Life Came At Me Fast

Hello all -

Saturday here and I wanted to take a minute to update the blog and say hello. My foot pain is subsiding a little (at least this very moment it is). The pain comes in waves. It either throbs badly or it hurts very little, depending on what I don't know. I've increased my medicines (doctors orders) from 300 mg to 600 mg a day so perhaps this is helping.

Also, during my last physical therapy session, I tried an electrical stimulation treatment called "T.E.N." I don't know what it stands for, but it has something to do with Trans Epidural something. The machine is strapped to those painful areas (my foot for example), and a small electrical charge is then turned on. It is just barely enough to feel a tingle, so it is not so bad. The theory is that our sensory nerves can feel only one kind of feeling at any given time. If you feel pain, tickle, shock or whatever, you will feel only one sensation at any given time. The electical tingle trumped the pain I had been feeling in my foot, so in a way I was pain free during the treatment, as well as a good bit afterward. The therapist said there are home versions of the machine, and they are not so expensive. Also, the T.E.N. machine can also perform a completely different thereapy using a low frequency output. The theory on this is the machine stimulates our bodies' release of endorphines (a natural pain killer). I haven't tried this second treatment yet, but who knows?