12 replies to this topic

[concerned sister]

Hey...looking for answers for my brother who is a C5 quad since Feb '08. He is trying to deal with major pain, which he can only describe a the worst sunburn ever. Even a light wind on his shirt is pure agony. I assume it is nerve pain, however Dr.'s are not finding the right medication to combat this. I am worried that being in constant pain is wearing him down and preventing him from his main focus of recovering. Looking for any advice, relief, ideas ....ANYTHING!

Edited by concerned sister, 25 August 2008 - 02:07 PM.

[Squirrel]

Sorry not much help but I've had that before, on my arms. It went away on its own as quickly as it appeared.

[concerned sister]

Squirrel, on Aug 26 2008, 07:13 AM, said:

Sorry not much help but I've had that before, on my arms. It went away on its own as quickly as it appeared.

Thank you...however, this pain started about 4 months after his accident and is still there 2 months later. Doctors are trying to find a coctail of meds that help with pain but so far no luck. Just wondering if this is something common that happens with his level of injury (C5).

[Squirrel]

I'm not sure but I thought it was to do with my MS, my spinal injury is at L2.

[Trinity]

This thread explains the different typs of pain quite well,
http://www.apparelyz...?showtopic=5063
Neuro pain seems to be fairly common although it is much more severe in some people than others. There are a few different drugs to try, with most drugs you will start off on a low dose and slowly build it up until you get a benefit or until the side effects get too much, so it can seem to take ages before you feel any benefit. Also worth bearing in mind are techniques for dealing with the pain for example cognitive behavioural therapy, literally finding your happy place!

Good luck

Trinity X

[Kwag_Myers]

It's fairly common I think. I recall someone posting that they couldn't even stand to wear a shirt.

It take's about four months for the swelling to go down in the spine and that's when all the fun stuff starts - muscle spasms, hypersensitive sensations, etc.

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your brother has a long way to go, so don't get too hung up on the time frame of his recovery. Some of us are still recovering (physically) after a year. One of my Physical Therapists told me that during her 12 year career she can remember the names of the few who gave up and didn't try to move on. Unless your brother is a quitter, he'll keep working toward his recovery. The best thing you can do is support him where he's at and not push him - it will only cause resentment.

And get him to log in some time, so he can hang with his peeps!

[Manda]

My nerve pain the first few months felt like i was out in the snow and then came in and got a bath,Iwas on methadone for pain and neuronton for nerve pain,i was weaned off of the both and i deal with minimal burning,sometimes the pain medicene intensifys the pain,thats what i was told by dr's

[markysenna]

Hi, I have suffered the same problem for six months now, I get some relief by wearing a tight T shirt during the day as constant firm preasure does not agrivate the skin as mutch as light touch, at night i use a peace of thick cardboard bent so it gives a gap between the sheets and my skin,sounds a bit primative but it's pure exsticy beeing pain free and getting some sleep, Gabapentin also helps for me, but my search for a proper solution continues. Good luck Mark

[Travelling Blackbird]

As Kwag_Myers said, it's important not to get hung up on the time frame of recovery. Pain management often takes a long time to establish, whatever the source of the pain, and it can't be rushed.

The two pieces of advice that have stuck with me regarding recovery:
Recovery is best treated as a series of small goals to achieve one after another, rather than trying to do it all at once.

Never look at your progress by comparing today and yesterday or even this week and last week. Compare this week with two or three weeks ago to get a sense of how you're doing.

[nzark]

My husband is taking Neurontin(sp?) for burning. Same feeling you describe. Pharmacist also recommends an adjunct medication to the Neurontin, such as those meds for seizures. There are many the DR could try to see how your brother reacts and to monitor other side effects Good Luck with this.

[disjointed]

Not sure what Neurontin (gabapentin) will do for the nerve pain since it tends to work more on spasms (blocks a neurotransmitter involved in epileptic seizures and other involuntary spasms). When I was on it for muscle spasms, I actually Developed seizures (and needless to say had to discontinue the med)! Seems like many on this site use Neurontin without that problem, though.

For your brother's nerve pain:
in addition to standard analgesia, he may want to look into Cymbalta (duloxetine) or Effexor (not sure chem name, but watch out for awful side effects) -- these SNRI's (selective Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors) help block pain in the peripheral nerves. Has worked wonders for my Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (which is what your brother's sunburn feeling seems to be from). These drugs are often prescribed to diabetics for neuropathy even though originally marketed as antidepressants. While in the pain program at Spaulding Rehab, I was informed that pretty much All the patients with RSD were put on Effexor.

There is a new SNRI being developed; I read about it in a medical journal (doc in the family, so I read up on things often before the public does). The pharmaceutical company developing this SNRI plans to market it exclusively for nerve pain despite its alternate application as an antidepressant; they feel that the antidepressant market is already flooded with options, so they are going for a different target population. Moral of this story -- SNRI's are good for nerve pain. Cymbalta helped me liked nothing else had in 8 years. The effects were truly remarkable. Did not touch a lot of my various kinds of pain, but that stinging burning relentless hard-to-pinpoint pain in not exactly the area of injury is what got managed by the Cymbalta.

Best of luck to your brother.

[Trinity]

CervInstabilityHMSandRSD, on Sep 3 2008, 08:44 PM, said:

Not sure what Neurontin (gabapentin) will do for the nerve pain since it tends to work more on spasms (blocks a neurotransmitter involved in epileptic seizures and other involuntary spasms).

Gabapentin is a recognised treatment for neuropathic pain and some people have very good results from it.

[disjointed]

trinity, on Sep 4 2008, 09:08 AM, said:

CervInstabilityHMSandRSD, on Sep 3 2008, 08:44 PM, said:

Not sure what Neurontin (gabapentin) will do for the nerve pain since it tends to work more on spasms (blocks a neurotransmitter involved in epileptic seizures and other involuntary spasms).

Gabapentin is a recognised treatment for neuropathic pain and some people have very good results from it.

Thanks for the info. Good to know. I personally had no relief from nerve pain while on it. The Cymbalta was a miracle drug for the nerve pain. What I have read about Neurontin is that it is primarily for spasms and has a secondary effect as a mood stabilizer. Having not read about the nerve pain benefits (or felt them!), I was unaware of that. I found the med annoying to take -- every 8 hours. The Cymbalta is a once a day med, much more convenient.