United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

i figured as i'm up anyway, might as well keep posting! *grin*

i know in the early days of this injury, we all experience pain so intense we can't even describe it - it's just "PAIN"! (don't you love the docs asking you for a description or "what kind of pain"? "on a scale of 1 to 10, it's 143, doc!")

then, as time goes by, the pain is still there but (in my experience, anyway) it seems different somehow or more manageable or maybe we learn to tolerate it/become used to it as it's always just there.

anyway, lately, i've been experiencing different types and levels of pain that i haven't felt since the early days. has anyone else had this reoccurence?

here's a list of some of the different types of pain i've been having again. the intensity of each type is a number from 1 to 5, with 5 being the worst, in brackets beside each type. (hey, it's 2:40 a.m. and i can't sleep! *grin*)

- burning/searing (3 to 5)

- electric "shocks" or tingling (3)

- sensation like a metal band around hand/wrist/arm that is being tightened more and more, sometimes til it feels like your arm is going to burst like a well-cooked sausage (3 or 4)

- pins and needles (4)

- jabbing - especially under the fingernails (5)

- sensation of a metal rod being driven through finger joints and the center of the bones - like your bones are being hollowed out (5)

while not exactly pain, the following are also uncomfortable sensations i get that just add to the other annoyances/frustrations. anyone else get these?

- "restless leg syndrome" in legs, injured arm and back (more on that below)

- your injured arm/hand feels like it's burning (not the pain type) and when touched by the other hand is very hot to the touch. (i find this one strange as it's not consistent. i have the burning sensation alot but usually, my hand/arm feels the same temp as my uninjured one)

- your good arm/hand is warm or regular temperature but your injured arm/hand is either very hot or very cold to the touch.

- injured hand/arm falls "asleep"

here's a brief blurb on restless leg syndrome. the website, for those interested, is http://www.rls.org/what_is_rls. they also have a great FAQ page.

Do you have a creepy, crawly sensation in your legs at night when you attempt to sleep? (i get it anytime of day, not just at night, and i get it in my arm and back on my injured side).

Restless Legs Syndrome is an overwhelming urge to move the legs usually caused by uncomfortable or unpleasant sensations in the legs. The sensations have the following features:

- Occur during periods of inactivity

- Become more sensitive in the evening and at night

-Are relieved by movement of the limb (i find this doesn't always help)

- Often causes difficulty staying or falling asleep, which leads to feelings of daytime tiredness or fatique

- May cause involuntary jerking of the limbs during sleep and sometimes during wakefulness

i'd be interested to see if anyone else experiences any of this and what you do for it.

hugs,

jan

Yeah i get that restless leg syndrom, it drives me crazy, i found that taking vitamin E helped a real lot, but i just had to stop taking it because there is a study saying that it can cause heart problems, you can't win. As for arm pain my arm is hurting more now because the cold weather is setting in. Every year it is the same thing. When it is summer time my pain is still bad, but man when it gets cold it is like 5 times worse.
Ed

I don't know if its connected or not but I am OBPI and have always had a problem with restless leg...
If I get over tired it is worse. I never thought of connecting it to bpi.

I have never been a good sleeper I wake up several times a night usually I find my arm is freezing and the rest of me too warm. I now wrap my arm before I go to sleep but then run the risk of it over heating.Most times I wake up because I can't find a comfortable position. I try to prop my arm with a small pillow it seems to help.

Most of the different types of "pain - or tingling-burning and sharp jabs are very familiar and some of the pain you mention seems to be more severe than I can ever remember having. I assume that as an infant that was the reason my family said I cried all the time and no one slept for a year after I was born... Good thing I can't remember.
Now that I am getting older the pain seems to be less and less. But of course I don't work as hard at 65 the way I did at 40 or 50. I am also more aware of the impact of over use on the the unaffected arm. I have caused damage to my unaffected arm and my hands are a mess.

I hope some of this subsides for you or you can find good pain management soon.

I wonder how many adult obpi as well as tbpi have restless leg and if this problem is related to bpi injury.
Thanks for the information
Kath

what interesting description of pain you have - wow!
i had very little pain for almost 2 years after my second surgery, and then it all started acting up again 6 months ago. the pain now is actually worse than it ever has been. i get the burning/searing pain, the electric shock, numbness, tingling. cold always bothers me, and my injured arm is always colder and sweatier than my other arm. i also get the sensation that something is burrowed in my arm/hand/shoulder and they're trying to crawl out. it's a really painful sensation and lots of pressure.
i've described nerve pain to my roommate as "imagine being electrocuted really badly and having a really bad muscle cramp, like charlie's racehorse, at the same time."
i usually take a warm, not hot, bath everyday. i have a giant old fashioned bathtub and get everything submersed up until my chin. its helped me control pain a lot and relax my muscles. at bedtime i usually prop my arm up on one of my cats or a pillow.

Jan
That is one strange article on RLS! I have been that way all my life and just thought it was odd. My family went camping regularly when I was young and they all gave me hell for ''wiggling my leg'' at night. I still do but not as much as I am still taking some hydrocodon for my pain. Thanks for the article. I wonder about my daughter as she has issues with sleeping. Red

> posting! *grin*
>
> i know in the early days of this injury, we all
> experience pain so intense we can't even describe it
> - it's just "PAIN"! (don't you love the docs asking
> you for a description or "what kind of pain"? "on a
> scale of 1 to 10, it's 143, doc!")
>
> then, as time goes by, the pain is still there but
> (in my experience, anyway) it seems different somehow
> or more manageable or maybe we learn to tolerate
> it/become used to it as it's always just there.
>
> anyway, lately, i've been experiencing different
> types and levels of pain that i haven't felt since
> the early days. has anyone else had this
> reoccurence?
>
> here's a list of some of the different types of pain
> i've been having again. the intensity of each type
> is a number from 1 to 5, with 5 being the worst, in
> brackets beside each type. (hey, it's 2:40 a.m. and i
> can't sleep! *grin*)
>
> - burning/searing (3 to 5)
>
> - electric "shocks" or tingling (3)
>
> - sensation like a metal band around hand/wrist/arm
> that is being tightened more and more, sometimes til
> it feels like your arm is going to burst like a
> well-cooked sausage (3 or 4)
>
> - pins and needles (4)
>
> - jabbing - especially under the fingernails (5)
>
> - sensation of a metal rod being driven through
> finger joints and the center of the bones - like your
> bones are being hollowed out (5)
>
> while not exactly pain, the following are also
> uncomfortable sensations i get that just add to the
> other annoyances/frustrations. anyone else get
> these?
>
> - "restless leg syndrome" in legs, injured arm and
> back (more on that below)
>
> - your injured arm/hand feels like it's burning (not
> the pain type) and when touched by the other hand is
> very hot to the touch. (i find this one strange as
> it's not consistent. i have the burning sensation
> alot but usually, my hand/arm feels the same temp as
> my uninjured one)
>
> - your good arm/hand is warm or regular temperature
> but your injured arm/hand is either very hot or very
> cold to the touch.
>
> - injured hand/arm falls "asleep"
>
> here's a brief blurb on restless leg syndrome. the
> website, for those interested, is
>
>
for the past one year now i have been undergoing hot seasation in side my body ;and its make me uncomfortable all the time ,it ever make my mouth very better so much,plz i need a cure for it and before i missed my mind can it led to any dengeous disease because i am very scand at the moment,plz i really need a help the symptom are hotness in my arms back legs ,plz advice me on what to do i really need a cure,can it kill some one becaus i am feeling like hell,hope to hear from u,plz very urgent,
this my id cashdgee@yahoo.com you can as well send the reply through my box ,thanks as you reply weak,

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