Finding Pain Relief Options

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 For a long time my pain-relief options have been quite limited. For the most part I stick to over-the-counter options like Tylenol, Ibuprofen and Excedrin, but they have helped less and less over the years. Now I often feel like I'm taking them just so I've tried something. But over the last year, I've added an additional tool to my toolbox and I wanted to share it with you in case it could offer you some relief as well!

The first time I heard about this was after my husband sustained a terrible broom hockey injury. He was playing with the kids' youth group and was so focused on moving the puck with his broom at high speeds that he didn't notice the wall directly in front of him. This caused the end of the broom to hit him right in the sternum. We ended up in the ER and their best option for him was a lidocaine patch. It helped immensely, but because it was handed out in an ER I relegated it to the "prescription pain killer" category and never considered it for myself.

 Back in 2021 when I tore the labrum on my right hip, my counselor actually suggested I try some over-the-counter lidocaine patches marketed under the brand, "Salonpas." I dismissed the suggestion because I thought of lidocaine patches as being "prescription" and I couldn't picture how a topical patch could help my deep hip pain. In hindsight, she was right and I should have listened to her. 

 Desperation drives curiosity though, and one day last year I saw Salonpas at Costco on the regular shelf with the pain meds. I was surprised, but intrigued. It seemed like an extra expense though and I hated to add one more medication to the cupboard that wasn't being used. Then my husband got an injury and our doctor recommended that he try lidocaine patches to help. Having them in the house opened the door and one day I, too, decided to try them. To my great joy, it decreased my pain levels by at least 80%! That hadn't happened in a long time. 

 In case you're unfamiliar with lidocaine patches, I thought I'd do a little picture tutorial to help you be more comfortable with their application and useage.

1. The packets don't have a "tear here" notch and must be opened with scissors.

2. Grasp each side of the patch gently and pull them apart to expose the stickiness in the middle.

3. Place the sticky bit in the center of where you want the patch, then peel back one side of the label, smoothing it on as you go.

4. Then repeat with the other side.

 As you can see, if you're applying the patch to your back, this is best done with help!

 I have back pain every day, and every night, pretty much all the time, but I don't use a patch all the time. TBH, I worry about their usefulness wearing off like OTC pain killers have for me. I also have to be careful with my Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). It tends to freak out randomly with things and tell my immune system to attack it, so I don't want to use it too frequently. So far, praise God, I haven't had any reactions to the adhesive like I have with many other things (including most bandaids!). I'd like that to continue, so I don't use them every day.

Here's the Thing: This isn't a cure, but it sure helps! If it can help someone else too, I'd like to get the word out :)

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