Bogs goes electronic.

[lordedmond]

Thanks for the info John

like you my problems started with an injury to my left foot , which looks Ok bur the xrays show a mangled up mess in side , plus I have started to grow in all my joints , My hands and arms are Ok yet but 18 a day codeine tabs for the past 8 years has surly got me hooked plus a load of paracectomal /sp. I am going to see the vet tomorrow so he is going to have his ear bent for a tens trail

having to use wheels make getting about difficult but my WS is set up for me and loco making continues at a slow pace ruled by the pain


anyway good luck with the long term use of the tens


Stuart

 

[itowbig]

very good news indeed may you make many more metal chips. best of wishs

 

[kvom]

Excellent news. I'm waiting to see your next project now that you can gdt to the shop again.

 

[Omnimill]

Thats great news John, I've heard good things about the Tens units and glad it's giving some respite.

Vic.

 

[student123]

John,

I just got in & read your OP.
Best wishes & well done with finding a way forward for you.

Mike

 

[larry1]

John. Congratulation, really glad to hear the tens work for you, best of luck. Larry

 

[doubletop]

John

That's shocking news! Hope it works out fine for you and you an spend more and more time in places you'd rather be than couped up in front of the box.

A couple of questions

• Any EMC issues? workshop kit starting unexpectedly or computers packing a sad :'(
  
• With the location and effect of the pads does it have a bedroom assist mode?

Anyway great news I'm pleased for you

Pete

 

[Blogwitch]

Pete,

I wouldn't know about the bedroom bit, I gave up on that as a regular pastime years ago. Machining is a lot more pleasureable for me at this time, maybe I can pick up on the other if and when I start to feel better.

Kvom,

I will just explain why you won't see me making things for maybe a fair while.

I have some patent work to finish off before anything else, and as you can imagine, it cannot be shown on here as it would violate the patent rules, and as so much is at stake, I don't want that to happen.

But once that is over, I have a post to finish off, and then I will be doing what grabs my fancy at the time. It might be finishing off the Halo builds, or it just might be a start on the flame licker castings I bought, but on the other hand, I have a few engines that need to be blinged up to display standards.

As you can see, I am a little undecided.


John

 

[Twmaster]

John, it's nice to have all those options now in front of you. Hip hip HOORAY!

 

[metalmuncher]

Hi Bogs, I have read your post a couple of times and am a bit puzzled as to why they have told you to only wear your Tens for a max of six hours. I have similar sorts of problems to you with regard to my back, and have been to the pain clinic and been given a Tens machine. They said I could wear it for as long as I wanted, not that I do. I find if I wear it for a day I can get relief for the next couple of days before I need it again. I used it last weekend to walk round a steam rally and felt as fresh as I did at the start. I hope it works for you as it has helped me cope with life a bit better since I have had mine. All the best Keith.

 

[Blogwitch]

Keith,

I don't know why I was given different instructions to yourself, I just follow what I was told.
The instructions given by the quack were almost the same that were in with the unit, just slight differences.

One thing I do know, with the settings I use, as soon as it is turned off, the pain soon comes back. So maybe you don't have the same problem as I do.


I put it down to them knowing their job better than me.


Bogs

 

[rickharris]

I also have a tens unit for chronic sciatica. I asked how they work and was told that actually it isn't well understood at all.

Some feel it is disrupting the transmission of pain information by over loading the nerves locally,
Some think it is a distraction signal that confuses the brain, and some think like many things when the brain receives an input for some time that is continuous it switches off that input - or ignores it so it isn't distracted, this is somewhat like scratching relieves and itch (whilst your scratching any way).

My unit has no limit on how long it can be used for although I only get relief when it's on. Fortunately this allows me to correct my posture for long enough to relieve the issue after a few days. I can't see what there may be that would be a danger unless you have a pace maker or similar problems.

Although some are sceptical it does work - for some anyway - on neurological pain.

 

[Stan]

Although some are sceptical it does work - for some anyway - on neurological pain.

There is really little knowledge about the human brain. A neurologist said to me "I know a little bit more about the brain than you do".

Things like the Tens unit, acupuncture and even medicine men provide pain relief to some people. If the Tens unit works for John, Great. If it doesn't work for you, try something else, and not necessarily from a medical doctor.

 

[Blogwitch]

That was why I started the post Stan.

I was very sceptical for almost six months, right up to the time he 'turned me on'. Within seconds, I became an instant believer.

The post was made to hopefully convince a few people, who are suffering from the same sorts of problems I have, to become less sceptical and give it a go.

The units cost very little money, and I am sure, if I wasn't so unsure about it, I would have been quite willing to waste that money, just to see if it would work for me. I could have been enjoying pain free sessions years ago.

I honestly think it was the 'conditioning' that I had from the quacks that made it such a success for me, but who knows, it might not need that conditioning cycle for some people.

It has been suggested that it is all in the mind, and if that is to be believed, for proof, you only have to look at my wife. Anyone who has met her will straight away tell you that last year, the prognosis was terminal, and she looked awful. But right from the beginning, she was totally positive about it all, anyone who even mentioned the 'C' word would have been given a lecture by her. It wasn't going to get her.
Now, except for a few twinges from her surgery, she is the picture of health.
For me, and many others who have met her, we now believe she willed herself better.

So maybe it is all in the mind, but if it gives pain relief, then there is nothing wrong with being called a loony, it is a small price to pay.

So basically, all I was trying to get across, is that if you do suffer from chronic pain, be a little less sceptical, alternative methods just might work for you.

It definitely did for me.


John

 

[DICKEYBIRD]

Great news John and I'm very happy for you! ;D Nothing worse than chronic pain hanging over you 24 hrs. a day.

I've dealt with lower back pain/sciatica for over 40 years. A buddy dropped his side of a VW "squareback" engine I had just rebuilt and was taking off the stand. I tried to lower it by myself to keep from damaging it...dumb! I've had to have several nerve block injections and have taken various pain pills & anti-inflammatory pills by the bucket load. It has been an up/down situation all those years, some days better than others.

6 years ago I started walking every day, rain or shine, cold or hot; 1st for only about 15 minutes and then slowly worked up to 35 - 45 minutes now. The results have been truly amazing. I now live a fairly pain-free life and if I don't do stupid things I don't even take over the counter pain relievers.

 

[cidrontmg]

I´m not suggesting that anyone should really go this route and build his/her TENS unit, but there´s a pretty good website for any aspiring builders (or otherwise interested) at
http://kisu.tripod.com/
"A set of scanned images from the "Silicon Chip" magazine in Australia describing the functioning, construction and use of the T.E.N.S. unit for the relief of pain."
Nine parts that you can peruse, or d/load the whole shebang as a 1.5 Mb ZIP file.
I don´t think it would be a cost-effective solution at all, not even the kit as advertised in the page.
And as has been already said many times, these things really work for many people, obviously not for everyone, and like Bogs said,
"So maybe it is all in the mind, but if it gives pain relief, then there is nothing wrong with being called a loony, it is a small price to pay."
Well, pain is ALWAYS ALL in the mind.
It´s very good to hear that the unit works for you, Bogs, and how about that Liney Halo build... ;D

 

[steamer]

Great News John! Many blessing and tidings of prosperous time in your shop.

Dave

 

[lee9966]

John, I am glad that you found such help. Chronic unrelenting pain can really change a personality, and that's no fun.

I look forward to your future posts so that I kin start learnin' agin.


Lee

 

[Blogwitch]

I have actually had a bit of time in my shop, nothing too stressful to begin with. Just a load of handles on some files I was given, and a little bit of a tidy up.

It was amazing just how much needed to be tidied away considering I hadn't been working in there. Just nipping in for the odd screwdriver or spanner, and just throwing it on the bench when I had finished with it, rather than putting it away.

It is early days yet, it will take me some time getting used to standing up straight again and getting the work ethics into motion, but once I do, I hope to be back to my normal self.

I hope my little box will help me a some this afternoon, as I am helping Stew to put the finishing touches to his loco boiler. Normally it took longer than planned, as I had to rest so often.


John

 

[John Rudd]

Things like the Tens unit, acupuncture and even medicine men provide pain relief to some people. If the Tens unit works for John, Great. If it doesn't work for you, try something else, and not necessarily from a medical doctor.

I've tried a TENS unit, as given to me by the hospital Physio Dept, and more so recently to try and alleviate some of my back pain and to improve my mood at work...Sadly not this time..

I'm waiting on the outcome of my MRI scan that I had at the weekend for my spine/pelvis/hips....

It's good to hear thought that these electronic devices can help in some cases and good to hear that it is helping someone from the forum....