13. TENS unit
In all honesty, the last couple of months were actually going pretty well. I haven’t seen my gynaecologist for half a year or so, everything went fine. I got a TENS unit the last time I saw her. The medication (gabapentin) wasn’t really an option for me anymore, because I reacted way too intense to it and was very sensitive to the side effects. Which for me were drowsiness, dizziness, shaky hands and weak muscles. In other words; I couldn’t do sh*t when I had to take my meds.
It tricks my body
So my doctor told me about the so-called TENS unit. TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. It is a small unit that I have to connect to adhesive pads which are placed at the painful parts. It will give electrical impulses that actually distract my nerve system so my body can’t transmit pain signals to my brain anymore. It’s basically a machine that tricks your body, but works for me.
I carry it with me most of the time, but somehow I also think I don’t need it anytime soon. I leave it at home, because it’s a weird little thingy and makes me look like a robot. Also, I feel watched and a bit embarrassed when wearing it. People can actually see that there’s something wrong with you and I don’t like that very much. I am more a person that keeps the pain for herself. This makes it even more difficult sometimes. I don’t want to admit that I am in much pain. Especially not when I am at work.
I thought I’d be electrocuted
Anyway, this TENS unit is a whole other way of pain relief. You don’t need to take medication from which you don’t even know what you put inside your body. No more side effect issues that make you feel horrible as well. Just a few adhesive pads that are connected to the unit by small wires.
At first I was a bit scared. I remember a pain medication specialist telling me about this TENS unit when I just got diagnosed. I didn’t understand it properly and thought that I would be constantly electrocuted. Haha, that’s kind of the case, but not in the way I thought it would be. You feel like a little sting or prickling feeling first and after you got used to it, you don’t even feel it that much. And you get used to that feeling pretty fast by the way.
If you are not a big fan of medication, tried or having hormonal treatment (like the pill of an IUD) and still experiencing pain, you should definitely give a TENS unit a try! I feel very comfortable using this instead of taking a couple of pills. You can just ask about it when you’re seeing your doctor. He or she can explain everything to you. If you want to know more about my experiences with it, just send me an e-mail!
Love,
Andrea
