The nerve pain felt like a knife being stabbed into my hand and twisted. I would flinch uncontrollably at each spasm. It was really hard for my husband to watch--he hated seeing me in so much pain. Also, I often withdrew into myself to deal with the pain. At those times, it was like I wasn't even present.
The doctors tried a number of narcotics first, which didn't really help the nerve pain. Then they finally tried a drug that was used for depression (nortriptyline), but had been shown to work on the pain receptors in the brain. At first I didn't want to try it and was angry that the doctors were suggesting an anti-depressant when I was in pain, not depressed. They finally explained how it worked so I agreed to give it a try.
This was my miracle drug, and it eventually reduced my pain level from unbearable to a constant buzz. Now I always feel this buzz (kind of like when you hit your funny bone), but I can ignore it most of the time. I am lucky because this drug doesn't work on everyone, and some people with BPI never find a way to successfully manage their pain.
I still have flair-ups that can hurt as bad as the original pain, but they usually only happen when I'm sick or have hurt the arm somehow. It's awful when it happens, but at least now I know it will end at some point.
Being active definitely helps! If I go for a run when I'm in pain, I usually forget about it at some point. Even if it comes back after the run, the endorphins help me improve my outlook.
Maybe that's why I'm so obsessive about swimming, biking & running :)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment