All pain gone after one "test"

Thank you mrmik, and I'm so sorry to hear that you have Lyme disease, and some of the very strange and nasty effects of that disease.

Since I sent the message, I have learned that dry needling may be more effective than acupuncture at relieving specific muscle tension. I'm going to try that, and treatments for the lower back are covered by my Medicare Advantage plan (12-20 sessions/calendar year).

I'm not sure if this would help with the nerve damage and inflammation you describe. Inflammation is nasty stuff and we all have it to some degree. It's certainly worth checking out. (I have osteoarthritis and have had four joints replaced. But the arthritis is in every joint and causes inflammation. I try to get to the gym everyday and maintain normal weight. I did cut way down on sugar and that helped ease inflammation a bit. I didn't even know sugar caused inflammation, but it does.)

I truly hope you get some relief from the pain you're experiencing.

Joe

Hi Willow,

I'm surprised you haven't found an acupuncturist who your insurance will cover. I used to live in Nor Cal (Danville) and use the John Muir Hospital system. I'm sure you've heard of them. They may offer acupuncture or dry needling as part of their practice.

And yeah, if you find a Medicare-approved provider, they handle the paperwork. That's why I suggested Muir. And in my experience, Muir is an excellent healthcare provider.

All the best to you.

Joe

@heyjoe415

Thank you for your insight, I am very aware of the effects of sugar and has stayed away from it the best I can.
I do however eat a lot of fresh fruit. But I don't know if the sugars contributed to the inflammation.

Hi mrmik, and thanks for your reply.

I wasn't aware of the effects on inflammation from sugar until only 4 or 5 years ago. I did research it, and it's a complicated process involving bacteria, but the end result is the same - consume sugar, increase bodily inflammation.

I fast for 16 hours each day, and when I first eat at about 1pm, I have a plate full of fresh fruit. I'm not as concerned about the sugar in fruit as I am the sugar in the Coke I love. It is east to digest and it's always best to eat fruit before proteins or carbohydrates.

I follow that up with a protein bar, a good (not sugary) bran muffin, and treat myself to a cookie. Dinners are nothing special, but we do eat pretty well.

I started the 16-hour fast by accident. We usually finish dinner around 7:30pm. When I get up, I have two cups of black coffee and then head to the gym. I spin 5x/week for cardio health and do resistance training 2 or 3 times/week. I get home around 1:30 or 2pm and that's when I first eat.

I think the daily fasting helps to cut down on inflammation. Again I stumbled into it and then found it's a good way to lose/maintain weight and clean out the body.

Is there anything that can be done to treat your Lyme Disease? I grew up in urban WI (Milwaukee) and we didn't worry much about tics. Lyme disease is clearly a very serious condition. I wish you all the best in fighting and overcoming it.

Joe

And keep up the good work staying away from sugar (within reason!).

I thought that I might have long term Lyme's about two years ago. I had Lyme's back in 2009. Really had me in it's painful grasp. Finally got a script for the stuff they typically prescribe for it(the old brain is just not working that well anymore). Within half a day all the pain subsided. Then around 2013 or so, I had another tick bite. Got a single pill script as a preventative measure. I have experienced a lot of pain since my ski fall in 2016. Had all kinds of meds, SCS, pain pump, etc, to little avail. Now, I was retested about a year and a half ago. As expected, the presumptive test was positive, but the Western blot did not show enough bands to be considered positive for Lyme's. My PCP put me on a fourteen day script of DOXYCYCLINE! (There it is!).

My question is: anyone out there in a similar situation? Had Lyme's maybe onece or twice but never confirmed by bloodwork and still have associated pain? I know I am grasping at straws here, but I don't want to overlook any possibility. Thank you!

@ellesea01 Does Gap come in a time release form? Would that help if you decide to take a smaller dose?

@ellesea01 It can really be a very sad experience if you are having to go through any health crisis alone. Someone literally yelled at me the other day to get counseling and friends...like you can just randomly walk up to strangers and ask "wanna be my friend"? I've never had a problem making friends before, but people can steer clear of you if they see you are having a bad day. They tend to not want their own life to be disturbed. One day they may see how pain and fear can affect your everyday life without you being able to rise above it.

Sheesh, sorry you got treated like that. What a thoughtless way to treat someone. Are there any pain buddy groups to join so someone can tag along with you to appointments? Maybe through pain clinics or? Any others here have some input? What area are you in? I'm with ya in spirit, sure don't want you to feel alone. We gotta do better & find some kind souls to take turns helping you out when you have to do hard stuff. Hang in there nannybb ❤️ 💙 💜 💖
@nannybb

Me again, I wanted to ask you if you don’t mind, do you have a condition that's been diagnosed? Just w9ndering cause I do know how rotten it is when you're going through all types of time consuming appointments especially when you're hurting and not knowing what this heck is going on? I'm pretty sure It's no bagfull of cuddly kittens even if one knows. Yikes. Hope some really good stuff comes your way soon nannybb. Neat name luv how it sounds ... 💐 🌹 🌸 You are not alone...ever.
@nannybb

@ellesea01 Thank you so much ❣️ Your words of encouragement really helped. I moved from Fl. to Oregon to be near family close to the time of covid. I thankfully found work as an essential, so I was pretty much guaranteed an income. I have been floating along until this cancer diagnosis and operation. My son has started seeing how I need help, but he has his own family and work schedule. I am moving away from the toxic person I mentioned. When I can get a handle on the pain and get moved and back to working, I know much of my anxiety will lessen. As I posted somewhere before, I could have had a nurse advocating for me if I had gone the way of chemical treatments. Because I chose surgery, I was pretty much on my own. It has helped tremendously to be a part of this forum. My getting a second opinion from a NETs specialist was due to advise in here. I know many have much more grave problems in treatments than myself. That's another good thing about this site. You can have the ability to look outside of your situation and be an encouragement for another...just like you did for me. Again, thank you. One day at a time. 🙏