For me, phantom pain manifests itself in 10% real pain (usually a sensation of someone driving a sharp blade through my nail beds, or unpleasant electric shocks) and 90% itchy toes. And occasionally, I have insane plantar cramps to go with it.
I get the itchies maybe 4 times a year, and the cramps maybe once a year, and they usually last 6 hours - so basically I got to work in the morning, try not to think about them, and by the time I ride the bus back home, thankfully it’s over.
Not this time: my toes have been itching for 3 days. 3 solid day with nothing to scratch! And the cramps are so strong I have trouble walking, and I wake up with bruised muscles in the morning.
I’ve tried all the tricks: gabapentin, muscle relaxants - pills and topical - creative chemistry, massage, meditation, sauna, my own anal special… there’s nothing for it. I can’t take anymore, it’s driving me up the wall. And I’m thinking of going to sleep at the hotel tonight because I’m starting to take it out on my loved ones and I don’t want to do that.
If you have any suggestions, I’ll do anything.
Looking up TENS, they do seem very similar to each other, if not the same. If anything, the bioelectric massage seems to use the eastern medicine mystique as part of its promotion.
Unfortunately, I’m out of ideas. Unless you want to rub crystals on your skin while inhaling incense and humming to the rhythms of Enya.
If it really is nerve damage, only a true specialist can say whether something can be done medically.
I’d say keep trying things. If anything, they’ll keep you occupied. Good luck to you!
Well, after a bad night’s sleep and an awful day with a lingering hangover, the itching is mostly gone. Not quite, but it’s not as insane as it was. Now only one tiny spot on one of my big toes is itching. As for the cramps… Well, I drank, so they’ll be there until I flush it out of my system and rehydrate properly.
But hey, thanks for the support!