Usually, pain is caused when an injury site sends a signal along nerves to your brain and the pain centres contained therein. Pain killers, including opiates, work by blocking the transmission of this signal or at least degrading it significantly. However, there is a type of pain that is generated in the brain and not the body; it may *feel at though some part of your body is in pain but that's an illusion. It is all, quite literally, in your head. Painkillers can't block this pain and there is one class of drugs available (even on the NHS) to tackle this 'neuropathic' pain. The side effects are unenvieable.
I've had neuropathic pain before - usually its been the sensation of having a compass needle driven through the pads of my fingers. I have found, thankfully, that cannabis can keep a lock on it although I have to smoke pretty much constantly as the effects are only 10-15 minutes in this regard. My doctor has advised that if pot does the trick, stick with that as the prescription drugs are nasty.
Yesterday I had a really awful fluctuation in this pain symptom and my hands were wracked. I also manifested pain in my feet. Low on pot, i went through a few days worth in an evening in an attempt to dull this sensation. It worked, up to a point, but in the end I had to get really really drunk - not to dull the pain as in this regard, alcohol is a conventional painkiller, but to allow myself to become easily distractable so that my mind wouldn't remain focussed on what was happening to me. It worked but was the least satisfying drunk I think I've ever tied on....
Yesterday was, therefore, a bit of a shit day
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