David,

 

First off, I commend you for wanting to do whatever you can for your dad ie. helping him alleviate his nerve pain.  You are a good son, that is evident.  My mom had trigeminal neuralgia and I used to comb the internet, make calls, talk to people and read books and do whatever I could to try to help her.  The bottom line though is, we all can only do so much.  Sometimes it takes a skilled surgeon to make things better.

 

My problem is cervical but I do have compressed nerves at two levels and the pain and electrical sensations, as you described them, are indescribable. I have them in my arms and now starting in one leg. I have found ice to be helpful at times with the idea being it helps with inflammation and hence the nerve not being as inflamed won't have the pain and tingling.  Sometimes it is of no help, especially when I have a flare-up that gets too far gone and it doesn't take much.  I also have tried Zostrix in the past which has capsaicin in it.  That is a topical cream and has limited help.  There are also meds like Neurontin and Lyrica, both used for neuropathy.  I couldn't take the Neurontin due to dizziness but do take the Lyrica. Unfortunately there are side effects as with most meds but there is some relief with the Lyrica.  I take a low dose at bedtime which could be the answer for your dad when he sleeps.  Lastly, I have tried just about everything to alleviate my pain and tingling and sometimes, admittedly rarely, I can actually find a position using pillows to pull the nerves back away from the area where they are being squeezed or compressed.  (I know this sounds bizarre.)  With the low back there are all sorts of positions you can get yourself into using pillows so this may be worth a shot if he hasn't already tried it.  Also, laying down is not always good even though the body just wants to do that because any pressure on those nerves is what perpetuates this problem.  I have literally stood many a night because even sitting is sometimes unbearable. 

 

I feel for your dad as I do anyone who has this.  There is just no way anyone can understand unless they have been there.  It  truly is miserable.  With the cervical problem I have, I get horrible headaches that would bring a person to their knees.   Please tell your dad to hang in there.  He isn't alone.  As you can see, there is a whole community of fellow sufferers out there.  Hope my info was of some help to you.

 

Andrea