New Pain Medicine Routine

I don't know why, but over the past couple of weeks my arthritis has really been flaring up.  I've lost a lot of sleep and finally got tired of feeling so terrible.  My doctor that I see for my neck pain had originally prescribed this new medicine and I decided that I should give it a try.  It's a non-narcotic pain med called ConZip, which is really a slow release Tramadol.  I've been using it for my overall arthritis flare ups and it helps take my pain from a 5-6 to a 2-3...which is a huge difference.

I still get localized pain in my ankles if I'm on my feet too long, and in my neck/shoulder area because of my occipital neuralgia.  For these areas I have compound cream that has been helping take the edge off.  The cream I have for my ankles is a bit stronger and I'd like to try it on my neck, but it's super greasy.  After twenty minutes of absorbing into my ankles, I wipe it off with a wet washcloth otherwise it's too sticky to even get my socks back on.  I'm afraid of getting it into my hair and not being able to get it out if I try it on my neck...I'd have to be super careful.

Ankle cream ingredients

side note:  When I got my new ankle cream a couple of weeks ago it came in some very impressive  packaging.  There was a cold block in there (I guess in case it got too hot during shipment) and it was cushioned to the max.  Seriously, look at the big cushion that was in this thing.

The cushion was bigger than my 10 year old...

Also, I got 3 containers of it.  Does it get used that quickly that I need this much???  I guess we'll see.

Anyway, this has been the routine for about two weeks or so.  ConZip in the morning, Celebrex (anti-inflammatory) and Soma (to keep my back spasms at bay) at night...and cream on various body parts as needed.  It has helped keep the pain in check enough that I was able to take part in cleaning the house in anticipation of my family visiting, and I was able to enjoy the time with my brother when he was here last week.  Let's just hope this all continues to help and that I don't die of kidney or liver failure by the time I'm 50!