Oh Dear..I have to admit i won’t be much help on this one. I stopped taking neurontin because I couldn’t afford the cost and the side effects were bad. I have found that wearing the shoe’s Croc’s are very comfortable..they are like walking on cushions. I just bought a cheapy pair for $6.00 and they are great. Hot Pink but hey who cares as long as my feet feel better.Goodluck and take care.

Not sure if this would help but what do you think of Lidocaine or any gels you would use if a very bad toothache and couldn’t see a Dentist right away? Put some on your feet and see if that would numb some of the pain.

Sue

Canada, When my feet hurt so bad, cold water seems to help-got a pool where you are at? Slide up your slacks or whatever and dangle your legs in the pool. There are water insoles, I believe, that might help too, chill them if you have a frig. or put them on an ice bag. Can you try Motrin? About 800 mg. That wouldn’t sedate you so you can still teach. Antiinflammatory.

As far as anti depressants for neuropathy pain, I have taken Cymbalta for almost a month now at night with a Compazine–I tried it in the am, and for three days I was so nauseated, no appetite, and felt drugged, but now that I take it at night, I have to admit the throbbing constant pain in my ankles and feet is much less-now more like a constant ache-I can handle that.

See what others say…….E.

I guess Canada, you could go to the druggist and ask his/her opinion on what would be best, I like Sue’s idea of a cream-there are several OTC-ask which is best.

If you need to,, get to ER-they have more options available to help. Big hug to you.

Look at the Walmart or a pharmacy about Orajel.

Here is their website not sure if it is only in the States some of these strengths

[url]http://www.orajel.com/products/adult/toothache/severe_pain.htm[/url]

Sue
[url]http://www.shoppersdrugmart.ca/medispan/en_CA/displayDrugListByGroupId.html?keyword=O&flag=4[/url]

Shoppers Drugmart has it listed on the website Orajel. Check to see if you can get in your town. It is suppose to work in minutes. Meant for the mouth but for a few days wouldn’t hurt to put some on your feet

Is there a pharmacy at the hotel where you are staying or a local drug store near the hotel? Maybe ask at the reception desk if there any store within a few blocks that might carry Orajel?

Good luck with the cool foot soak.

Sue

Hi Canada, I’m sorry to hear you are in so much pain. Maybe you could try some of the gel insoles. Or if possible, try some stretches while you are standing. Hold onto chair or something and go up on your toes and rock back on your heels with toes up off floor.
I am on Alprazolam, (which is also known under the trade names Xanax and Niravam, is a short-acting drug of the benzodiazepine class used to treat moderate to severe anxiety disorders, panic attacks, and as an adjunctive treatment for anxiety associated with major depression, from Wikipedia) I was told it was for muscle tension and stress :rolleyes: Gabapentin (Neurontin) and Baclofen. I’ve been lucky so far w/o side effects. I take them 3x a day together and they do help some.
Please try and rest as much as you can and put your feet up, if only for a few minutes! Hugs to ya!

Canada, If that cold water helped, try this combination:
2 bags ice, tightly knotted
2 plain bags
2 washcloths
2 hand towels …….. housekeeping should be able to give you extra stuff

extra pillows or blankets to elevate your feet in bed

Soak wash cloths in ice cold water-get in p.j.’s
Squeeze out wash cloths
Hop in bed
Wrap feet with cold wash cloths, then ice bags, then wrap dry hand towels around feet, then put in plain bags, and last elevate feet as high as is comfortable. Try for 30 minutes and see if that helps…..thinking of you.

Jan,

I know you said you couldn’t sit. What I have found is that a high stool similar to a bar stool without a back works great when I’m teaching. You don’t have to sit in it all the time. You can just rest your “bottom” on it to take most of the weight off your feet. I don’t know where you are teaching, but you might be able to have someone scrounge one up for you. Also, I have been know to sit on the desk when I teach. I use the pitch of my voice and my cane to make help keep people alert. [no I don’t hit them with it. I rap on the lectern or the desk to emphasize a point] 😉

One good thing I have found is that when you feet are hurting really bad, it hard to put them in your mouth. 😀 Good luck

Hi Jan! Hope your feet are feeling better this morning and they got rested up some. I get that feet pain and wear insoles in my shoes when standing alot. I never wear high heel shoes either. Always flat shoes with a soft cushiony bottom. Hope you day today is better!

My dr once told me to try the warm/cold trick. Soak in warm water then cold…about ten minutes for each. I tried this about a year ago with my hands and it did help for a bit. I dont know that it would help the feet.

I hope you got some good rest and are doing better today….

take care,
Stacey

I am sorry to hear you are hurting, my friend. Ice helps me. I take a hot shower or bath, then grab my ice packs and put my feet up. Tylenol takes the edge off….but doesnt help a lot.

One thing I have found that helps is hylands or boiron brand Hypericum Perforatum (st johns wort). I didnt experience any side effects except for a good mood and much less pain. Peppermint oil is supposed to help as well. Although I get more relief with a lotion that has wintergreen, sage and juniper in it. I buy it at wal mart and slather it on when my feet and legs hurt. I dont remember the brand but can check my bottle later for ya. I couldnt take anti depressants because of the side effects but handle the homeopathic st johns wort quite well. Plus it is much cheaper than Rx stuff. Of course since you are unable to go anywhere, this stuff is something to consider once ya get home. In the mean time, ice, or heat, and elevating you legs and feet as much as you can. Oh, xanax helps a lot too. Makes me sleepy so I take it at night when my feet and legs are at their worst. I am able to sleep and get relief. My dr says he doesnt feel comfortable to keep refilling it, but I will keep trying until he cuts me off because the rest and relief are worth it. It is hard for some of them to understand that our nerves keep us from relaxing and resting and turning our minds off. They think pain meds or whatever are the answer. I am just glad something helps quiet my mind so I can stop being so stressed out and worried about every little physical thing.

Prayers and hugs

Canada, sorry you are having soo much pain, and just when you can’t do alot about it. Capzazin lotion will help, or vicks vapor rub-rubbed on the feet helps alittle. Any thing menthol and in a lotion form will help calm the nerves. I still haven’t found much that takes the pain away completely. I use extra neurontin when i need the extra hard pains controlled. Please don’t over do it the next few days. Take care!

Good morning Canada. Glad the soaking helped last night. I am like FOM on a couple things-my pain is worst at night and I take Xanax too.

Maybe your boss can help you run a couple errands today to add a few things to you first aid kit. Try the hot/cold too–Hot tubs, hot water make my feet and legs hurt worse, but for some it helps. Prayed that you would have a better day. Talk to you tonight…………….take care

Canada-glad you had a better day. One more, then it’s home to get with your grandkeids. Yipeeeeeeeeeeee. Almost done Canada-bet your boss was really impressed with your teaching, despite your pain…..have a good trip home. Hope the cold therapy works as well as last night.

I know I am a day late and a dollar short here to help you but I freeze water bottles and then roll them under my feet and it helps. It sort of massages them in coolness! I keep my socks on so I don’t freeeeeeze but it really helps me. Hope your class finished up well.

I saw this thread late but know what you are talking about. Today my feet hurt and my left foot is tingling. Sometimes soaking my feet in hot water helps and I take advil when the pain is really bad. Also, massaging my feet with Vicks helps.

When I can, I wear New Balance athletic shoes with special insoles. I go to a shoe store that has you stand on a platform that takes a computerized image of your foot and then tells you what insert you need. They cost about $45 a pair, but are worth it.

Take Care, Susanne

Thanks for that advice! Never thought about getting a computerized image of the foot before. Where would you go and get something like that done. I get alot of problems with my feet. They hurt all the time especially when I go to Walmart grocery shopping on those concrete floors

What level of functioning is your Mom at? Is she able to walk and do some things independently? Can she drive? What about bending over?
Is your Mom an animal lover and have you had pets in the past?
Has she ever expressed an interest in owning a small dog?
An animal, even a small dog, is a lot of responsibility. They require a lot of play time and attention and going out for walks or in a yard that is fenced.
A Yorkie is a failry hyper dog and you may want to consider one
that is less hyper but still small, esp if she is sick. Some Yorkie yaps a lot.
After all of these questioins or what portion is yes, You may want to discuss it with her first.
An indoor cat is easier to take care of then a dog. But, must be kept indoor and that means littler boxes. There are some breeds of cats that are very much like a dog in personality and want to be with the owner at all times
My Mom is 84 and she got a small daucshound, 14 lbs, three years ago and it has been the best thing for her. Wish she would of listened to her children and got the dog 10 years ago. But, she and the dog are nuts about each other and it has been great mentally and physically for her.
I hope your Mom realizes what a great, considerate daughter she has and h ow much you love her. God has blessed her with you.:)

Pets can be such a blessing! but first, the person must want one and the responsibility that comes with it. In the beginning I was to ill to handle a dog and we had to find a new home for “Quigley” and that broke my heart 🙁 I have done fine with my cat but she’s rather independent! So, be sure that your Mom wants a new “friend” 🙂 Thank you for being such a caring daughter.

Bryttny I agree with most of the posts but she has to decide if it is the right time to get a dog…large or small. Puppies are like having a new baby in the house. I am not sure if the healthiest person wants that kind of responsibility when they are fatigued. I suggest that you call her often to just check on her as often as you can. Even have a friend of yours call and check on her. There are churches that have prayer groups, phone buddies and meals delivered. Ask your Mom what she thinks she would like? No matter what changes are made their is an adjustment time. I would wait on the puppy. If she is interested, an older dog might be a good choice too. Just take time to think this out because if she is not able to take care of the animal on a bad day, care has to be supplied for it and that will cost money, besides the vet care that comes with the yearly check up and shots required, not to mention the food bills. I can see you are really concerned and are thinking this thru. Your Mom will be in our thoughts. Hopefully you can get her to post to the message boards, with or without help, some day soon!

You are a wonderful daughter to care so much for you mother. Even if she gets annoyed with you hijacking her name she can’t blame your intentions. 😉 I think a dog is a great idea, however you might want to reconsider the puppy aspect of it. I’ve raised lots of puppies in my better days and they are a LOT of work – the need more attention than an older dog, they make more messes, particularly if you can’t take them outside every 2 hours… and on and on… I love puppies but honestly I’m not in good enough physical condition to deal with a puppy, even one I could put in my coffee cup.

SO, my suggestion is to consider an older dog from the shelter – I’ve said this before and I’ll keep saying it – many older dogs are left in shelters when their elderly owners pass away and the children cannot take them. They are already house trained, they are already used to a sedentary lifestyle and are typically more grateful for rescue than a puppy who hasn’t been able to live much of a life yet and doesn’t really know the difference – just a generalization you know, plenty of puppies are abused…

Of course you should talk to your Mom about it… and see if you can help her to find resources if she decides she does want a companion animal. In my County in Virginia there is a Foundation run by the local shelter that specifically collects money to help older and disabled people adopt pets and pay for food and veterinary bills. And despite the fact that I live in a rural area, or maybe because of it, there are about 12 dog walking groups in my small town. When my husband and I were gone 12 hours a day we had a dog walker come in and play with the pups for a hour a day, more often when they were little. Some of them will also take the dog to the vet for you if you have previous arrangements with the vet to bill for the dog’s care.

All that said, if a dog proves too much worry and care then consider something a little less cuddly and easier to take care of. I’ve mentioned my Dwarf African frogs on here before and while it might seem unreasonable to think they are good companions, the fact is they recognize me from my husband and sing to me, chirp at me and come stare at me when I’m near them and will even come take food out of my hand. They are air breathers though aquatic, so don’t need an expensive aquarium tank. I have mine in a $10 punch bowl I got at Walmart with some rocks I picked up in my front yard. Their food runs about $10/year and so far I’ve never had any vet bills and they’ve been with me for three years now. 😉 Because we have well water I don’t need to worry about removing chlorine etc., but you can buy spring water pretty cheaply at the grocery store and their water does not get dirty often like it does with fish. I change their water about once or twice a month and keep them in the shade so the algae doesn’t grow.

Good luck with your decision and I think you are a wonderful person for thinking of your mom’s need for companionship while you are in college.

Let me know if I can do anything to help.

Julie

How sweety of you to worry about your mom at such a young age. How lucky your mom is to have a daughter like you.

I wanted to get my mom a dog a few years back b/c she, too, was all alone and I didnt like the idea of her ever feeling lonely. I asked her many times and each time she said no. We’d always had a dog growing up but after he died, I just felt she needed a new companion.
I never did get the dog b/c she really like her independance of not having one. She could come and go as she pleased and didnt have to worry about anyone to watch it or care for it. My mom got into gardening and planting flowers in her yard and eventually that’s what became her new “companion”.

There’s alot to go with a dog…from whether or not she’s well enough to take care of it, to who will take care of it when she is gone for any length of time.
There’s also the cost of food and vet bills, too.

Animals are great companions for some but for others they are too much to handle.

good luck…and, always remember to call your mom when you are gone to college. A phone call can do wonders, too.;)

Stacey

we just got a new kitten in our house and he is goofy but not alot of work. he has 7 toes on his front paws 6 on his back about a half a tail with halk his face white and the other black. He is very entertaining and hardly any work at all. he has the cutest little heart shaped face but he can be a liitle devil. we o have two older dogs and an older cat who of course was not at all impressed with this new ball of fluff who likes to hide around corners and under things so that he can jump out at the cat or one of thedogs. He does make me laugh with his curiosity especsially yesterday whe he decided to check out the toilet somone hadnt closed kitten slipped and look like a liitle scrawny rat. he doesnt like the bathroom anymore but he will probably go back eventually he loves to pull up the shower mat he likes to listen to th suction cups being pulled up. but i do think you shoul;d talk it over with your mom though. you are a wonderful daughter for wanting to try something to help and i am sure she appreciates everything you do to help so i am sure asking her what type of pet she would enjoy would make her happy. good luck and my thoughts and prayers are with you and your mom.