Hello Carolynn, I've been using the patches for about 2 years now. I personally cut the patches in half and put them on the balls of my feet because thats where most of my pain is. I try to use them sparingly because my insurance for some reason doesnt pay very well on the patches. I use them at night when the burning is so bad I cant get to sleep. They really do help and if your like most neuropathy patients you'll take any help you can get to relieve some of the pain from this insidious condition. I have just recently found something by accident that really helped me with the pain and burning in my feet. If I find that it keeps helping me I will soon write a thread telling about it. It has to do with one of my medications. I just hope its really helping and just not a fluke thing. You all will hear from me soon. Good luck with the patches, I think there well worth the effort and money in my case.
Thanks captinsane1 for your reply,
I used the patch yesterday for 12 hours. I can't say I felt any relief fromj the burning
but I will keep trying the patch. It did cover my ardh but today will cut in half.
My pain main is in the daytime,I am blessed that I am able to sleep pain free for
approximaly six hours.
Hi, i would try them on top of my feet, although i haven't used those patches i have tried other methods [long story] but i felt more instant relief from the top of my feet than the bottoms of my feet.
Also i found some food types could trigger increased burning, for me stuff that had would raise my blood sugars a lot higher than normal would trigger increased burning about 45 minutes after having them, i used to watch the time and i knew it was comming for sure.
I hope you find some relief anyway.
i too use the lidoderm,it has been a true lifesaver for my certain types of pain syndromes i have that just don't respond to any type of narcotic. there is another type of lido you can also try that may be a bit easier to use on your feet,its the lido ointment(called 'lidocaine ointment 5%")? its the same as the lidoderm strength wise,the 5%. it does not always work quite as well as having the direct constant contact of that lidopatch but in certain areas that i use it on,like in my hairline at the base of my skull where i cannot fit the patch,it does help some. i would think with the ointment,you could do your whole foot and even between your toes(you could just get much better overall coverage this way that you cannot with just the patch). it could help. its one of those things that you wont know how well it works til you at least try it. it is also much much cheaper than the patches are. i also have to pay a very high co pay for my patches too. i think most ins companies are like this when it comes to paying for the patches. their just a pretty spendy med with no generics yet availiabe either. i would think,given the area of your pain,that the ointment may work even better than that patch could considering,ya know what i mean? with that ointment too,a little bit goes a long way. just a suggestion that may help.Marcia
__________________
3-22-01,herniated C-6-7
11-20-01,placement of hardware for failed fusion
9-22-03,removal of cavernous hemangioma that was inside spinal cord. Neuro damage to L hand L leg and R leg.
