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Post by omaklackey on May 11, 2011 20:16:44 GMT -5
So I was recently yelled at by my sister in law (new nurse) and her sister (old nurse for 15 years) for using heat treatment for pain caused by inflammation. I have always used heat pads, rice pads, etc... for menstruation pain but if our pain is caused by inflammation do you suppose we are making it worse by using heat? I started using Ice instead after my last surgery. Its obviously not nearly as comforting as snuggling up to the heating pad but I wonder if it would be better? I can't think of anything worse then snuggling an Ice pack when its really bad, but what if it helped to slow down the inflammation caused by the Endo? Could we inadvertently be causing ourselves more pain?
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Post by pretty on May 12, 2011 11:28:43 GMT -5
I've thought about this too. I think the reason the heat works to calm my pain, is that it heats up everything to the same temp. then you can't feel it as much. It's not doing anything to the inflammation, except making the whole area warmer. It's not healing it, it's hiding it, and I'm not stopping, even though intuitively, your sister(s) sort of have a point. If it's not hurting me, why do I care?
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Post by Karen on May 12, 2011 17:50:42 GMT -5
I've heard heat the first day, then ice for things like sprains, etc? Or maybe it's the other way around... Doh, I don't know!
I typically don't use heat unless I'm REALLY bad, but it always seems to help...
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Post by pretty on May 12, 2011 17:51:37 GMT -5
I admit that I'm totally psychologically addicted to my heat pads....... worse than crack, ladies!
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Post by KSA on May 12, 2011 20:23:15 GMT -5
Pretty me too! Lmao but guess what I had a doc tell me use ice. Ok I hate being cold so what I do is wrap the ice bags in a towel and then I take and alter ice heat ice heat. I'm addicted to heating pad. Another key trick I am using is the cyroderm pain reliever and it heats and cools. I put it on my tummy lower back and neck.
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Post by wish4nopain on May 12, 2011 22:31:24 GMT -5
Don't let your either nurse lecture you (Good God, especially the new one, they are out to save the world because they just passed a board exam!) I couldn't part with my heating pad and I understand the heat/inflammation connection. If it works, do it--you are the one to decide what gives you relief. xo
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Post by cherry on May 13, 2011 5:50:06 GMT -5
Yeah it comes up in my mind a lot, especially as heat encourages the development of blood vessels which sent me off on a crazy thought process about what I was causing to happen with my endo. But I can only think, unless they've been in constant pain then can they really know the relief? The heat makes our muscles relax, and as more and more of us are trying physio for our endo, we're finding out how much the pain causes our muscles to knot up and mess us up completely. So I keep faith in my heat therapy. No doctor or nurse has ever told me no. Do whatever makes you feel best Karla Oh and less of the lectures, you're a grown woman who's dealt with endo and other pain for years, therefore you know your sh*t!
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Post by gemstone on May 13, 2011 6:47:22 GMT -5
Heat is good for pain, I do think about what it's doing, but at the end of the day, look what endo does to our insides!!!!
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Post by KSA on May 13, 2011 7:53:26 GMT -5
Gem so true! Whatever makes us feel better. Right?
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Post by 1234 on May 13, 2011 10:26:43 GMT -5
can you imagine the pain of putting ice on the sore points? the thought makes me shudder. my pain is always worse when it's cold--the 4.5 miles between my home and my work seem to go on forever on the really cold days. I grip my handlebars with white knuckles and pray over every bump.
This actually reminds me of a funny experience I've had frequently when I've been in various countries that were part of the former Soviet Union. People seem to be convinced that if you sit on a cold thing, you'll freeze your ovaries. I've actually been warned about this a couple of times by older men, when sitting on a stone bench in a city park in Chisinau or Kiev.
I wish this worked for real and you could freeze endo by sitting on a stone.
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Post by JC on May 13, 2011 12:28:17 GMT -5
The rule I was taught in school is that ice is only used for ACUTE inflammation and heat is used for CHRONIC inflammation. So if you have an injury, that's an acute inflammation but if you have endo then it's a chronic inflammation.
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Post by cherry on May 15, 2011 9:10:30 GMT -5
That makes a lot of sense J...
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Post by loveshoes on Apr 15, 2012 14:15:14 GMT -5
Figured it would be good to bring this back to life again. Jenaya is correct on the ice/heat thing though I have found that when I have some endo pain, I ice my lower back and it helps ALOT!
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Post by JC on Apr 15, 2012 14:22:23 GMT -5
Hey, whatever works! Pain sucks and whatever gets rid of it is ok in my book.
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Post by loveshoes on Apr 15, 2012 14:29:20 GMT -5
There are some great microwave heat packs that are available, just google pelvic pain hot pack and lots come up, I am a fan of both heating pads/hot packs but still ice for my lower back.
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