We can’t go to the chiropractor until we get a front stormdoor and back door. I’ve been in increasing and nasty muscle pain, I mean killer….an arm that lights up the sky when I reach at certain angles and a traveling case of leg pain that switches sides according to where my lower back has moved the problem-point, but neither leg will operate well without pain, and yesterday one leg was trying to collapse under me outright. Sleep? Hurts too much.
Well, figuring a chiropractor has to be put off—I delved into my old recourse to such pain from when I started skating: Bengay and Salonpas pain patches. Found some near 10 year old ones in the bathroom drawer. 4 Salonpas patches on the shoulder and my only big Bengay patch on the lower back—and I wore them overnight.
OMG. I got some sleep. Usually not. Near cessation of pain, compared to what I’ve been going through. I may not need chiropractic for my back. The shoulder, yes, but I can live. I can only guess that what’s been going on with the muscles is accumulation of some toxic waste that, if I didn’t hurt so bad, use would have moved out. The heightened circulation from the patches has moved it out—and I can fly. Lord! It feels so good not to hurt!
Have you ever tried, heard of a product called Casteva? It’s a lotion that comes in a tube that you rub into the skin for local pain relief. When I did in my knee it was the only thing that let me sleep at night. My boss, when I was still at my day job, swore that it was the only thing that worked until she got to her doc and chiropractor. It comes in two formulas, warming and cooling. I prefer the warming as I am allergic to the menthol in the cooling formula. As I recall you get a generous sample of the other included with whichever you purchase. 😉
Please take care, you are the only one of you. 😀
I’ll look for it.
Thanks!
Sounds as though you’ve found what you need!
Yesterday morning I literally had to run (well walk very fast) a bit over two miles to take my ill kitten to the vet. He is doing better, but we’ll hear more this afternoon. Poor little guy. I, of course, am suffering for it, but not so much my legs as the bottom of my feet, which now have huge blisters. Ugh. The vet’s assistant gave me a ride back home. Awfully nice of them.
And this was the morning after my neighbors showed up at 1:30 am to tell me they spotted a guy staring in my window by where I was then working. I had heard something at the front porch door earlier and thought it was a raccoon trying to get in to the cat food (it’s happened before). Now, of course, paranoia is running rampant and sleep is kind of iffy at any time.
Russ won’t be home until the end of September and then only for a week. We’ll be putting in motion detection lights at the very least.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to do the final edits on a fun urban fantasy set in Omaha, Nebraska. Oh, and that idea I got from you and your kitties? It’s mutating into something rather wonderful. I am doing a few little blog reports on the process:
http://bit.ly/qwkcCk
And
http://bit.ly/orHduK
So, you can see, it’s already moved far beyond what I first thought. I’m having a great time with it and trying desperately to stay focused and not let panic and paranoia take hold.
Earthquake? New York? Russ is in Lake Placid this week, at least. Bet he still felt it, at least.
Ack.
Zette, it’s not paranoia when you are told that someone is lurking. It’s only good sense to take the precautions CJ outlined.
Earthquakes in D.C.? Strong enough to be felt in N.E.? Scary stuff!
Take care and be careful.
You never know what you will find overheard online! Good luck with the new story.
It’s good that your neighbors came over even at 1:30 a.m. to let you know you had a prowler. Do you have any nearby friends or relatives who could stop by on a semi-regular basis? Either that, or take up kendo; CJ-ji’s broadsword home defense method has its merits 🙂 I keep my ‘beating stick’ handy, a 4′ length of wrist thick koa. Feel free to insert the quarterstaff Robin Hood Daffy Duck sequence here.
Please be safe, above all else. A talk with the sheriff is a good thing.
Let your local sheriff know what’s going on, and ask him personally to do a driveby fairly often. I’d also go down to the local hardware store and get a Smile, You’re on Candid Camera sign and put it up in that window. Along with one of those videotaping warning signs for your front door. You can get fake video cameras, too.
Hope kitteh’s ok!
just heard about an interesting product called nueragen(spelling?). from a severely obese diabetic ( go figure) anyway- she didn’t strike me as particularly holistic etc.. but she swears by this stuff as the only thing that has cleared out her neuropathy. From what I can gather it is a homeopathic product, made from a lot of really beneficial essential oil/ products that are excellent for pain, inflammation and healing. It might be worth checking into. There is another product I was just told about- I forget the name. I have heard some very good things about it- very healthy-holistic, but incredibly effective. will pass that on for you if interested. The nueragen – not sure if you can buy online, or if it is OTC, from a more holistic pharmacy. The woman using it said she gets it OTC, in the diabetes section. I imagine this would help, as it sounds like neural pain that has come over your house to play- oh fun ( i have that Tshirt collection:)…
oh, sombra might be a more holisti alternative to the bengay. as is tiger-balm. Sombra is often available at the chiro office, I know most out here carry it at the front desk:)
also, being in the NW ( more progressive open-minded) you might try to locate a bowenwork practitioner. I trained in the protocol, because when I came across the modality, I was hugely impressed with its efficacy for opening the healing pathways in the body, via releasing stress from the CNS level, enabling the body to shift OUT of stress-mode, into healing mode at the cellular level. It is low impact, and non-invasive- worth checking into. I’d offer… but don’t think it works via distance. sorry:(
pain.. sucks- get better:)
Doing pretty well today. The arm is going to take more work, but from half-rotation, I’ve now got 3/4 rotation (in a windmill circle) and that’s a huge improvement in one night. The lower back is sore, but the legs aren’t, indicating they may have moved out the crud they’d been building up. Lactic acid accumulates in muscles as they fire, then completes the calcium cycle as they recover, which may be the ‘burn’ that you feel when you overdo: that’s exactly the sensation of that burning pain I’ve had, come to think of it. Only worse. Still one leg that doesn’t want to lift, but it hurts less to try. And if the hyped circulation has begun to let the calcium cycle complete itself and clear out the bad stuff, I could be a happy camper, here.
Meanwhile we’ve got the screen being replaced, and the two sliding panels being refurbished, we hope, and we should have doors by late in the week. Nice, painted, pretty doors.
My physical therapist had these pads — canvas over some kind of clay — they would be wetted down and put in the microwave to get them nice and hot, then she’d lay a towel down on you and put this pad on top — such delicious moist heat — you might could put a wet wash cloth and a heating pad over the area. They make heating pads that are “water safe.”
Talking of story ideas, I got a whole world out of a scene from an episode of Happy Days where the Fonz made the Arnold’s juke box play by thumping it with his fist, that cut to a commercial for Bewitched, the old TV series with Elizabeth Montgomery.
minor word of caution re moist heat. think of muscles like rope. the knot gets wet.. a little softer. when the knot tightens up.. it’s a hellabitch tighter!
I have one word — Capsaicin. Look for products that contain this hot pepper juice. You can purchase it as an ointment or dermal patch. It binds to a specific protein in neurons sensitive to heat and pain interrupting the cycle of pain allowing you full movement and an accelerated recovery. Prescription products containing higher concentrations of goodie are also available. It’s more than a simple counter irritant like other types of ointments.
Capsaicin the is the active ingredient in Castiva. It’s available at behind most pharmacies; some places keep it behind the counter so you have to ask for it.
I am glad you have the preview button, CJ. Aloysius has been helping me write this!
I love the preview button, too, Smartcat, as I also have lots of four-legged help at the computer!
CJ, I hope you are feeling better. Lots better. Having suffered from a pinched-nerve problem in the past, I can sympathise. It’s scary when your leg goes out from under you. My chiropractor couldn’t help with that problem, but physical therapy did. They taught me stretches and exercises that really helped but they made it clear that I’d have to do them for the rest of my life. *sigh*
Zette, this may not be practical for you, but a policeman once told me that they highly recommend owning a dog as a deterrent to crime, especially for a woman alone. (You’ve probably already considered this.) He said the perp will usually bypass a house with a dog and move on to an easier target. I don’t know your situation, but it’s a thought. Even a small dog may be enough: While out for a walk, our chihuahua alerted my husband to someone waiting in the dark, apparently intending to rob him. Our little pooch planted his tiny feet and wouldn’t budge, barking fiercely. The guy ran, but if my husband hadn’t been warned, who knows? I once found a ring of cigarette butts under the tree outside my kitchen window and realized that someone had been standing under that tree the night before watching me. Just like the creep outside your window. It had been a nice, cool night and I’d had the window open to enjoy the breeze. I stood at that window for a long time, washing dishes and cleaning. It was dark outside; I couldn’t see him. I had a dog and perhaps that’s why he didn’t try to come in. I don’t know. Luckily, there was a policeman living in my neighborhood and he kind-of inspired the guy to move away.
You might consider an informative sign: Tresspassers will be eaten. The signs claiming a security camera are a good idea. — I’d suggest a visit to the hardware store to get a porch light with a motion sensor. Bam, nice shiny light. Handy for you as owner, handy for storms, for legitimately welcome guests, and quite handy for worrying any potential criminal. Hmm, could help you aim a nice weapon too.
Thanks everyone.
The unfortunate part is the nearest hardware store is too far for me to reach on foot. Right now I’m just pretty much staying awake at night and sleeping in the mornings and early afternoon. This really doesn’t bother me much — I have always worked well at night when there are so few distractions out there.
The kitten is home, by the way. SHE is named Buffy and is extremely cute. Of course.
Russ will be home for a week in about four weeks. We’ll make some real changes then. In the mean time, I just have to stop letting every single sound at night set me off. I’m making the cats nervous! (grin)
Getting an awful lot of editing done, though. I suspect I am going to have a new book released next week. Yay!
(Yeah, you just have to do things that you enjoy after a while. Otherwise all of this will drive you crazy.)
IF your kittehs won’t set off the alarm themselves, stack some pans near the areas you’re worried about—an undefended door with a window close by, etc; most intruders won’t like their nerves jangled by a sudden cascade of racket in the dark, right when they’re trying to be stealthy.
And cheers for the kitteh.
Motion-sensor outdoor lighting I consider essential.
I used to swear by Tiger Balm for aches and pains. I still love the stuff to warm up, but for tissue pain I I have found nothing to beat Sombra. I see it in a lot of chiropractor and herbalist places. I go to them for work, not healing. Stuff is amazing. Works really fast. Your DC may carry it.
I have a couple of Chinese linaments that I swear by -Eagle Brand Medicated Oil and something called Wood Loc. The first is warming, the second with more camphor is cooling. I usually use the latter when I would put ice on something, them switch to the first one which has a lot of wintergreen oil. It is like topical asperin. I really can’t do without them.