Pain Killers... need some recommendations!!!

[wiccagal]

I go to a massage therapist every week...  get a hot stone massage  and I do the acupuncture thing..  the pain feels bone deep if you know what I mean, like it radiates outwards from my bones (mainly my shoulders, clavicle, arms and hands..)  into my muscles, on bad days my hands spasm and lock which is totally not cool.  All I am on at the moment is panadol and codeine which I cant take through the day as it knocks me out...  Do a lot of meditation but there are days that I cant deal with the intense pain..  the rheumy was well there is not alot we can do for Sjogrens and you will just have to deal with it.. to which I wont accept as I don't believe anything is hopeless..

[LeoLady]

Wiccagal:   I've thought about massage therapy but every time I think about someone rubbing my owies I wind up not going.  I have constant neck and shoulder pain from Fibro, pSjS and breaking a windshield with my head years ago in a car wreck.  Also, I completely agree with the "bones" description.  I keep telling my husband I can feel my leg bones and the pain radiates out from there.   He just looks at me like I have a screw loose.  Of course, after 39 years of marriage, he KNOWS I am missing several. 

I can't tolerate codeine and that pretty much leaves only morphine and I'm not going there!  Fortunately, Tramadol still works for me.

Good luck finding something that works for you.

LeoLady

[Joe S.]

Try Reiki. It is energy healing. No rubbing massage. It is calming and helps to reduce pain.

[kathylee]

Wiccagal, if your Rheumy says live with it ask your family doc. That is plain cold! Pain management and respect is very important to feeling some sense of control for me when so much of my body is unknown from day to day. I get 84 Lortab every 2 weeks. I was on less until my vit D levels went back down because of probs with getting to tan and supplement use intolerance.

I have had success with accupuncture and accupressure which I taught myself from a great book (Micheal Gach I think). Where are you with being well hydrated? It wasnt until I started drinking Penta that I realized that I could feel some better from being better hydrated. One of the first things I noticed was less fatigue but also pain went down a notch.

There is a pain society that I have found is very support about pain issues. It is the American Pain Foundation. You can sign up for their newsletter online.

Emily K

[Sarah]

Be very careful with pain medications.  I had severe nerve damage from a wisdom tooth removal and was on pain meds. i.e. codeine, Percocet, Vicoden, etc. strong rheumy meds.  Developed severe heart pains and went for tests.  They said it was all the medications I was on.  All these meds are extremely drying (which you don't need with Sjogren's).  I was so miserable so did research on the internet and decided to wean myself off.  I used topicals, for my jaw, and other areas, meditation, exercise, prayer,  I listened to music and relaxing tapes.  I read books on how to overcome pain.  You can get what is called rebound pain from too many narcotics so it worsens the problem.  I still have the nerve damage pain in my jaw (5 years now) but can control it better.  Once in awhile I will take a baby aspirin (eating something with it so as not to cause stomach problems) and that is all.  Pain clinics can help but usually they give you drugs.