Pain relief without alcohol or drugs

[JuneL]

I fractured my tibia and fibula about 18months ago....I'm afraid I was exactly like your husband. I went to work before I went to the hospital for x-rays, and I didn't take a single pain killer. I even carried on driving with my bad foot.

 

Did you not get a cast for your ankle fracture? I understand it’s illegal to drive with a cast on the leg.

 

There are different types of ankle fractures. For those whose ankles are dislocated, the pain can be excruciating. My best friend’s fractured bone was just displaced very slightly, so she didn’t have nearly as much pain compared to others. I think she only took a handful of tylenols during the whole ordeal.

[JuneL]

I get it but you're advocating for two now, your child needs him to think long-term. The pain and changes to one's gait from a poorly addressed orthopedic situation can be debilitating. This is no longer just about him...

 

Mr. Lucky

 

I’m not sure which of his legs is broken. If he insists on driving on his bad leg, then it’s also about the safety of others on the roads.

[whichwayisup]

 

Just like me, he's a very "impatient" patient. He refused an ambulance and refused to let EMT's evaluate him, threatening legal action if they came within six feet of him. He stitched his cuts with a med kit from the trunk of his car while he sat on the side of the road talking to the cops. He refused a wheelchair at the clinic and insists on hopping around with a cane instead of using crutches. He refuses all prescriptions, and insisted on a splint instead of a cast so that he can cram his foot and ankle into his normal boots - AND GO TO WORK ON MONDAY. He just got back from a business trip, and insists that he has an important meeting to attend. He has a doctor's report and everything, and he could take a couple of weeks of paid sick leave, but he refuses. I have my work cut out for me.

 

This is more than impatient, this is major control issues and stubborness beyond reasonable. I don't know how you'll deal with him! Good luck!

 

He is the one who suffers in the end. If he takes tylenol 2's he won't become addicted. If anything he'll get constipated.

[RecentChange]

Yeah refusing ice?

 

I am going agree with some others, that goes beyond stubborn and straight to unreasonable.

 

If he had a concussion bad enough to cause nausea it must have been fairly significant. Glad his body is taking control a bit and he is sleeping more. Concussions often cause drowsiness because the body NEEDS sleep to heal.

 

As for massage, tender gentle touches aren’t the type that go deep and really stimulate healing and circulation. I am strong, and literally use my body weight - often bracing my thigh against my elbow to give more “umph” to push deep, but it’s something I have studied so I have a handle on technique.

 

Honestly, I can’t imagine being in your shoes. If someone was injured, then refusing all reasonable care.... And then acted grumpy due to pain I would tell them to go F’ yourself.

 

Take care of yourself properly, and allow people to assist you so that you can not only have less pain, but have a better chance at healing. Minor injuries can easily become life long sources of pain and issues when not handled properly. I am understanding of bad attitudes and how pain affects mood IF they are agreeing to make an effort to lessen it.

 

If my “patient” was refusing help, I would demand that they check their attitude.

 

Can’t have it both ways.

[Mr. Lucky]

@RecentChange

 

 

I really have no idea how bad the concussion was. He was dizzy, nauseated, and had a major headache for a while, I think he got a pretty hard blow in the accident. He had glass bits in his hair and bled quite a bit. In spite of his stubborn nature, he has been sleeping more the last couple of days. He's currently knocked out on the couch with Wife #2 and his favorite cat.

 

Unless Arnica comes in a pill, I know I won't get him to submit to that. He refuses anything that goes on the skin except soap. "Lotion is for girls." Same thing with ice.

 

I wonder how many of these beliefs would be enforced were your child to be somehow injured?

 

Mr. Lucky

[major_merrick]

"Lotion is for girls"? Seriously? He sounds like a child. Does he think that about sunscreen, too?

 

 

Well, I don't use sunscreen either. If he used it, we'd know hell has frozen over.

 

 

I’m not sure which of his legs is broken. If he insists on driving on his bad leg, then it’s also about the safety of others on the roads.

 

 

Left one. He won't be driving a stick shift for a while since he can't hit the clutch pedal, but his daily driver is automatic.

 

 

I wonder how many of these beliefs would be enforced were your child to be somehow injured?

 

 

He's harder on himself than he is on others. Part of it is his drive to save money. Less formal care = cheaper. The other part is he insists on setting an example of strength, guts, masculinity, whatever... He's much more attentive to the needs of women. He dotes on his eldest daughter, and is generally a good father. He does set higher expectations for boys, though. He was raised in a patriarchal household, and it is a patriarchal religious community in which we live. I'm not exactly surprised.

 

I've learned how to get along with him when he's stubborn - I just drop the issue. He does the same with me. We're both "Type A" people with strong personalities, and we clashed a lot when we were younger to the point where it made a relationship impossible. We still argue a lot, but it does keep the passion alive.

 

I learned a long time ago that I cannot control him, so I don't try. He'll either succeed at this or he won't. Tonight, he's back at it. He's off his leg and sitting down (I hope), but he's teaching a class instead of resting like he should.

[LivingWaterPlease]

If he won't take anti inflammatories get him Nature's Plus Ultra Inflam (not inflame) Actin. It's herbal and is as powerful and effective as NSAIDs.

 

There is an orthopedic surgeon in our town who gives his patients this before he does surgery on them to see if it will keep them from having to have surgery. It's herbal and pricey compared to NSAIDs but it will keep the inflammation (hence the pain) down and works with the body rather than being hard on the kidneys. Also, chanca piedra. These things work!

 

I always keep Ultra Inflam Actin around for any problems with inflammation and BIL took it for years to keep pain down and avoid back surgery.

 

Ice should be used the first couple of days and won't be as effective after that. Maybe too late for much help via ice.

[JuneL]

^I understand that if there is too much swelling and inflammation, the surgeon may wait until it goes down to perform the surgery. But whether your broken leg requires surgery depends on how much the bones are displaced and misaligned.

[LivingWaterPlease]

^I understand that if there is too much swelling and inflammation, the surgeon may wait until it goes down to perform the surgery. But whether your broken leg requires surgery depends on how much the bones are displaced and misaligned.

 

Sure, no debate on that one, JuneL! I don't know enough about that type of thing to give an opinion on when surgery is needed.

 

Just citing the Dr. here uses it as a way to see if some of his patients can manage their pain and avoid surgery to let OP know it's powerful enough that an MD uses it, not advocating for OP to use it to avoid surgery, merely to relieve pain presently.

[major_merrick]

@ L-W-P

I ordered some of the Nature's Plus stuff you mentioned. We'll see if that works as an alternative to some of the OTC pills he's been using. Nothing keeps its full effect forever.

 

 

He's working late tonight - seems fairly perky, though. His energy is coming back and he's feeling better. Now I just have to keep him from doing more with that energy so he doesn't make things worse rather than better.

[S2B]

Meditation... it’s worked for me for more than 11 years. No Tylenol, alcohol - no nothing... just meditation to get past the crappy stuff that comes up.

[LivingWaterPlease]

Will be interested to hear how it does for him, mm!

[major_merrick]

Well, the package arrived today. He's stopped taking the naproxin (NSAIDs and bone healing, etc) and he's started taking the Nature's Plus. He was in a bit more pain today than yesterday, but I can't tell if it is due to over-activity or not.

 

He insists on doing exercise and combat training. He says that practicing fighting skills while injured is a good thing to teach you to be flexible with your technique. I wish I could get him to behave himself, but on the bright side, his sex drive is definitely back.

[healing light]

Training on a broken leg? Was he given any kind of cast? I can see why you would be upset!

 

I'm a licensed acupuncturist--it's very effective for pain relief. You can even prescribe herbs to help speed the healing that have an analgesic effect. If he's open to it, I'd see if you can find one that practices the balance method or distal needling (depending on the issue, needling away from the site of an injury can sometimes be even more effective for pain relief).

[major_merrick]

I suggested acupuncture because I know it works, but he said he was doing ok. So far the natural anti-inflammatory and acetaminophen is a combination that is doing the job. He's busy, busy, busy all the time. I can't believe how much he's up and about, but I know he has a high pain tolerance and gets used to things over time.

 

 

 

Healing light, what kind of analgesic herbs do you use? Curious, for future needs....

[John101]

For OTC meds, when taken together paracetamol and ibuprofen are quite efficient. Hospital gave it to my daughter when she broke her tailbone and it soothed her quite a lot.

 

 

My friend is an Endodontist and says the combination provides the same pain relief as codeine. I just read a study that pain level is partially dependent on both the patients "expectation" of the pain level and the "belief" of the medication's efficacy.

 

 

 

Too late now, but for minor elective procedures, taking some main medication before the procedure will have a significant effect on the pain level.

[oceanblue12]

Broken bones can be much more painful than many think that they are especially as a person gets older. I was a competitive athlete so bumps

bruises and breaks were common. I never took the powerful pain pills.

I wish I had a good answer for you but sometimes good old "grit

and bear it" are your best options but I know that it hurts

I hope he feels better soon

[PhillyLibertyBelle]

Wait until it starts itching underneath the cast. He will want some girl lotion then!