To Tremblay 379; leg pain relief

December 16, 2011 at 3:49 pm

Tremblay, I know the leg pain you’re dealing with. I was diagnosed with CIDP in May. The pain was so severe my body would tremble.

I was on heavy medications I’d get from the pain management specialist prior to getting a diagnosis. I went to two different pain management specialists, by the way. When I went to the the second one, I distinctly remember the expression on the physician assistant’s face. She looked at me intently and told me in a very concerned voice that the medication the other doctor had put me on was VERY strong.

I never refilled it nor the other medications I was on. Two reasons for that. One, I was so afraid to get addicted. And two, they did nothing to relieve the pain. The only reason I took them was because they’d knock me out for a couple of hours at night. It would be the only two hours in an entire day that I’d be unaware of the pain. Had I not had the responsibilities that come along with being a mom I would have probably taken these meds just as prescribed. But I couldn’t for obvious reasons.

I went to my naturopath and he prescribed a slew of natural products. I’m listing a few of the ones I’ve been consistently on. There are others I don’t take anymore, and a couple of new products he’s added recently. The following I’ve been taking for the last several months. I take Tumeric, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Kudzu, Evening Primrose Oil, and St. John’s Wart. One of the ones I recently started taking is called Mycoplasma. Supposedly this is to wipe out the virus in my body, though, truly I haven’t done enough research to know much about it. The Kudzu and St John’s Wart I thought was a little bizarre as I felt it was unrelated to my health. But he asked me to trust him, so I have.

I have very little pain now compared to before. Notice, I still live with pain but it’s manageable. I take no pain medication; not even Aleve, Tylenol, or Neurontin (that did nothing for me.) I no longer use ointments as I had before. I’m feeling better little by little. My legs have also gotten stronger. I still don’t trust that I won’t fall so out of the house I still use a wheelchair and inside the home a walker. But truly I can walk, though wobbly. I also have bad balance so I need to be careful. I think I need to address this next with my naturopath.

I’m learning that if I push myself, and not allow good rest throughout the day I will hurt more than usual. My legs on occasion will also swell if I don’t take the time to rest. (Taurine is another natural product that works really well for the swelling.) Since I feel much better and have more stamina rest is something I have to remind myself of now. I do get tired and still can sleep for hours on end. I don’t complain, though, because before, the pain would keep me up. So sleep is welcoming.

Keep in mind that aside from the Mycoplasma, I’ve been taking all the natural products I listed for about the last 5-6 months. Please don’t think your results will be immediate either, although I did begin to feel a teeny bit of relief within the first week or so. It has been a very slow but steady process.

I truly feel for you. I have great sympathy and empathize. I know what it’s like to live with so much pain that concentrating on anything else is almost impossible. I do hope you find something that works for you, too. If nothing else do try the Tumeric as I keep reading and hearing on television programs that it’s really good for pain.

Take care!

Claudia