Re: I'm Still here, hanging on

[Guest guest]

I'm glad you have some options and I agree, physical therapy is useless till you

get some pain relief. You feel " dull daggers " in your back and that's a pretty

good description if you ask me.

Really, we must limit our activities so that the pain medication can work, but

we need breakthrough meds even then and it makes me so angry that so many of us

are having to suffer through that extra hard pain. I don't have anything to

ease the extra pain either.

I want to do more, my body has a little energy since the pain isn't dragging me

down so badly all the time.

Let's hope the doctor gets it right so you can benefit from exercise and be more

active.

Jennette

>Coleen wrote:

>hello all, I know it has been months since I have written.

I have to get better pain management before I can get into P/T. Makes sense to

me too.

So, now I am waiting for Nov to see how this shot works. I am still spending

most my time on my bed as otherwise I have to use up too many of my pain meds.

[Guest guest]

(((((((((Coleen)))))))) I'm happy to hear you are still hanging in there. I

am sorry to hear that you have not been able to get enough relief. I hope the

injections help. Let us know how you make out.

Gentle hugs, Tami

>

> hello all,  I know it has been months since I have written.

[Guest guest]

For me, I disagree about staying in bed and avoiding all physical activity.

Certainly do not overdo your activity. But stretch, if you can. Do not

just stay in bed. The more you avoid physical activity, the more your

muscles will atrophy. That means that your body will not be able to do the

physical activity and will in turn cause you more pain.

I know about wanting pain relief. But some times, that cannot happen. I

have chronic pancreatitis. Nothing touches the pain and doctors all agree

on that. The best I can hope for is enough morphine to make me sleep.

Otherwise the pain is excruciating and unavoidable. The pancreatitis

triggers full body nerve pain, so everything hurts. My hair hurts. My

toenails hurt.

The first time I was completely bedridden for months. I did not get out of

the bed for weeks. All my fluids and nutrition were delivered

intravenously. The only movement I made was to call the nurse for more

morphine. When I did start trying to move, I could hardly walk. I could

not sit up. I looked like a mime trying to open locked doors. In trying to

regain daily function, everything involved muscles that I hadn't used at all

for months. It was ugly. And it caused more pain and a heck of a lot more

frustration.

The other times, I made myself get out of the bed. Even if all I could do

was walk to the door and back. I stretched. I cried. I had a nurse walk

with me and another follow me with a wheelchair so I could collapse. I did

this often. But as the pancreatitis subsided, I was better able to return

to the land of the living. I could walk places, maybe not fast and

certainly not far, but I could walk. I could get myself a drink from the

kitchen. Little triumphs in the the land of the living pain.

Please do not hurt yourself. Do not suddenly to the triathlons. But

consider whether and what it is that you can do. If you cannot do physical

therapy, okay. But can you wiggle your toes? Can you stretch your feet?

Work with what you have and try not to loose it. Try to build on it. It

has helped me and I hope it can help you.