---need help

[dgulley]

I have beed diagnosed with paresthesia which means pins and neeles, burning, shooting pains. all this is in my foot due to a hip replacement.
I would like to know who has this and what they are doing for pain. Also, would like to know does get any better in time and how much time are we looking at. PLEASE respond.
                                                                                  Thank You

[marileew]

My mom has neuropathy and paresthesia is the major symptom of neuropoathy.

Also, I get migraines and one of the symptoms of my migraines is paresthesia. It doesn't happen all the time, but sometimes.

Also, I am currently reducing a medication, and on days when I go down in the dose of the medication, a side effect is paresthesia.

But... I am not personally familiar with having paresthesia as a side-effect from a surgery. Although, I am sure that the symptom is likely similar for those who suffer from neuropathy and for those who suffer from migraines or for those who suffer from medication side-effects.

Many people who have chronic paresthesia must take prescription pain medication if the paresthesia is interfering with their daily activities. I do not have chronic paresthesia so I do not take any pain medication for it. But, this is an option that you might want to discuss with your doctor.

There are also nerve blocks (injections) that you can get. You can talk to your doctor about this too. This is usually done at a hospital or at a pain clinic. I would suggest trying to get a referral to a pain clinic or a pain specialist from your GP. A small number of GPs will do nerve block injections in their offices, you can inquire if your GP does this sort of thing in his/her office. This works well for some people but the effects do wear off and there is a trail/error period to find out where to inject the nerve block to help with the paresthesia.

Also, there are over-the-counter creams and gels you can buy at the drug store for paresthesia. They are usually marketed for people who have neuropathy. I would suggest trying these out first, as they are going to have the least amount of side-effects. You just rub the cream/gel on where the pain is and the feeling from the cream/gel distracts you from the pins and needles feeling.

Also, paresthesia can be triggered in anyone who experiences paresthesia for whatever reason (neuropathy, migraines, a side-effect, etc.) by cold weather and by putting too much weight or pressure on that area for too long. So, try to keep the area that is experiencing the paresthesia from getting cold when you go outside and don't put too much weight on the area if it is on your lower half or don't over-use the area if it is on your upper half. Also, take note of other things that seem to trigger the pain for you and try to avoid these things when possible.

Hope this information helps! :)