Pain management : Good evening all, this is my... - Pain Concern

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Pain management

Leslie1957 profile image
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Good evening all, this is my first ever post on a pain site. I did not know they existed, so glad they do! I'm a 55yr old woman who is experiencing a considerable amount of pain on a daily basis. I use tramodol and the strong ibrufen during the day and and 25mg amitriptyline in the evening. I feel at times I don't want to continue with them and try to come of the Meds, however I then get withdrawal and the pain is still there. I find it frustrating to cope at times and very rarely tell others how I feel and I rarely go to see my G.P as just keep getting repeat prescriptions. I have arthritis and had a total right knee op a couple of years ago which in hindsight I wish I would not of have! I work full time in quite a stressful job and sometimes I feel in pain but push myself to go into work as feel like I have to. How do others manage with pain and everyday life? Thanks for reading this. My name is Mo. Have a good evening

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Leslie1957
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29 Replies
PainConcernHelpline profile image
PainConcernHelplineModeratorCommunity ChampionPain Concern

Hi Leslie1957

Welcome to Pain Concern, it's great to have you join our friendly Community.

Administrator

Bananas5 profile image
Bananas5

One golden rule of managing painis pacing. You can't expect the drugs you take to work on the added pain caused by stressful, or busy, job.

Agree with Daniel on this.

Maybe look to doing less hours and use that time for doing a little of what you want. Or just sitting.

You will get some sound advice here on this site from members with a wealth of experience.

Welcome

x

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957 in reply to Bananas5

Thanks for reply. It sounds like it's a good forum to chat. Wish I could reduce hours at work, finance stands in the way! G/P on Thursday, will discuss way forward. Hope your well and enjoy the evening :)

Bananas5 profile image
Bananas5 in reply to Leslie1957

Remarkably well thanks!!

x

Bevvy profile image
Bevvy in reply to Leslie1957

I hear and totally understand where you are coming from re work. I have had to reduce hours at work and it is probable I will be cutting them further. Like you I am worried financially. I live alone so only have my wage to live on. However I keep,telling myself that I will have even less money to live on if I lose my job and have to live on benefits.....

Don't know what your work is but is there any chance of working more flexibly or some of the time at home?

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957 in reply to Bevvy

Thank you for your message Bevvy. I could maybe look into doing part time hours, but like you I live on my own and as you know mortgage etc can be very expensive. I may consider selling my house and renting again as if in the future my health dictates my health needs then I may qualify for help with rent etc. Unfortunately, would not be able to work from home. It sometimes feels like a vicious circle and the stress of it all does not help health as your probably aware. Hope your having a good day :)

Bevvy profile image
Bevvy in reply to Leslie1957

Oh I think you should think VERY carefully about that. People get very little housing benefit these days and you would struggle to get anything if you sold up and just 'spent' your house money.

Also eventually you will own your property. With rental it is never yours and you always have to pay rent.

Happy to discuss further via PM

Ps have you considered a lodger? Might help pay the bills?

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957 in reply to Bevvy

Thanks for reply. House to small for a lodger! Will continue to consider options!

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957

Thanks for info Daniel. Have G/P on Thursday eve so will explain how feeling, as you say they think all ok due to repeats. Hope all ok with you and enjoy the eve.

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957

Thanks for this Daniel, very informative info. I will discuss with G.P with regards to alternatives. I started on 10mg about 2yrs ago and then it was increased to 25mg around 8mths ago. I find it really difficult to continue with pain med as worry about addiction and becoming immune! Tried gabaptenti which did not agree with me. Thank you for taking the time out to reply and for the suggestions. I worry so much aboutthe medication I take and the long term effects it can have!

Satsuma profile image
Satsuma

Welcome Leslie1957 Hope this site helps you like it does me .. I find that meds cause more pain. I have been addicted to opiates but now I am free of them. I use essential oils and herbal teas also I have muscle massagers from Argos.

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957 in reply to Satsuma

Hi Satsuma, thank you for your message. How wonderful that you are drug free as addiction to pain killers really concern me. I have tried herbal remedies in the past, but unfortunately for me they did not help. Hope your having a good day :)

Satsuma profile image
Satsuma in reply to Leslie1957

It is a case of trying what suits you to manage your pain.y day has been spent recovering from taking a cocodamol tablet .. It has knocked me for six. How has your day been ?

Welcome leslie1957 what pain are u suffering from this is one of the best sites u can be on best wishes

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957 in reply to

Hi Yogibe, thank you for the welcome message. I suffer from nerve/siactic/arthritic pain on a daily basis. Saying that tho I do have good and bad days and try to live a independent life. I also suffer from mood/low and get agitated quite often, once again can control it mostly with relaxation techniques I have used! Hope you have had a good day :)

in reply to Leslie1957

U are welcome I suffer with complex regional pain syndrome I have had my left arm and my right foot amputated because of it I'm on that much meds most off them don't do much anymore so waiting for pain specialist to sort out new meds I also had most of my bowl removed they're though I had cancer but it was not, hope u have a pain free night🤐💤

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957 in reply to

Hope you get your app with pain specialist soon. It seems like you gave been through an awful lot. I do hope today was a little better for you :)

deejames profile image
deejames

Hi Leslie. Welcome. I would ask your GP for a referral to your local Pain Management clinic. They are the experts on chronic pain which is certainly what you are suffering from. You don't say what kind of arthritis so perhaps a bit more information would help.

Also at the risk of boring the others on the forum Id like to suggest that you lock your post by selecting community only before you send rather than leaving it as ' everyone'.

This stops it and any replies you get being available to the whole internet.

Dee

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957 in reply to deejames

Thanks for the reply. It is osteoporosis. I am seeing G.P tomorrow and will ask for referral to pain clinic. Thank you for the advice about locking post, I will try this when I can figure it out as not the most computer literate person! Hope your day was good.

NanaFifi profile image
NanaFifi

Hi Leslie,

I'm also new to this site and am struggling with pain management. I agree with what's been said already and really it's trial and error.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Fifi :-)

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957 in reply to NanaFifi

Thank you. It's super to get lots of different views! Definitely trial and error! Hope all goes well with you too :)

K1mccannlowe profile image
K1mccannlowe

Hi Leslie how doing day and take every day as come take deep breath try to. Relax as much as possible .

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957 in reply to K1mccannlowe

Thank you for reply and for suggestions. Hope your day going ok!

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957

Once again Daniel thank you for the information. I honestly did not know about all the pain relief you have suggested. I tend just to stick to what I know and just continue with that, however after reading all the posts I am going to challenge myself when I see my G.P tomorrow. I worry about all the Meds I take especially the long term affects they can have, but am starting to realise that I should not suffer pain unnecessary! My other pain is nerve/sciatica. I also suffer from low mood which I feel now could be associated with the pain. Once again thank you Daniel fir your reply and I would certainly view the links sent later. I do hope you have had a good day.

johnsmith profile image
johnsmith

As you work full time you have the funds to try some of the complementary therapies. The medical profession have very little understanding if at all how muscle function contributes to pain. Posture and muscle micro-cramps have a great deal of influence on pain and discomfort. It is worth seeing an Alexander Teacher and a McTimony Chiropractor. They are unlikely to cure the problem, but they can help you develop strategies to help reduce the discomfort.

I googled "ibrufen" and the search came up with Ibuprofen. A book called "Tools For Critical Thinking In Biology" by Stephen H. Jenkins (isbn 9780199981045) has on p41 the following:

"The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in California is one of the most chal- lenging races in the world. It starts at 6,200-feet elevation at Squaw Valley in the Sierra Nevada, climbs 2,550 feet to Emigrant Pass in the first 4.5 miles, then climbs a total of 15,540 more feet and descends 22,970 feet, mostly on mountain trails, before ending in the Sierra foothills. Many runners who compete in this and other extreme marathons take the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen before the race, thinking that it should reduce inflammation and therefore make the experience less painful. David Nieman, director of the Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State University, decided to test this idea. He and his colleagues went to the Western States Run and recruited 63 volunteers for an experiment in which about half took typical amounts of ibuprofen before and during the race and the other half served as controls. Both males and females volunteered for the experiment, and they were randomly assigned to the ibuprofen and control treatments. The researchers collected blood and urine samples before and immediately after the race and measured several metabolites in these samples that allowed them to assess the effects of ibuprofen under the stressful conditions of the race. Nieman and his colleagues found that ibuprofen users actually experienced greater inflammation than nonusers. Ibuprofen users also had mild kidney dysfunction and indications of impairment of their immune systems compared to nonusers. The most interesting result, however, came when Nieman presented his findings at annual medical conferences for runners in the Western States 500. Most of them said they would continue to take ibuprofen despite the evidence from Nieman’s experiment that it did more harm than good. Their expectation that ibuprofen would reduce their pain while running was so strong that they discounted Nieman’s contrary evidence from a rigorous experiment."

This does raise questions about the effectiveness of Ibuprofen.

If you have been on your drugs for a long time you need to reduce the amount slowly to avoid problematic side effects.

It is worth giving yoga a try.

Hope this helps.

Leslie1957 profile image
Leslie1957 in reply to johnsmith

Hi, thanks for this very interesting article, I'm very surprised at the results and I now have a much better understanding of how ibrufen works or does not. Unfortunately, my full time pay just about covers my expenses and very little over! I did go to a chiropractor for a few sessions which were beneficial to a certain extent, financially could not afford this treatment long term. I actually question the effectiveness of ibrufen, I think I take it as a precaution and psychologically tend to feel it works, however I am a great believer in mind over matter! I have received some great advice/suggestions which I will be taking forward to my G/P tomorrow!!!

They put me on OxyContin and oxynorm

cindy1957 profile image
cindy1957

I am so sorry to hear about your pain. I work two jobs, raising Grandchildren and have terrible pain also. I Arthritis, Sacroliliac Joint pain, back pain and Siatica Besides I have Bursitis quite often. The foods I eat make a different, I need to stay away from Gluten, milk, peanuts, corn, soy, must have low sodium. Even tonight I had ice cream from my older Grandson which I really was hungry for and I will regret tomorrow. I had a left hip replaced and now I have more problems, especially in my back. Get very week in the legs. I cannot spell tonight, very tired. I cannot find a pain pill that works, I am on Gabapentin, they gave me other drugs but I am allergic. I use ice a lot, sometimes heat. But cannot sit in a hot tub because of my Bursitis. Massage sounds good, but I cannot afford a massage specialist. Been to therapy many times and have had shot. Try to walk a lot but hard to exercise at a fitness center. Too much work in my past years on a farm, mowing lawns and raising kids on my own. But God has helped me through, I just take one day at a time. So please stay in touch and do research on your own about you problems, the doctors don't know everything. Happy 4th of July.

bettyfl profile image
bettyfl

I also live with chronic pain and work full time. I also have a stressful job. It is difficult to work in pain but I too push myself thru it. I barely make it home and start crying when I get in the house. Get the ice take my pain meds and muscle relaxers and sometimes that's my nite. Other times not so bad but it is there every day to some degree could be a 1 or a 10. I have faith in God and pray for healing and his will in my life. I am 64 and have to work. I have some really good friends thru our small home church and I have my adult kids to vent to or talk to. I have 4 grandchildren I love and they keep me going. Pain is the control of my life but I am trying to start doing some enjoyable things because the stress makes it much worse. I hope this helps somewhat.

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