Are there any little things that make a difference for you. I eat and drink everything at room temperature. I let cooked food or chilled food come to room temperature before I eat or drink it. It's not consistent but I never know when hot or cold food will act as a trigger. I just don't want to deal with the pain if I can avoid some of it with such a simple act. I also just have Atkins Shakes if I'm having a painful day to avoid the chewing.
I got in a hurry Thursday evening and ate some Mushrooms while they were still quite hot. Boy did I pay the price. I got really gun shy and have had nothing but room temperature Atkins shakes since.
What non drug things help you?
I am careful about food temperature especially in a flare. I set off a five day episode last year when I ate half a watermelon...I tried to let it warm up but obviously not enough.
I've also had to give myself permission to not work as much and rest more for the moment. Being self-employed has some advantages and I have to learn to say no.
I realized how witchy (with a b) I've been this week after coming through a dental extraction on my TN side last week and then traveling for a workshop and dealing with chronic pain all week aside from the discomfort from the air conditioning. By Sunday, a certain bell ringing in an adjacent workshop was like nails down a chalkboard and I was ready to go yank that bell out of someone's hand! The ting was boring to the center of my skull like when I smell bleach. I was eager to get myself home which was about 4 hours away. I have also developed a low tolerance and aversion for teenage checkers in grocery stores (you don't want me to go there).
My pain is better this week and a chiropractic adjustment was a big help but the challenge of getting through last week has left me fatigued and a little weepy and irritable. Sometimes its the frustration and discouragement of having life disrupted by the unpredictable course of the TN. I am so very grateful that I can still work and function at a fairly normal level but I am trying to respect the boundaries when my system is feeling overloaded.