I'm really quite pleased with myself today as I have kept focused and read up on all the different types of Tens Machines you can either buy or hire but I just can't decide which one is the best to choose and I also cannot decide whether to hire it or buy it? Any help from anyone would be nice.

I'm surprised I can concentrate on anything after two consequitive nights of what only seemed like a couple of hours sleep. Isn't it funny how my husbands snores never usually bother me but the last couple of nights I've found myself counting them in the hope it would hypnotise me to sleep, unfortunately it seemed to have the opposite effect.

I think I spoke to soon when I said that the extra morphine was helping me sleep as it's only lasted for about a week and now I'm back to how I was before.

I've also pulled out my home study course to finish my final exam on Antomy & Physiology as I think I should finish that before I embark on a home study for Hand Reflexology. All this thinking has definitely had a placebo effect on me,as even though I feel like shit and totally exhausted I'm still busy on my computer.

Since I was last here my other half pursuaded me it was about time I had a full check on my spinal problems which were just getting worse and worse so I went to see a spianl surgeon and he sent me off for a full body MRI, CT Scan and Nerve Condution Tests. We then went back a week later for the results.

Basically, I have a large beak-like bone spur in my neck resting on the fusion plate trying to fuse itself into my spine and a moderate diffuse protrusion of the annulus, but this does not compress the cord, it does however stend into the left neural foramen producing moderate to severe narrowing and the C3 root could be compressed at this location. This is what is causing all my pain in my arms and between my shoulder blades. I also have four small disc prolapses in my thoracic spine but they are not compressed so not causing any problems at the moment and in my lumber spine there is another disc prolapse which is giving me my low back, leg and heel pain. However he has advised me to steer clear of any surgeons as some may want to fuse the lumber disc but he just feels the ones above it would just cause further troubles later on in life and as far as the bone spur he thinks this will eventually fuse itself into my bone and will then leave me with much less pain and as the previous two neck surgeries look sound he felt it inappropriate to interfere with the fusions to remove the spur.

He was really nice and said he could see I was in a bad way with my pain but recommended me to go back to my pain consultant and start again with a fresh pain management programme and to try lots of alternative therapies especially acupuncture for my neck. So now its definitely back to the Pain Clinic for me.

I soon got my head around it and decided to first try to increase my morphine a little and take it before I went to sleep with all my other medications in the hope I would have a better nights sleep and you will never guess what - it worked, and I had a really good nights sleep - brilliant or what !!!! How long that will last for is another thing. I am also going to try a treatment called The Bowen Technique which should help with my chronic muscle pain. We found that out from my nerve conduction tests that I have chronic partial denervation in the upper and lower limbs. I will be back having acupuncture soon and am planning on buying or hiring (cant decide) on the latest tens machine which I used to use years and years ago and have been told the latest ones are extremely good and far more portable. I am also going to embark on a home study course for hand reflexology and hand therapy so that I can treat myself (I hope).

I'd love to hear from anyone who has similar problems to compare pain relief so do not hesitate to leave me a post. Thanks