Pain relief arsenal...

So far, I feel this year can be summed up by the fact that this photo is pretty much my current "what would you take to a desert island?" answer.  

v

Pain relief arsenal.
It's not magic, but it currently makes pain barely tolerable & it (accidentally!) matches...
#accessorize
#thespikythingshurtlikehell
#theyarenotsquishy
#theydofixdislocatedribsthough
#YAY

I had a few violent 'pain attacks' lately and - sticking with my personal resolution to be more honest - I really feel pain is winning right now. So, here are the weapons in my pain arsenal - most of them go everywhere I go right now.  Find your pain, pick your poison. I present....

My Pain Arsenal:

1. Tablet organiser case (guess I'm missing the hot pink version!) with a mini 8-compartment tub in it for sorting daily pain meds (no Lyme meds or supplements - this is just the pain box :-/ ). Right now I have 40-50 tablets I take every day in that - types of painkillers; multiple muscle relaxants & anti-spasmodic meds; a couple of different anti-nauseas (I respond to severe pain with nausea..... sometimes I throw up. And that hurts like hell. So I have some serious anti-emetics in there); plus some 'extra-just-in-case' tablets for when Really Bad Things happen (I'll write a 'Really Bad Things' post... maybe a few... little snapshots of my whole 'honesty and pain' thing.... that will be something happy and cheerful to look forward to...)
   
   
   N.B. *I really should put emojis on my laptop!* Is it really bad I miss them when I type on here?! ( *facepalm*... *ha ha*... ;-) ...)
   
   
         From the photo: going anti-clockwise here...
   
   
2. Radian B, my favourite version of deep heat/ icy-hot/ ralgex/ etc. because it also has the perfect amount of capsaicin in it: 0.01%. More than this will make you forget your pain entirely, because you feel like your body is covered in FIRE; 0.01% is just enough to beat all the other heat rubs out there. It puts heat into the muscles; also helps with pain by slightly scrambling the nerve signals sent to the brain. I really love the smell of muscle rubs.... they smell like my Dad used to smell when he came home from work when I was very young (when he'd see a physio after a game); they also smell like gymnastics - the scent of my childhood: muscle rubs for sports injuries!
   
                                                                                                                        
3. TENS unit: 'transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation' (sounds like another torture device, right?!) Actually, at certain times, this thing really is like magic. There are some pains that it doesn't do great with - specific nerve pains can feel like they are just buzzing more; but for some otherwise-untouchable pain, the TENS unit works wonders. It sends little electrical impulses between the electrode pads that can be stuck on the skin, carefully positioned to target specific pain areas. It has different settings- buzzing, tapping, contracting, cycling through them (my 'surprise setting') - and can be set at different levels of intensity. Essentially it 'scrambles' the sensations sensory nerves send back to the brain, scrambling the pain signals by confusing' them with other sensations.
   
   
4. Pink spiky physio ball of torture (not a dog toy). Rub painfully between your aching shoulder blade and a wall to improve circulation, blood flow, break up scar tissue, etc. For more 'fun', have someone else (who can actually reach your back better anyway) rub it to 'desensitise' high pain areas and super sensitive skin, and to break up tightness in muscles.  Generally - roll it anywhere it hurts to improve blood flow and use it to torture yourself in the hope i does some good!
   
   
5. Pink spiky foam roller - this was deceptively packaged........ it is not in the slightest bit 'squishy' - I thought the bumps would be good for clicking the subluxating ribs back into my spine - and it is good for that. But bloody hell, a regular foam roller doesn't hurt! However, it's good for the crazy popping ribs, the assisted movement exercises & adds some unplanned desensitisation stuff just by lying on it!  Which, with increasing pain, I have to admit is a good thing - although sort of in the way broccoli is a good thing when you're 8 - you really don't like it, but 1. it's good for you, and 2. dessert's only an option if you eat it!
   
   
   
   

   v

   Pain relief arsenal.
   It's not magic, but it currently makes pain barely tolerable & it (accidentally!) matches...
   #accessorize
   #thespikythingshurtlikehell
   #theyarenotsquishy
   #theydofixdislocatedribsthough
   #YAY

   
   
   
6. Prescription pain cream - a wonderful combo of topical local anaesthetic, muscle relaxant and anti-spasmodic medication.  Made better by mixing with Radian B (& missing from the photo is a genius find - a very soft-bristled, long-handled back brush that I can use to apply the creams and rub them in thoroughly - if the pain cream is properly rubbed in, it's supposed to penetrate up to 5mm into/ below the skin & be absorbed better.  It's pretty hard to do that, so if you're reading this and use a pain cream, a soft bristled brush may be your favourite new thing for a while!
   
   
7.  ICE pack -  they are all resting on top of a giant ICE pack here, wrapped in the grey pillowcase. A perfect metaphor -  ICE is absolutely the foundation of it all.... still!  Sometimes ICE is absolutely still my favourite thing!  There was a time ICE brought; the only respite from the pain; and I do miss that damn ICE  machine, mainly because it's hard to ICE a shoulder - it's a funny, awkward shape and that shoulder pack hit all the right spots perfectly!  ICE  sometimes really is still the best pain relief, especially when my shoulder is irritated and inflamed and and numbing/ reducing swelling is the BEST thing that works - especially with frequently random irritation and swelling which can be pretty horrid if it presses on nerves (um, or more accurately just goes from its normal gentle press to a full blown, limb-numbing nerve squeeze).
   
   
8. Hot water bottles (not pictured; but I have 3) - I'm probably holding one against my ribs in attempt to keep the muscles relaxed enough to breathe properly (because that's always good!)...... my right rib cage no longer expands properly, making breathing difficult at times. I think it should improve, but stretching right now causes further spasming; my attempts are pretty pathetic - I need the passive stretching from hands-on physiotherapy while my muscles can 'relax'.
   
   
   *I think the tight rib muscles got a lot worse after my car accident.... which I'm not sure I've mentioned on here....?  I guess that's another one to add to my list of 'Update how UNBELIEVABLE my last 18 months have been'. And I mean unbelievable in the sense that I am quite sure if I just sat down and rattled off everything that has happened to me in the past 18 months (/ 26 months / 6 and a half years / twelve years - really, take your pick! ) to someone who does not know me/ has never met me before, they 100% would NOT believe me.

Pinterest even had a perfect graph to represent exactly how every day feels
- and it matches too!
Seriously though, it really does get beyond frustrating.
So many things I wish I could do that just don't happen just now.