United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi everyone
Sean is in terrible pain again. The neurontin seemed to make the problem worse so he said. At the moment the pain is the worst it has been and he can find no relief and feels like he is going insane. We saw a hypnotheripist today and I am praying that the techniques will payoff. Has anyone tried acupuncture and if so what results did you have. It is so hard to stand by and see Sean try, with so much courage, to regain his life only to be crucfied with the relentless pain. I ask God everyday for a miracle, now just to be pain free would be enough.
Thanks for being out there.
Love and prayers to all
Moira

Hi Moira.

I'm sorry to hear Sean is in so much pain.

Relating to your acupuncture question. I tried it back in September and have to say that it actually made the pain worse for me.

This does, however, not mean it will not work for Sean. The way it was explained to me was that each person has different "channels" throughout their bodies which the needles centre on. Because of these differing "channels", each person reacts differently to the treatment and it may be worth Sean trying.

The extra pain I experienced did not last I might add. It seemed to calm down a bit over the following few days.

I hope this helps in some way.

Marc

Hi Moira;

I'm so sorry to hear that Sean is still in so much pain. I know from experience, like a lot of people here, that sometimes the drugs just do not help, and sometimes make the problem worse, or like in my case, the side effects become intolerable. There are other things he can try..is there a pain clinic Sean can go to for advice? Has he tried any of the tricyclic (sp!) drugs; its called amytriptylene here; it worked for me by taking the edge off the pain if you see what I mean, but it is a very powerful drug, and hard to get off it. There is also carbamazepine, which was very potent...but made me very drowsy. At least they are two he can ask his Drs about.

Many people here use cannabis for the pain with good results. I know it's not an option for some people as it is still illegal, but nevertheless, at least the Drs. here in the UK are more openminded these days, and would not be averse to prescribing derivatives of it as a painkiller.

There are several trials of it going on here, and at least one trial is using people with a bpi as test subjects. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, it will be proven to be a potent painkiller, and everyone with neurological pain can benefit from it.

I have been trying to email you, but the mail comes back as 'mail box full'....
I wanted to update you on how things are going...and to catch up on the news about Sean... I would love to hear from you...best wishes...Liz xxx

Hi there, sorry to here about sean being in pain again, it's what i was like at the beginning of my injury. As for acupuncture i tried it but it did'nt work for me, but that does'nt mean to say it wont work for sean. You have to try everything you can think of, please could you let us know if the hypnotherapist works because that was going to be my last resort to get rid of the pain, but please don't let sean give up his fight, this is when he needs his friends & family most. So sean from bigsel keep fighting it will get better.

take care
bigsel

Hi, sorry to hear Sean's having it so rough again, i think sometimes it takes a bit of doing to convince the docs how bad the pain can be so hopefully they can refer him to a pain specialist - the 'pain team' they were called in my hospital. The trouble is, the bad pain causes more stress, the stress exaggerates the pain and something has to break the cycle. For temporary relief i would try the stronger painkillers/sedatives which even if they have side effects of drowsiness etc so be it, if its temporary, anything's preferable to that right? Some folks have found at least some relief from dietary changes like taking fishoils, Bvitamins and cutting out caffeine (which heightens stress) - i hope he gets relief soon however it is.

moira, it will end one day, i know exactly what u mean about being pain free would be enough, that's how i felt and once the pain had largely gone it was like putting down a huge burden, the flail arm just seems like nothing compared to that pain. i hope the hypnotherapy does some good, i never tried that. just tell Sean to hang on in there, he's in the worst phase now, things can only get better and they will. Sending good vibes your way :0)

I've tried acupunctue...at the time I had little feeling in my arm but it did help control the swelling which prolly reduced my pain level.

I have to agree with Jenny, the pain will go away with time. Sean's central nervous system has been traumatised and it takes a long long time for the body to heal. Corrective surgery exasperates the pain levels. The bp gets traumatised by the injury, then traumatised again by the surgery

I'm 3.5 years post injury and my hand has become manageble pain wise. The first 2 years were the worst. All I felt was constant pain, if it wasn't electrical shooting it was the hand in a vice thing...I slept alot during that time with the help of alot of meds.

Now it seems like my bp has settled down. I still get the physical pain, sore back, tight shoulder etc. but the nerve pain is gone for the most part.

I wish I had a quick fix, but I can safely say that with time it will get better...those nerves will heal and Sean will be ok...

If you have any questions feel free to email me, Take cate Mike