Pain management

[MaryBee7]

Eija, two things:  what a wonderful photo!  and have you tried a TENS unit for pain?  I use mine so much now.  One of the "comfort" parts of my day is taking a nap with the TENS going on a slow pulse.  I use it mainly on neck/shoulder area. 

[Diamond~Diva]

For muscle aches I love to put a drop of lavender oil on a cloth and have a hot shower, not too hot. but the heat and steam activate the oil and you get a soothing & aromatherapy shower. If you have a bath stool like I do its even better as you can sit down for it.. 

[eija]

My pains are - most of the time - very mild and I don't even take painkillers for them. The bruise incident just reminded me of the "hangover medicine" that replaces one pain with another one 

MaryBee - TENS? No idea what that is?

Diamond Diva - Your suggestion sounds very romantic However, I have a problem with a shower: I'm almost scared of it because I always itch so bad after it, no matter what I do. Also, I'm very sensitive to all kinds of smells, they give me a migraine and some of them cause breathing problems. And lavender is one of the annoying ones... 

slccom: Yeah, I've seen a program of a small pony (it was a very small pony, not a miniature horse) working as an assistive animal. It had small sneakers for safer walking at malls The longer life-expectancy isn't the only advantage they have: Their eating is cheaper than dogs and also, they naturally choose ramps over stairs whereas dogs couldn't care less wich one to choose. For me horses have been a real lifesavers on many levels <3

Like today, I was all kaputt after spending the entire day on a fair/trade exhibition yesterday (I slept about 12 hours but felt like a dead woman with 50 kg of led hanging from each limb). I somehow managed to drag myself to the stable with my girl, spent an hour there brushing the horsie in the sunny winter air and felt LOADS better and happier after that.

[Joe S.]

Tens is an electronic device to stimulate endorphin in your system. You can adjust the frequency, pulse width and amplitude of the output wave form.

[stillinshockwithsjogrens]

I too, endorse using a TENS unit.  I got mine from HSN, under $90, battery operated.  You'd think that batteries would be too weak to make a difference, but I get the same results from this unit as I did from the big pro units at the physical therapists.  I use mine often for my hip and shoulder.

[odie]

Diamond Diva - Your suggestion sounds very romantic However, I have a problem with a shower: I'm almost scared of it because I always itch so bad after it, no matter what I do. Also, I'm very sensitive to all kinds of smells, they give me a migraine and some of them cause breathing problems. And lavender is one of the annoying ones... 

eija,

Your comment about itching badly after a shower (Aquagenic Pruritus) caught my attention.  I know there has to be many reasons for it but one I know in particular.  For people with a myeloproliferative disorder such as mine, itching after a shower (or any water exposure) is one of the hallmark symptoms.  I have polycythemia vera which means I make too many blood cells.  I'm just wondering if you have ever had high blood counts on your CBC which measures the whites, reds, and platelets.  If you ever have had a high hematocrit or platelets, it would be worth checking into it further.  The itching has to do with the basophils in the whites.  But that could happen to people without my blood disorder.  Look up Aquagenic Pruritus and you'll see Polycythemia Vera as one of the culprits.

[Diamond~Diva]

Eija
The skin sensitivity must be horrible. I get neuralgic pain on my face and the back of my neck, that is horrible. I do have a Tens machine I don't use it as much as I should. Eija for itching have you tried the Aveeno products. I use the body wash and body lotion. it has a soothing agent in it for itch. also Gold Bond is great. but Aveeno doesn't have the smell that GB has lol. I'm in major pain today. We went to a Great Big Sea concert and it was brilliant. But everyone was standing, stomping clapping and singing etc. all night. So I had to join in of course. Well my almost bone on bone knees didn't like it one bit. I've been walking as my Sister would say. Like a zombie. because I was having problems bending my knees so just walked around stiff as a board all day lol.  Doesn't help that we are moving the end of April and my stress level is right up there as I hate moving with a passion.. Glad when its over and done with...

[eija]

Thanks all, again. Have to think about the TENS, apparently there are at least some models available in affordable prices.

Diamond Diva - my dad had an episode of trineuralgia pain on his face. Not sure what they did to get it under control but before that they even considered a surgery (which would've resulted in a drooping face) and he lost a lot of weight because he just couldn't eat. About Aveeno - it seems it's not available in Finland

As for your concert, I know the feeling I haven't ridden my horse in almost six months but yesterday and the day before that I did, and boy am I sore! Yes, it's normal to be sore after new kind of excercise but what people don't seem to understand that with Sjögren's that soreness is quite something else. Plus it enforces the "normal" aches, too! This morning my upper arms were pretty much killing me and I had a nasty migraine, too. And even the 1200 mg ibuprofein for the migraine did not take away the pain from my back- and front ribs. But the riding still was worth it and I can't wait to do it again 

Odie - so far nothing seems to help the after-shower-itching, but time. It stops eventually but before that - ouch! Antihistamine, different lotions, hydrocortisone cream... nothing helps. The itching is just like it said about aquagenic pruritus (I took only a quick look), the itching really is "intense, pricking-like itching". Have to look into it more, thanks for the tip!

[Momedic]

R- Rest
I- Ice
C- Compression
E-Elevation

Joe, Just thought I would finish the thought for you... (had a little help from my hubby! LOL)

[Suslew]

Eija,
She's a beautiful horse!  And a lovely daughter!  Hope your bruise heals quickly.  Maybe some time in the sauna would help?  Just kidding!

[quietdynamics]

... Now it looks as if I had acquired a new muscle: Like half an egg under the nasty purple-bluish skin. And yeah, it hurts. More than my achy shoulders - but I don't think it helps me to sleep on my side tonight either 

An old fashioned method I used for my children when they fell off bicycles and bruised or hit their head and got a bump was 'witch hazel". Son was little fell off bike and his head hit the edge of the curb...quickly grew an bump, the witch hazel on a cloth while sitting on the mommy lap took the swelling right down and barely a bruise. I was surprised. After those types of things, my son would bring his little friends home to me if they got hurt...
So that and / or an Epson salt bath (with candles  )

Still missing the Haflingers when I hear your stories. The Haflinger was the horse I trusted to put the special needs student (who was in a wheelchair) on, the horse was mellow and solid.
There was a miniature named Molly, almost pure black, she had one brown eye and one blue...she was for the little children (they did not know she was a 'nipper' and was more fun when she was pulling a cart on a lead.
I would walk the cart under a strand of tree with low branches, telling the children...be alert, we are entering the woods, get ready to duck...they were so cute. Their eyes woud get so big with wonder. What will we see? I would ask them...so adorable.

A shame I lost all my photos on my old computer...but they are in my heart.

Haflinger
The average weight of a Haflinger is 1,050 pounds. Favorite time was the taking for a drink in the creek...a net photo I found.

[eija]

Hah, the former bruises have healed but now I have new ones. My doc today rolled her eyes seeing my hands: Two thirds of the back of my left hand all greenish-bluish-something. The same with maybe a third of my right forearm. Both upper arms have small bruises. And my throat is sore (I hit it against a metal bar) and my voice is coarse because of that. But I'm okay - the pony is just a whee bit of a challenge to load and we had to visit the clinic 

I love how all horses have their own personalities, if only you bother getting to know them.

Witch hazel - had to look that up, didn't know what it meant. Found this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-hazel

The leaves and bark of the North American Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana may be used to produce an astringent, also referred to as witch hazel, and is used medicinally. This plant extract was widely used for medicinal purposes by American Indians and is a component of a variety of commercial healthcare products.

It's mainly used externally on sores, bruises, and swelling. Witch hazel hydrosol is used in skin care. It is a strong anti-oxidant and astringent, which makes it very useful in fighting acne. It is often used as a natural remedy for psoriasis, eczema, aftershave applications, ingrown nails, to prevent sweating of the face, cracked or blistered skin, for treating insect bites,poison ivy, and as a treatment for varicose veins and hemorrhoids. It is found in numerous over-the-counter hemorrhoid preparations. It is recommended to women to reduce swelling and soothe wounds resulting from childbirth.