Ice is nice

I know many of us suffer from aches and pains. Could be any number of reasons: arthritis, trauma, heavy lifting, vigorous exercise. Whatever the reason, you could end up with an achy body.

Heck, just sleeping in the wrong position can have you waking up in pain.

Depending on what my pain is at any given moment determines how I plan to treat it.

I go for bi-annual injections to ease the pain of my stenosis. They help. When I had my knee surgery, the only thing that got me through the initial post-surgical pain was Percocet. While heavy-duty drugs often help the immediate cause of pain, they are not and never will be meant to take on a permanent basis. We all know that.

While we wait to find that magic solution to make our lives and bodily movements easier, what can we do?

Yes, there are several over-the-counter medications we can take. I opt for Tylenol Arthritis 650. The good news is that it works like a magic potion. The bad news is that in order for these tablets to work, I need to begin the day with four. All I need is four and they get me through a 24-hour period and often, I won’t need to take more for another day or two. The other downside is what the ultra-fine print that we often don’t read tells us: too many of these OTC pain relievers if used long-term can cause liver damage.

While Tylenol 650 said I am allowed six tablets each day, I am always careful to never exceed the four I take every few days.

On the occasion when I have a severe pain like the one I experienced when I tripped over a stupid small Igloo cooler and fell almost flat on the floor, the first thing I did was to apply an ice pack directly to the affected area. Thanks to my husband’s quick thinking, the ice pack helped to keep the swelling and bruising to a minimum. Yet, I was still in severe pain. I reached for my Tylenol. The tablets helped.

There are those, like my husband who can’t take Tylenol. It upsets his stomach. His over-the-counter pain reliever is Aleve. Works great for him but does absolutely nothing for me.

Many others opt for Excedrin, Advil, or even the more popular pain-relieving creams and gels.

Don’t get me wrong. These pain medications work but in my own personal situation, they just don’t work well enough for me.

I also found that the newer BioFreeze pain strips are like a dream come true, but they don’t work alone when the arthritis kicks in with a vengeance – like a horribly damp and rainy day – or perhaps a lightning storm passes through the area. Yes, these things also affect my joints and muscles.

By now, you’re thinking this is an article for pain relievers. Nope! Just an article to tell you of my own experience with them.

Okay, then, now you might be asking, what do I do on the days when I don’t take the Tylenol. I would love to tell you that I drink all day, but I can’t do that since I don’t do that.

What I do on those days is use a gel pain reliever, do mild exercise, and rest, wear my ACE elastic bandages and stay off the computer as much as possible. No, I don’t have carpel tunnel syndrome, but I do have arthritis in my fingers and wrists and too much computer work makes me hurt.

Hey, I’m well past seventy years old and entitled to some aches and pains. No one ever said life would be easy or pain free, so I’ll deal with what I have. It’s better than what my mom went through. She never suffered with arthritic joints. She never complained of back pain or headaches. What she had, began in her mid-eighties and slowly developed until it completely overtook her by the time she reached her 93-birthday. I can’t say mom “suffered” from it since there was no pain and she didn’t even realize she had it. Mom had dementia. I’d rather have my aches and pains.

Getting back to my alternative when I’m not gulping down Tylenol with a small glass of orange juice is wine! Yes, I said wine.

Remember that silly rhyme we’d say as young adults: ice is nice, but wine is fine? Yes, I do use my ice packs when I feel the need, but a glass of red wine often hits the spot.

The other day, we had a heavy rainstorm accompanied with thunder and lightning – a typical Florida summer storm. I was achy and stiff, but I also had my self-proscribed dose of Tylenol the day before. I wasn’t about to repeat it. I used the BioFreeze gel on my leg and back, and the strips on my knees. Since I planned on meatloaf for dinner, any topical medication for my wrists would have to wait. I muddled through the day.

When dinner was ready, I indulged myself with a glass of cool (yes, I like my wine cooled) Cabernet. Then, I poured half a glass more. While it took me the better part of forty-five minutes to finish the wine, by the time I was done, so was my pain – or at least most of it. I felt comfortable and almost pain free and was able to sit and enjoy the rest of the night watching a science program on TV with my husband without feeling like my legs were trying to jump off the leg rest of the recliner. (No, I don’t have restless leg syndrome – just pain in my joints and muscles)

I’m not suggesting that others follow my example. I would caution anyone and everyone to think twice about tossing a glass of wine or any kind of alcoholic drink down your throat. I’m merely stating what works for me.

Before you begin admonishing me for ingesting of over-the-counter medications and my imbibing of wine, you should know that as I began this regimen, I spoke at length with my doctor. He admitted that I was correct in coming to him with my concerns and was grateful that I sought his input. He knew I was doing what I needed to do and was also being extremely cautious about doing it.

All this said, and I know I’ve bored many of you, I’ll end this tedious essay by repeating:

Ice is nice,

But Wine is fine!