Pain

[Beach Bum]

With ALS diagnosed in Aug last year and several problems prior to Aug, appox six months like swallow problems,I am a old guy 67 and now pain is moving in,Like I wake up at 3 am or 4 am and my arms are sore,when I walk my ankle hurts,my hip hurts,my back,my knee,I understand there are all kinds of problems with ALS,my point is I do not want to go on any drugs,what is the best over the counter med for these problems,never had this problem before.

 

[Ms. Pie]

Hi Sweets! I only use Ibuprophin. That works for me. Might not be enough for you though. Sometimes drugs are a necessary evil my friend! If it's bad enough maybe you might want to reconsider your stance on them?
Love,
Marta

 

[Alyoop]

I like Marta use ibuprofen. It's not a bad anti inflammatory. But you may need something on a regular basis. For me, I am getting some really sore joints, especially hips. My crooked walking seems to put different stresses on joints, this could well be your problem. As you get weakened muscles all over the place, your centre of balance changes, this throws everything out of it's usual position when you walk. Consequently our old bones just don't like it

Take the drugs, it helps the quality of life. There are heaps of NSAID over the counter, but it would be best to talk to your dr to get the best for your situation.

 

[laurel]

Beach Bum my husband has CIDP not ALS, but his nerves are demylinating and he gets pain. He doesn't like taking oral meds but has trouble sleeping due to pain. He swears by an anti-inflammatory cream that he rubs into the painful areas. It is called Voltaren Emulgel and we buy it over the counter at Costco. We're in Canada but I suspect you can buy it at Costco in the States or any big drugstore. He says he can't live without it now.
Laurel

 

[twinmommie72]

Hi there. I understand that pain in the night. I recommend getting a memory foam for the top of your mattress. They have the best ones at Sams club or Costco. It cushions those pressure point areas so you can sleep pain free. Taking a little ibuprofen like Marta said is smart. It will help those joints and will aid your pain free sleep. If you don't have a store near you check those stores on line.

Big Hugs Beach Bum

 

[kmendsley]

My pain was real bad for a while and I got put on some IB Profin along with Flexeril which is a muscle relaxer. My muscles were fasciulating so much that it was causing huge knots..plus trying to deal with a foot drop, my walking changed, thus throwing my back out of wack pretty badly. Anyway, if you go into the dr. they can check your muscles for these 'knot' and 'tightness' problems and can give you a mild muscle relaxer to help out. It helped me tremendously and it is not as bad as going on Pain Drugs higher than IB profin.

 

[LizT]

just wanted to add- if you take the ibuprofen approach, dont take more than the recommended dose or whatever your dr tells you. lots of folks think that is completely safe because it is OTC- but its not the best for your liver.

 

[Ms. Pie]

Right Liz. I only take two in the morning and two at night.

 

[abbas child]

Ken, Aleve is longer lasting than ibuprofen--11 hours, I believe--might get you through the night better. Have you begun trying small pillows under or between your knees in bed? That makes a big difference for a lot of people. Different sizes have helped me, meaning I had to change pillows after a while. I also used a velcroed "boot" to keep my drop foot from hanging down (see medical stores), and later stuffed a pillow inside an over-the-foot rack, keeping the weight of covers off my feet so they didn't drop in bed--which was really painful. Pillows are really helpful as our bodies lose muscle. They can keep us from having joints pulled by tendons. Other people use rolled up towels for a firmer support.

Also, I just remembered regarding knees and footdrop... I walked for too long, and my knees were no longer in alignment (over extended?). If you look at your legs and they are no longer straight, but rather are bowed with the knee behind where it should be, that's what it looks like. It hurts, but by using a wheelchair, the pain left.

I hope you can make headway getting rid of some (all!) the pain, Ken.

 

[Beach Bum]

Thank you all for the advice,I woke up at 2 this morning and it felt like my knees were on fire,start the Aleve tonight and see how it works.So nice to have friends on this site.Thank you------------------Hugs Ken

 

[notme]

If the aleve doesn't work, please remember that there are some mild pain meds they can prescribe such as ultram that do not cause some of the kidney a d/liver problems aleve, tylenol and motrin can cause.

 

[Beach Bum]

Hello Freinds,
Had 2 Aleve last night before bed and it did help with the sleep but the pain was still there.I woke up this morning and fingers in both hands were numb and painful.I did put a pillow between my knees,I sleep 90% of the night on my left side and that worked no pain at all in the knees.I will look into the memory foam,based on the pillow I think that might work.Hate to sound like a whimp,but this is like opening a new chapter of my journey,it has happened very quickly,never had the pain before.-----------------------thanks Ken

 

[Polar]

Be careful even with OTC meds.. Especially if you are using Riluzole.. The liver can only take so much..

 

[maryhahnward]

My husband is on gabapentin and that seems to help.