Please Help!!!

I have already posted a message but  have had no reply and i am desperate for some advise. I hope someone can help me. 28 yr old female suffering from severe left side neck pain, right shoulder balde and right thoracic muscle pain and aches. My physio states i have a misalignment but my problem is the pain. I have had it for 4 months now. I have been taking 100mg of tramadol 3 times a day and recently approx 3wks ago was given diclofenac to add in. On the pain scale prior to taking diclofenac (dicloflex) it was an 8 and with tramadol it was about a 6. it now is about a 6 and with the tramadol and diclofenac its a 3. The doctor has told me to stop taking the diclofenac as i am having night sweats since taking them and is giving me an anti inflammatory which can be bought over the counter and i have to reduce the tramadol to 1 50mg pill 3 times a day as he does not want me on them for a long period of time. I don't understand how this is going to help as i am still in pain and it seems my medication has been reduced even though i have told him i am getting a bit down, am still tight and stiff  especially in the morning and at night when trying to relax. I am just about at my wits end and don't know what to do. Please can someone help me and any ideas would be helpful on whats actually wrong with me. c spine came back clear as did two blood tests.

[dai3symae]

Has anyone suggested fibromyalgia?  I have had it for years and frequently get muscle spasms, cramps and other unexplainable pains that last for months.  Or after a minor fall the pain will last far beyond normal.

Pain relievers seldom help.  There is lots of info online if you think it might apply to you.

I hope you get some answers and some relief.

[minnimates]

Try a packet of peas wrapped in a cloth leave it there for a while then put it back in the freezer and do it again it helps with the tightness. My Osteopath gave me this advice i have terrible problems with my neck, also neck exercises can help.

tens machine can also give some help.

Also accupunture very good but none of these things work for long. I didn't have much relife from Physiotheraphy didn't help me it made things worse.

Osteopath is very good more gentle then a phisio trouble is all cost money, i took up Thichi which is very gentle exercise helps relax the mind and body and keeps the everything moving.

Well not much but hope you get some relife for your pain soon

Gog Bless

[minnimates]

Terrible speller I ment to say God Bless not Gog Bless hope it made you laugh that is the best cure of the lot

[Cindee56]

How are you sleeping?  Do you sleep on several pillows?  How is your mattress?  Since it hasn't gone away in 4 months, it's probably some sort of strain or pulled muscle you keep aggravating.  

Try buying a cervical pillow and see if that does anything.

[dai3symae]

minnimates reminded me....an old PT (worked with dancers) told me to put three tennis balls in a sock (knot the end) and put it under your neck when you lay down.  works wonders every time :)   i use it for my back and hip also.

[ebjb]

Oh you poor thing. Have you tried one of these 'wheat' cushion things that you heat in the microwave and wrap it on around the area of pain - I find that direct heat gives me better pain relief than direct cold (as in ice packs) Even a hot water bottle against it may give you some temporary relief. The heat helps your muscles to relax. Hope you feel better soon.

[Andrew418]

Well, I have way too much experience with back pain and from what you are telling us a sock full of tennis balls and frozen peas are not going to help (no offense everyone). I don't know what your medical/work/athletic history is but it sounds to my that you either have a slipped disc (MRI would tell you but those can be expensive) or/and you have nerve damage somewhere along your spine. A quick and easy way to find that out is to get gabapentin prescribed...this is a plateu drug so you will have to get your body used to it over a week or so but if the pain dissapears/lessens noticeably then you will know that you have some problem with your nerves. This drug does not have any real side effects other than diareah (sp?) but look it up on the net so that you are educated on the drug if your doctor is not for it has only been around since '94 or so.

Stay away from the chiropractor on this one and try to see if there is a change you can make while sleeping (too many pillows?) or if you are twisting too much at work.