Thanks for the replies. I made a note of the Nubain and will ask my doctor about it. I live in Florida, keeping warm is not exactly an issue. (And it may be wierd but actually cold feels good on it -- like when I walk the dog in the morning and the air is cooler than it is later in the day). I've tried acupuncture ages ago without any noticable results. Had my MRI yesterday. Not supposed to see the doc again til Jan 18th. Don't know how I'm gonna make it that long. Like I said I went thru this years ago but that fact isn't helping much now. Maybe because I'm older, maybe because memory tends to change things, but it seems 10 times worse now. It's gotta be one of the most miserable conditions there is.