Recipe for recovery?

Happy Holidays everyone... A special hug to those of you who are alone, as I am, without a spouse or any living parents to celebrate with, I want to wish the very best and encourage you to post and comment here and on our two facebook pages.

I've heard too many stories of depression and folks feeling suicidal, and I too struggle with negative emotions and frustration over this pain every day; the holidays tend to escalate any feelings of isolation or misunderstanding we are already experiencing. We've had many posters here who disappear, and it scares me that they are alone out there trying to deal with this. So if you're still there,
 don't jut sit there, reach out and let me hear from you!

There are now 47 members on the page Dental Lingual Nerve Damage - www.facebook.com/groups/260466177345212
Lots of good information and support being offered there, so please jump in.

A few people have shared that they found relief, some even lasting relief, after using the hot pepper candies, so I decided to dig up the recipe on the Internet. Et voila, here you go.

Have you already tried this?  Please share your results, either here or on our facebook page.

Capsaicin Candy Recipe

Capsaicin the substance that makes chile peppers hot, has been found to reduce pain in arthritis patients when topically applied repeatedly over several is weeks. Researchers have found that it reduces substance P which is found at nerve endings and is involved in transmitting pain signals to the brain. Using this principle, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine have devised a candy, composed of hot chili peppers and taffy, to ease mouth pain in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Often chemo causes painful mouth sores that are difficult to treat. The sugar in the candy inhibits the burn of the capsacin in the mouth while the capsaicin provides pain relief.

Hot Pepper Candy Recipe:

1 cup sugar
 ¾ cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup water
1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs butter or marg
1 tbs salt
2 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cayenne pepper
8x8x2 buttered pan

In 2 qt saucepan, add sugar, corn syrup, water, cornstarch, butter and salt.
Over medium heat, stirring constantly till hard ball stage (256F). Remove the pan from heat. stir in vanilla and pepper.  Pour candy into buttered pan to cool. Don't scrape the sides of the saucepan or your candy might crystallize.
When the candy is cool enough to handle, butter your hands (important unless you like having toffee stuck to you) and pull until satiny and stiff. Pull into long strips, cut into 1" pieces, and wrap with wax paper.

My OPD also told me to get Zostrix  capcaisin liquid for my tongue, but I didn't find it at any stores nearby (I even asked for it special order). Please let me know if you've tried this or found it.

Welcome new blog posters

9 blog comments were added by new contributors. Sorry they could not be posted sooner; technical difficulties. Thank you for your patience.

The common thread here is that people continue to be injured every day in this manner; we are getting several new blog posters every month with dental disaster stories to share.

TIPS FOR BURNING THROAT-

For those who asked about their throat pain....I hear you...I have this constant need for water to cope with the burning mouth and throat, so  I carry a water bottle with me all day long (room temp). The good news is, I drink so much frickin water I'm flushing every bad germ out of my system, so I never get sick! LOL

I like Hillside Candy's organic honey drops. I order them on Amazon because I can't find them locally. Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/GoNaturally-Organic-Gluten-Candies-3-5-Ounce/dp/B001BOC8IQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1352093337&sr=1-1&keywords=hillside+organic+honey

FOR BURNING TONGUE-

Ask your doc to write a script for VISCOUS LIDOCAINE 2%, it is perfectly safe (unlike the meds that also help, but come with a slew of side effects).  Just tip the bottle and put it right on the burning area of your tongue. It really does numb your tongue temporarily, but I haven't figured out a way to haul around that big bottle of fluid and subtely pour it on my tongue in mixed company. ;)

FOR EXTREME FACIAL PAIN -
For those who are still in the crunching glass sensation days, or have the feeling of being punched hard in the cheek, or having a drill boring through your upper teeth, I don't have a lot to offer you. Tylenol and Advil do nothing to help. For these issues I'm on a long term, low dose regimen of painkiller I cut in half to minimize how much I take at one time. I wish I didn't need them, and look forward to the day I someday don't.

PROGRESS, OR LACK THEREOF

I actually feel worse lately and feel like I've slid back to how I felt a year ago. I started a new job, so maybe I'm tensing my jaw, neck and shoulders more due to anxiety. As we know, it's a chain of events that worsens when you tighten up due to stress that leads to pain in the ear, throat, and of course always the tongue. I also now feel the tension in my neck and shoulders. I need to remind myself, and all of you, to breathe more deeply whenever you feel tight, tense, or overwhelmed. Just breathe.

I actually dug out the ear drops again for the first time in ages. That is also something you need a prescription for from your Dr. (I asked for something similar to viscous lidocaine, but for my ear). It's kinda gross when warm watery medicine leaks out of your ear, so just keep your head tilted to the side and plug it with a cotton ball (again, not really helpful in mixed company, but in a pinch, you can go in the public restroom for a few minutes; don't ask me how I know that).

INSURANCE HELP FOR THIS? NOT!

I have been meaning to go back for cranial facial massage but have a hard time being so self-indulgent as to spend that kind of money. I wonder how to get insurance companies to start paying for some of this stuff? Any ideas? My visits to the orofacial pain specialists have all been paid out of pocket, too. Ka-ching!

CHANCES FOR RECOVERY - Everyone has the same question, when will I get better?

Everybody recovers at different rates and some, like me, appear to have permanent nerve damage. We've had people post who were injured like 15 years ago (I'm at 3-1/2 years myself). If you were only recently injured, like within the last week, we may never hear from you again because you recover and never return to the site.

But if you are still numb or have burning pain 6 months or more after injury, the chances of complete recovery are considerably reduced. If you are still hurting after a year or more, you may improve somewhat, but I haven't yet heard of one person who completely recovered. Just know that you won't continue hurting as much as you did the first few months, they are the absolute worst and can make you depressed and scared.

FACEBOOK - Just a reminder for those who want to 'friend' me on our facebook page- the URL is
http://www.facebook.com/jane.fisher.96742

PLEASE POST AND COMMENT THIS BLOG!
Have a wonderfu, pain-free day everyone. Oh, and one last thing this election day:
GET OUT AND VOTE!!
Love, Jane