Nerve inflammation

Since I’ve been struggling with nerve inflammation in my lower back again for weeks now, I can only walk somewhat normally when I’m in severe pain or drugged up. When I’m sitting in my little sewing room and working on projects, I often forget about the pain. That’s also one of the reasons why I’m currently sewing and creating piece by piece. As far as my spine is concerned, I’ve exhausted all treatment options—no doctor is willing to touch it and operate there, because no one wants to put me in a wheelchair, and that’s exactly what would happen after another surgery. So I have to learn to live with this recurring pain somehow, and my hobby helps me a lot with that.
My husband and my eldest daughter (she lives right next door, about 150 meters away) also support and help me a lot with this.

Love, Inge

It’s great that you can take your mind off things with sewing and this forum.

Inge, I really admire you for how you manage all of this. When I’m not feeling so well, I don’t feel like doing crafts. It’s great that it does you good and that you can create such wonderful things. 

I’m glad that sewing provides you with a distraction.
I hope you’ll be pain-free soon.

“No further treatment options”—when I hear that in the 21st century… I’d placed more hope in science and research. It worked out pretty well with COVID, but as our family doctor once explained, further research isn’t worth it for many things because there wouldn’t be enough profit to be made—I can’t even bear to think about it!
I wish you lots and lots of pain-free days, even if your little pets that keep you distracted are soooo cute!

Oh, Inge, then I wish you many days of pain relief, too.
I really admire you for delighting us with your sewing projects despite the pain, and that it helps distract you.

Handicrafts do me good, too—I try to switch off when I’m doing them, and most of the time it works.

I think it’s wonderful that this forum exists.

Inge, it’s good that you’ve found a way to cope better with your situation. Maybe there’s still a solution that will bring some relief. You should never give up hope.

I wish you a speedy recovery

Best regards, Gabi

Dear Inge,

the encouragement from the others here on CP really helps.

A while back, when I was very worried, I pinned a note to my bulletin board. It basically says:
1. Be grateful for everything that was
2. Accept what is, and
3. Enjoy what you can.

We have no other choice. Everyone has a limited amount of time to live, and we want to make the most of it. Everyone carries their own burden and has to come to terms with their fate.

In your case, you’re very lucky that sewing engages all your senses. The pain is still there, but it takes a back seat as long as you’re busy with a sewing project. Your senses are fully absorbed by the beautiful fabric, the fabric selection, the cutting, the seams, the finer details, and so on—the pain fades into the background. You practically immerse yourself in the project, and everything else becomes secondary. Creative sewing is truly a gift that you have!

It won’t work out this way every day, but it’s a path you can take. And yes, painkillers also play an important role. Thank goodness they exist. Yes, they have side effects. But sometimes you have to decide which evil to put up with. And there’s always the hope that things will be better afterward or tomorrow. That really could be the case. Maybe cannabis will be legalized in Germany soon—maybe that will be your new medication to make the pain more bearable.

And the love of your husband, your children, and your grandchildren. You’re not alone, and as often as they can, they give you their time and attention, seek your advice, and share their lives with you. You’re part of their lives, and you’re important to them. That, too, is a gift that not everyone has.

And you also have CP and the community here on the forum. All creative, enthusiastic people who are just as passionate about beautiful things as you are. Even at 2 a.m., you can post your worries here, and someone will always respond with a kind message or a comforting thought. That, too, is a gift. Many older people who aren’t familiar with the internet end up sitting alone at home and feel truly abandoned. Here, you can always find mental stimulation, inspiration, and like-minded people to chat with.

Here’s another idea regarding your nerve inflammation… have you ever thought about an anti-inflammatory diet ? Google “Ernährungsdocs – anti-inflammatory diet”—it’s explained well there, and there are plenty of recipes, too. The inflammation in your body is constantly fueled by certain substances in our food (e.g., sugar and wheat). And there are also substances that slow down the inflammation and help it subside. This is a big topic in our family right now, too. Maybe it’s an option for you to ease your pain as well.

Keep your chin up, dear Inge! I always find your posts here so enriching. You have such a lovely writing style with that special dialect humor, and you have such a big heart for the kids. You sew such beautiful things and are such a warm-hearted person. If you weren’t here, we’d miss you! Somehow, life just goes on. And we have no choice but to live our lives to the very end—with all the ups and downs.

I wish you a wonderful day.

Warm regards from Ina

Ina, thank you so, so much for your post—you’re absolutely right about a lot of what you said. I’m already very careful about what I eat, since I’m prone to gout attacks, so I have to be very mindful of what I consume. I’ve also been battling my excess weight for years, and there are certain foods I can and can’t eat to achieve success. I had my last gout attack about 5–6 weeks ago, triggered by potato chips, so those are off the menu too—I really don’t want the next attack to leave my left hand immobilized again because all my fingers hurt. I need my hands for sewing :-)
Even though there are days when I’d love to throw everything against the wall, I won’t let it get me down—I beat cancer back in 1980, so I’m sure I can handle this *little* ;-) bit of inflammation. :-)
My life motto is anyway **life is beautiful—no one ever said it would be easy**
With that in mind, warm regards, Inge

I can confirm what Ina says about nutrition. When we switched to a whole-food diet 35 years ago, we noticed many positive changes in our bodies—things that improved and have remained that way to this day. The best result for us back then (when I was still with my first husband) was that my mother-in-law, simply by cutting out white flour and sugar, got rid of her joint pain and lost weight. She was so grateful to us—even though she’d always teased us before about our dietary change. These are chemical processes taking place inside us, and they’re truly remarkable.

Inge, I admire your positive attitude, despite the constant pain, and I wish you relief with all my heart! I have to admit I’m a bit ashamed of my occasional whining right now, because my shin and other joints are acting up again, and sitting isn’t much fun! Every day I enjoy seeing your sweet little animals—I just want to give them a big hug! Thank you for sharing them with us and bringing us so much joy!

It’s wonderful that you’re all so brave.