The definition of a phantom pain is phantom pain is pain that feels like it's coming from a body part that is no longer there
This is where I have that phantom pain my arm where my hand is no longer
But I still have those nerves that allow me to move my fingers like that's literally me going like this
Creepy hey to be willing to find the light though
You have to be willing to believe in yourself and to believe in your story and to believe that there's more that we're going through
And that what you're going through is going to bring you
Further into who you're supposed to be and your calling and find the good in it
Hey guys, welcome back to my channel if it's your first time here, my name is Kristy Cena and I post videos every
Friday and
today I'm talking about the highly anticipated talk about Phantom Pain's and my experience having
phantom pains the definition of a phantom pain is
Phantom pain is pain that feels like it's coming from a body part. That is no longer there
This is where I have that phantom pain doctors once believed this post amputation. Phenomenon was a psychological problem but experts now
Recognize that these real sensations are originated in the spinal cord in the brain
So I'm going to tell you guys my experience and the pain that is in my invisible hand
That I feel in there that hurts and has pain in my hand that there's no hand left
If that makes any sense to you know on MPT people, okay?
So so pretty much my journey with phantom pain starts right away
So as soon as I got home from the hospital
We had a heck of a time trying to figuring out my medications. I was taking medications for everything
I was taking medications for pain the taking medication for my nerves I was taking I
Honestly don't even know but that was like eight pills a day
I was taking lots of medications, but we could not get the nerves and the pain
Proportions proper so I was having like insane phantom pains because these medications are supposed to help with that
And so pretty much for me like I had it
Right away and also they say that phantom pains are worse than a woman's birth pains. So you mom is out there
Are you people that have seen the pain that women are in when they're in?
imagine that just happening whenever all day whenever they want to come so
For mine, it was very very very specific. So I would literally feel like my hand that's inside here
so
I don't know if you guys know this or if you've seen but I can like that's me moving my fingers inside my arm
Where my hand is no longer
But I still have those nerves that allow me to move my fingers like that's literally me going like this
Creepy hey, so when I would be having I literally feel like this is like my hand that's inside there
It would literally be like my fingers would be
like moving and then as soon as they would slide past each other so it'd be like this I
Would get this shooting pain that would go all the way up my body
it was literally the most painful thing in my whole entire life and I literally started like
Screaming and crying and it was so so so bad and I kept getting so frustrated because I've come out of nowhere
I would just all of a sudden feel my fingers moving and then they would pass I'm gonna be like
Literally and so this was a constant problem
I was having of my pain medication as it just was not helping my phantom pains at all like they were so hello Toto
yeah, you want to be in the video so
Cute the medications were not helping Toto
Prentices Toto in case you're new here. He's my son stay down, buddy
and so since we could not get the medications right I continue to have these really bad pants and pains and
Then I finally went to actually a pain specialist which was a different kind of doctor and she drew out this diagram that explained everything
That was going on from my brain
To my arm to my muscle spasms to my nerves
Everything and also whenever I get my phantom aids
I would raise my left shoulder up and put my arm close to my her and be like I
Think this would be my position
But when I lifted my shoulder up like this
It was actually cutting off the brain
Circulation to my arm saying actually telling me that I was in more pain than I actually was
So as soon as I would get these phantom pains
I would have to relax my shoulder and I would and that was like very
Very important because it was cutting off the signals to my brain
And then I kept getting really frustrated feeling this makes no sense
Getting so mad
And so I just started
Convincing myself after like month 2 of dealing with these pains that they weren't real like it literally said to myself
Real and I mentally convinced myself out of having my phantom pains
So when I was in recovery and always be in the same chair and I always had my arm up 90 degrees and 90 degrees
because that would help with the nerves to block them from going I
Believe that was blocking off like the nerve signals when I had it up higher and higher and so whenever I would have the pains
Coming and I could feel like my fingers starting to move and I knew is about to come I would literally start the mental dialogue
Of a no this isn't real this isn't happening. This is fake. You don't have a hand. Why would you be in pain Christie?
there's nothing there and I just kept telling myself over and over and over and over and over and over again and
After about a month of practicing that I actually have not had a single phantom pain in over four and a half years
Which is insane?
Like I think it's like 90% of amputees
Struggle with phantom pain for their entire life and I have no idea if they will come back
But for me since I found that strategy and since I started to mentally deal with my phantom pain
I have not had them since like literally I had Maxon in the end of June
I stopped by September. I didn't have phantom pains ever again. I'm not on any medication. I stopped on medication by
October November
and I had nothing so that's my story with hendon pains as I did have them they were
Incredibly painful and incredibly strong and they're incredibly real guys
It's a real thing that you can constantly feel stuff going on in here
and I've been super super lucky and fortunate and blessed to have found that strategy that worked for me because I know there is a
Lot of amputees out there that's tried it and it doesn't work like that for them
So that's just my story with phantom pains
And again, I have no idea if they will come back, but it was a very real problem for me at the beginning
I just don't struggle with it anymore. I don't know if it's because I'm only MS
We missing a hand that sounds so bad
I don't know if it's because it's my hand and not my lower body
Which I know a lot of people that have lost feet and their legs have really really struggled with phantom veins as well
That's again. Just my personal journey. Yeah, it's a super strange weird thing that
literally you guys watching it with two limbs will or all limbs or four limbs will never understand because it's just such as like
supernatural
Experience that you go through and I'm just super fortunate that I don't have to deal with that anymore
So hopefully they don't come back for me
Hopefully I don't have to make another video talking to you guys about them saying that they came back because that would not be next
But yeah
I hope you enjoyed this video and I hope it gave you some sort of
education and something to cling on to as to why I've had phantom pains what my experience was a phantom pain how I helped my
phantom pains and how my fan japanes had suddenly disappeared
But I hope this helped you out just a little bit to understand the grasp of what's going on
And if you didn't know about me being able to move my fingers in here now, you know, because that's a fun little fast
oh my
cords, I guess are intact to be able to move my finger still which is pretty freakin cool, but
You know as usual if you guys have any questions about anything or if you want more answers
Make sure you comment them down below. I try my best to get back to every single one of you and answer your questions
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A personal thank you. I love you guys so much. I hope you're having the best start to this Christmas season also
Also, I'm doing vlogmas. So you guys better start commenting down below
Right now the videos that you want to see because I'm gonna need your ideas if you want videos
So I'm up to do kripp blog mess. I just need your help comment down below
Let me know what you want to see help me out
This is for you guys, and I'm excited to bring more videos to you in the month of December. So I love you
I'll see you guys in my next video. See you soon