Posts by Anthony Carter5

I’m really trying to figure out who this "body halleck" person actually is on this forum. They started giving me specific directions on what symptoms to look up based on what I posted. My doctor already checked my lungs, looked at my throat, and my blood work came back totally normal, so she didn't order anything else. It’s huge for me to know if I'm actually talking to a medical professional here, because that determines whether I shell out my own money for private testing or not. We're talking about health, time, and serious cash—this isn't some trivial matter. Is it even ethical to drop authoritative medical advice on people in an online forum when we have no idea who's behind the screen? Look, I get that everyone here is anonymous, but I feel like the health subforum should be the exception to that rule. This isn't a debate over which Ford to buy or which album to stream; we're dealing with actual life-and-death stuff.

Nah, I just put my own music up online for free so anyone can listen.

restlessbadger2 said:Where exactly are those doctors you mentioned located? And which city? Also, you didn't specify which nerves we're actually talking about here—that's pretty crucial info. Thanks in advance.

Dr. Quess works privately at the Arithera clinic over in Washington, D.C. As for Dr. Stimac, he used to be in neurosurgery over in Cleveland, but they phased him out, so now he’s just doing general practice. Regarding the nerves, we were looking at the T9 through T11 range. Sure, the referred pain might have flared up a bit higher or lower, but that was the main epicenter. Quess gave me a lidocaine block right on those nerves; it lasted a few hours and felt fine. Just a heads-up though: stay far away from Softich or Rotim. They couldn't care less about helping. Honestly, neurologists aren't much help in these cases since you really need a surgeon to perform the block.

If none of those meds actually do the trick, then honestly, we shouldn't be surprised when nothing else works either.

Sitting at about 225 lbs right now, and I’ve put on some decent size in my chest.

Harold Reed4 said:Hey there,

I get this all over my body—paresthesia, being super sensitive to how my clothes feel, and just all these weird, painful sensations. And honestly? Nothing I take for the pain actually helps.

So, what have you guys actually tried for the pain?

It’d be pretty useful if people actually knew how to spot these fake ads. Look, if this "genius" doctor isn't mentioned on any legitimate medical site or doesn't have a single shred of actual credentials, you're looking at a total scam.

They’re going to scan the cervical spine and the brain.

Harold Reed4 said:Does anyone know a decent neurologist who actually understands small fiber neuropathy?

Honestly, I doubt anyone in this country knows the first thing about neuralgia. You're better off looking for a specialist abroad.

I don't know, I personally dealt with intercostal neuralgia—that was my official diagnosis after they ruled out everything else, and the symptoms lined up perfectly. What exactly are you guys dealing with? Where on the body does it hit you? And what kind of pain relief actually works for you?

Down to 227 lbs, started at 258.

Anthony Carter5 said:It finally cleared up for me after two years and eight months. I was popping painkillers, using lidocaine patches, and even bought a TENS unit and some magnet therapy gear.

It took way longer for me to actually get a diagnosis, so I spent seven straight months in absolute agony. The first time I felt any real relief was when they used a TENS unit on my ligament. Eventually, Dr. Kvesić figured out it was likely intercostal neuralgia. As far as meds go, Zaldiar (that tramadol/paracetamol combo) did the trick, whereas plain old tramadol didn't do much for me. Because of that, I ended up developing an addiction, which I managed to kick pretty easily—just went cold turkey for about 12 days and things started leveling out. Honestly, I’m not sure exactly how it cleared up; the pain just gradually ebbed away, though maybe the Lyrica helped too, and you have to be patient with that stuff. Long story short, for those two years and eight months, I couldn't do anything physical—not even a single push-up—because it was just too painful despite all the meds and whatever else I tried. I dropped about 65 pounds since I was used to training pretty hard. I'm back to my regular workout routine now, and I haven't had any pain for 10 months.

Edward Bailey5 said:Has anyone actually gotten rid of these nerve pains? If you have, how did you do it? I’ve got the same diagnosis, and it’s been seven weeks straight. It’s technically "better" than before because the pain used to be absolutely brutal—shooting all across my torso, hitting my heart, through my ribs, and down into my stomach, not to mention the spasms. Now things have calmed down a bit, but I still can’t handle being upright for long, whether I'm sitting or, even worse, standing up.

I can't even touch painkillers right now because my stomach is totally wrecked; I'm stuck on Nexium. Everything feels fine until I take any other pill. This whole situation is just a mess since I'm basically stuck in bed most of the time.

What’s your experience been like?

It took me two years and eight months to finally get past it. I was popping painkillers, using lidocaine patches, and even picked up a TENS unit and some magnetic therapy.

Started out at about 258 lbs. Spent the first week lifting at home, then spent four weeks grinding away with resistance bands and bodyweight stuff, plus some running and cycling to get the heart rate up. Here’s the shot from when I hit roughly 230. Looks like it's finally time to go sign up for a gym membership.

33 years old, 6'0". A few years back, I was actually in decent shape, but then intercostal neuralgia decided to ruin my life and kept me from hitting the gym. The pain finally eased up recently, though. I hit a peak of about 258 lbs, but now I'm finally slimming down and have been back at it for about a month. Just sticking to pushups, resistance bands, and running for now. Here’s a shot of me at around 235-238 lbs.

Who knows? It might happen, it might not. Drugs are heavy business.

Michelle Williams44 said:Does anyone have a good ENT recommendation in New York City covered by Medicare? Thanks!

Tomislav Baudoin

velvetbear372 said:Hey there.

Looking for a recommendation for a top-tier urologist.

Prof. dr. sc. Ognjen Kraus

restlessbadger2 said:How did they actually diagnose the neuralgia? What kind of testing did they do, and which nerve is the culprit? Also, what’s the treatment plan?

By basically cutting out all the noise and pinpointing exactly which nerves were hit. Both Dr. Quess and Dr. Stimac independently came to the conclusion that it had to be neuralgia. Quess gave me a local lidocaine block just to confirm which specific nerves we were dealing with. He mentioned using a phenol block, but he warned me the risks were way too high, so I passed on that. Down in Cleveland, Stimac suggested a neurotomy—basically cutting the nerve. The downside there is you lose all sensation in that dermatome, so I wasn't having it. Fast forward two years and eight months later, and I can say the worst is behind me.
As for therapy, it’s mostly anticonvulsants, lidocaine patches, TENS units, and maybe some magnetic therapy. Honestly, there isn't really a "cure." These things just help manage the pain if you're dealing with neuralgia. If anyone thinks they can white-knuckle through this without meds, they're delusional. The first time I felt any actual relief was when they finally used a TENS unit on me during physical therapy after seven months of running around aimlessly. I still take Lyrica just in case the pain tries to make a comeback. Just a heads up: Lyrica takes a while to kick in, so you need patience.
If you suspect you have neuralgia, try putting a TENS unit on the area to see if it helps. As far as meds go, I'd recommend Lyrica, though it's a slow burn. Opioids aren't exactly a great long-term option, but when the pain hits its peak, they're the only thing that works. Also, watch your diet; you probably won't be moving much. I went from being a top-tier athlete to a complete blob, gaining about 60 pounds. If you need a doctor, I'd suggest Quess; Stimac doesn't work at the hospital anymore.