have extremely ice cold feet. Not just cold, but I feel like I am walking on blocks of ice. Once they get cold it is nearly important to warm them unless I soak in a warm bathtub. Getting cold is not just from being outdoors on a cold day. I can just be in the house and with no apparent cause my feet turn very cold. Does anyone else have this problem? I realize it isn’t much of a problem compared to others.

I typed the word impossible in my previous message, but my not so smart phone changed it to important.

Thank you. CRPS is diagnosed with severe burning pain (normally to any limb) after any injury (but not always). The pain worsens and pain does not fit the initial injury; pain scale above child birth. Brain pathways cross and send signals there is still pain, overcompensating. She is under care of pediatrician, physical therapist and psychologist as it is also labeled "suicide disease"; depression can set in quickly. Have spent several weeks, researching, education, vetting therapies/clinics all over the US for children. There are several 9-5 programs: focus on desensitation, intense rigorous physical therapy 5x/week for up to 12 weeks. etc. One therapy I'm exploring right now, that can also help relieve peripheral neuropathy is Calmar Scramble Therapy, have you heard of it?

Hi there! You caught my attention. Last March I was tested for Raynauds but ended by being diagnosed with Chilblains. My feet were frozen all the time which was nothing new but they were also turning all shades of red and purple, sometimes greyish. Sores began breaking out terribly and itching was a whole other level than anything I had ever experienced. I also had been diagnosed withSmall Fiber Poly Neuropathy in February so when I asked my neurologist he just looked at my feet and said...SFPN. By my own research, Raynauds also made alot of sense. I have learned to keep my feet (and hands) extra warm and not let them freeze. Don't quickly put them in hot shower or bath. Transition of temps is very important. Im still freaked out about how my feet looked and felt during this time and the colors they continue to turn. Would love to share pictures but don't want to offend anyone. I have been so curious though about others situations. I hope your Raynauds is under control as best can be and thanks for mentioning it.
Rachel

Thank you.

...and yes, my body can be sweating but, feet frozen too! For me I've learned that my small fiber nerve damage effects the blood vessels from opening thus restricting circulation. Dr mentioned I could take meds in winter months to help.

@lioness @pfbacon

I have a financial advisor who, among other things, keeps an eye on my health insurance supplemental policies. I had the Humana Walmart plan for several years, but they made changes to it, raising the premium a lot. Their intention was to just roll me over to a revised plan with the same name. So, our advisor called and pointed this out and recommended a few other plans.

Humana has 3 plans, and I chose the Basic RX plan. It's the mid range one. The deductible is over $400, but I'll probably reach that in a couple of months. If I remember correctly, the deductible doesn't count tier one medications, but several of mine are tier 2 or 3. I'm not positive about the tier I thing. Most of my wife's meds are tier I.

The pharmacy copay is $00 on some meds and $8. on most others. I do have a couple of meds that cost a little more, but nothing that would break the bank.

I'm fairly certain that if you go to Humana.com, you can select one of the plans, and when it's time for a refill on your medication, ask your doctor to send it to Humana Pharmacy. You can take a picture of a medication bottle, and send it to them, they will transfer it to your Humana Pharmacy account.

Jim

@dmac5 I haven't heard of that therapy. I hope that her doctors take her pain seriously and don't push the psychotherapy route on her without doing anything medically. I've been down that road, and benefited very little from things like pain therapy.

Jim

@dmac5

I had to stop writing earlier. Dinner was on the table.

I'm not sure how CRPS wound up with the label "suicide disease". It seems kind of strange.. I know that many medications carry the warning that taking them may cause suicidal thoughts. But that's generally a pretty low chance. In general, that warning is a way to avoid lawsuits.

I started taking antidepressants back in 2004, and every one of them carries that side effect. I tried a bunch of antidepressants before I found one that worked. Along the way, I did experience suicidal thoughts with one of they, exactly the way the label says. On week 5, for a week, I had very strong thoughts of suicide. Exactly a week later the thoughts were gone. So I no longer ignore those possible side effects.

Depression is almost a certainty with chronic intractable pain. I was being treated for depression quite a few years before I began feeling the effects of peripheral neuropathy. I learned that my pain and depression feed on each other. Pain impacts my depression, and likewise, depression worsens the effect that pain has on me.

Our daughter went through a period of depression in high school, and I think that living with a severely depressed father might have helped her understand what she was feeling. We were able to have some healthy conversation about it. Her depression lifted in time, but she has bouts of it from time to time. When I started therapy, she and my wife joined me sometimes, and she continued to meet with the psychologist after I moved on to another therapist.

A very high percentage of people who commit suicide were depressed or had related mental health issues. But the reverse is a different story. I don't know the statistics, but it's a small percentage of people with a mental illness who commit suicide. Certainly, it's something to be aware of, but unless she expresses thoughts of wanting to die, I think you will have a lot of things to deal with without piling on being worried about suicide.

When did you hear that label of suicide disease? I hope that it didn't come from a doctor. Maybe you read it somewhere. If your daughter hasn't heard it, my feeling is that it would surely be counterproductive, to put it mildly, to mention it to her.

Not knowing what the future holds is hard to handle. The journey to finding viable treatment can be long and full of challenges and disappointment. But hope brings courage. And courage strengthens hope.

Have a good week.

Jim