Lets talk about nerve pain

Several years ago, after a particularly long and painful bout of sciatica, I was eventually diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy in my right foot. The podiatrist who eventually made the diagnosis actually told me which nerve it was that was being affected. Of course, I no longer remember that tidbit of information, although I am sure it still exists somewhere in the depths of my brain. Meanwhile, I can still tell you the original telephone number of the house I grew up in.

If you know anyone who has ever experienced nerve pain, I'm sure they will attest to the insidiousness nature of this pain. Really, there is nothing else quite like it. And it sucks, because there really isn't anything that knocks it on its ass and makes it go away. The best you can hope for is a combination of things that will serve to take the edge off. I remember back when it first started, I would get so exhausted from being unable to sleep that I would be begging my husband to just cut my foot off. It seriously seemed like a viable option at about 4 am.

Eventually, I discovered that the muscle relaxer I had purchased on a trip to Canada (Robaxacet, a combination of Tylenol and methocarbomol, are -or at least were - readily available over-the-counter there but prescription only here) would take the edge off enough so that I could fall asleep. At different times, the podiatrist tried a number of different approaches, including a shot of cortisone in the side of my foot when things were particularly bad and I had a big trip planned. He also tried me on gabapentine, the generic version of Neurontin, because some people had gotten relief with that. I, however, had a spectacularly bad reaction to it (which is why my rheumatologist does not recommend I ever try Lyrica). As a last resort, he prescribed Lidoderm patches.

Those patches, out of everything I've tried, including a number of natural and homeopathic remedies, have been the most beneficial in taking the edge off of the constant tingling, pins and needles, being repeatedly stung by bees, burning sensation in my foot and allowing me to sleep and function as a relative normal human being. Like everything else, these have now gone generic and I find them lacking in different ways. First and foremost, I don't think they're as effective. Secondly, they do not adhere as well to the skin and have been known to roll off completely during the night, if I toss and turn a lot. That being said, the advantage is that they don't leave an adhesive residue on your foot that practically takes a nuclear explosion to get off and that everything sticks to, leaving you with what looked like a hairy dirt patch on your foot.

I am lucky because, these days, I can go weeks, sometimes months, without having this particular pain flare up. Unfortunately, it has chosen now to flare up and none of my usual tricks are working. The past two nights, I've gotten it dulled enough to fall asleep only to wake up a few hours later with my foot zinging away. If I'm lucky, I can take another muscle relaxer and only be up for a couple of hours with it. If I'm not lucky, I never do get back to sleep and end up not only cranky but more sensitive to all kinds of pain. I'm sincerely hoping that this neuropathy flare is short and ready to go away now because I'm already tired of dealing with it. I'm also hoping that once I fall asleep tonight, I can stay that way.

Anybody else notice that you're more sensitive to all kinds of pain now? It's kind of like the fibromyalgia amplifies and turns up the volume for all kinds of pain. Sadly, people with fibro tend to also have other pain related conditions, like neuropathy, arthritis of one kind or another, etc. when I read what some people go through, I actually feel like I've gotten off lightly so far. Here's hoping it stays that way!