Hi, I'm new to this site. I've had chronic pain for over 25 years in my neck, shoulders, arms and hands then 9 years ago I ruptured 2 discs in my lumbar spine. Had surgery and came out exactly the same so am living in quite considerable pain. I was diagnosed with Fibro earlier this year but I'm sceptical as looking at the symptoms other people have only some of mine fit. Mainly the acute muscle pain and the constant pain in my back and leg which I have been told is probably due to the fact that my brain is still sending pain signals even though the injury has been corrected. I'm working full time but am starting to find it a real struggle, some days I just cannot sit at a desk. I don't know about other members but I find the constant threat of the prospect of not being able to earn a living very stressful. It's so hard to talk to other people, especially at work as I don't want to be perceived as a moaner. No doubt you all have the same sort of worries and concerns. It's good to have somewhere where you can be honest about how you feel.
Hello: Hi, I'm new to this site. I've had... - Pain Concern
Hello
hi sue. i just read your post and had a look to see if you were in the uk but it doesnt say, as your worrying about not being able to earn a living with all this terrible pain that you are suffering and it has been going on for a very long time. that is so draining. at least you have a diagnosis even if you dont think it is fibro you have, if your in the uk it might be useful for making a claim on sickenss benefit or pip. so i would see that diagnosis as something positive. yes this is a great place for support and also some people sharing their experience is a great help and gives you a lead on what you can do. Are you on pain relief and if so is it helping. its must be so draining being in pain for 25 years. that sound so painful where you say you ruptured two discs in your lumber spine. i wish i knew where you were i mean if your in the uk you can go onto benefits without worrying as you'v been ill for so long and have had operations so there is plenty evidence which would support your claim. im sure there will be others along soon to give you some support. just listening and replying is a geat help. i'v not got or had the pain you have but believe me i know all about pain as i have suffered it myself and am on pain relief. however im getting better. i had an operation 2 months ago i had gallstones and one big one was stuck in my bile duct and it tore it all as it was all calcified and infected so i had to have my bile duct reconstructed. the operation took 5 hours. and im 65 so its taking me longer to recover that it woul if i was in my 40's or younger. i hope that you find some resolution to your worries. i wish you all the very best. love grace xoxoxo
Hi Grace, lovely to hear from you. Yes I am in the UK. I couldn't see from your profile if you were in the UK or the US? The benefits route is a very daunting prospect as it would mean living in poverty as I am the breadwinner in my household so I'm desperately trying to stay in employment. The government have also made it very difficult for disabled people to claim benefits, I believe the number of people who have died within weeks of being declared fit to work by this stupid work capability assessment runs into thousands. As pain is invisible I'm not confident that I would get anything. From what I've read the test involves stupid things like can you move an empty box from one place to another and can you press the keys on a keyboard. It seems to fail to take into account that in order to be any good to an employer you need to be able to do this things for a sustained period of time and produce the same quantity and quality of work as an able bodied person. Like alot of other people I can still function and do most things but cannot cannot sustain them for the amount of time a 'normal' person can. I take the normal concoction of pain medication Tramadol 4 x 100g per day, Amatriptilyne, anti depressants etc. I was prescribed Lyrica but after finding that it puts weight on and wanting to eat everything that wasn't nailed down whilst on it I decided to stay away from these types of medication. I wish I'd stayed away from the anti depressants too as they have caused more problems than they've solved but when you're in a really bad place you'll try anything. I'm sounding like a right whinger but it is nice to have somewhere where you can talk to people who actually understand. I hope you're feeling alot better soon. xx
yes i understand everything your saying about the benefits system. it is a big worry. i know pain is invisible but diagnosis is not and neither is medication that your taking or how it may affect you. it might make you sleepy or dizzy and therefore it might be dangerous for you to be lifting cups as you could well drop it. see what i mean.?? of course no one wants to go through all this rigmarole but sometimes we have to if we are to ill. i mean everything about this goverment is corrupt. that bedroom tax. and i watch the television and i see people in london in private accomodation who have had their rent capped and have got to move out of where they live. its heartbreaking to see some of those families put out on the street. I'm in tears watching that programme and when you see their little cats and dogs it just breaks my heart.this is the horrible world we live in isnt it.? as they cant take a little cat with them on the street. anyway thats another subject and one i dont really want to dwell on because its so upsetting.
also its easy to go on those anti depressants when your really struggling. i spent years on that kind of medication and it did help then but i dont take any thing like that now. and i still suffer from depression a lot. every day i wake up i dont want to get up but i have to. its terrible.i have a friend who has tourretts's syndrome and its not really bad like some people have it. i dont know if you'v heard of that. some people just start shouting and swearing and have twitches. anyway my friend got taken of his sickness benefit and they were trying to get him to go to work and he got a fantastic letter of his doctor as well so he did manage to get his sickenss benefit back but only for two years then he has to go through it all again. so it is terrible. what are you going to do sue? you cant make yourself more ill if thats what working is doing to you? and those amitriptyline make me fall asleep for days.im 65 thats probably why. i dont know if you have to have all the symptoms of fibromyalgia to have it. my daughter has it and she doestn have hall the symptoms and i can tell you your lucky to even have been diagnosed with that as there are people with it who cant get a diagnosis. my daughter is on benefits for it and so are many people here. its a very debilatating illness. and its not just physical it caused mental trauma as well. its a hard decision to take to leave work as they say you made yourself unemployed. have you thought about going on the sick for a few months to try and give yourslef some rest?. well keep in touch sue. i enjoyed hearing from you i just wish i could be more helpful. love and best wishes grace xoxoxo🌹
Hi.
Welcome to our site we hope that we can off you both help & support.
Yes I've had my chronic pain since 2005.
I also found this site whilst I was desperately looking for infomation on the chronic pain.
The site is very very good as it offers both support & help.
This is via patients who have this horrible condition.
Steve.
You say: "Mainly the acute muscle pain and the constant pain in my back and leg which I have been told is probably due to the fact that my brain is still sending pain signals even though the injury has been corrected."
This can be very untrue. Medical consultants have very little understanding if any of how muscle malfunction contributes to pain and discomfort. This lack of understanding leaves many people with long term pain and dosed up to the eyeballs with drugs that do not tackle the causes of pain.
Some injuries are accompanied by over contracted muscles. Over contracted muscles are painful. When a muscle goes into over contraction it needs help to on contract. The process of uncontracting can take several weeks and can be a painful process.
It is worth seeing an experienced sports therapist or experienced massage therapist to get this investigated. If you have this problem no amount of drugs will remove it. Alexander Teachers can help teach you to examine your postural and poor muscle usage contribution to pain and discomfort. They can teach you how to improve posture and muscle usage.
Hope this has been helpful.
Hi John, thank you for your reply. I think you could well be right, it's all so confusing. If the pain is coming from my brain why is it more painful when I overdo things? I have spent thousands over the years and nearly 3 years ago I started seeing a fantastic sports massage therapist who has been a great help. The posture idea is good, I did once embark on some sessions with an Alexander Technique teacher but it's very slow progress and all these things cost a lot of money. Most of the pain in my upper body is caused by having to work for a living, we moved to Spain about 11 years ago and I didn't work for a while and it was much better. Unfortunately I have been born into the wrong class, I obviously wasn't designed to be working class lol.
😂
Thanks for the reply. I am very interested in your experience with the sports massage therapist.
Your question: "why is it more painful when I overdo things?" I have been thinking about this question a lot as I meet the same problem. There are so many things to do and as a result I constantly overdo things particularly after a t'ai chi pushing hands work out. It takes a few days to recover from that.
Here is my thoughts on the subject which may or may not be right. Injury leaves scar tissue. This is not as flexible as non scar tissue. The body is designed so that tissues can be pushed out of the way when we do movement. Scar tissue reduces the amount of room available. Over contracted muscles reduce the amount of room that is available. Damaged discs reduce the amount of room that is available. When we move and we have the previous mentioned problems we can bruise tissue. Bruised tissue get inflamed and reduce the amount of room available. This results in pain and discomfort. When tissue has never suffered damage and no scar tissue exists no tissues get bruised and no tissues get inflamed.
Internal tissue behaves like a bruise. When we bruise ourselves it takes a few hours for the bruise to swell and reach its full potential of hurting. When tissue expands against a nerve the nerve can complain bitterly.
Hope you find the explanation helpful. It may not be totally medically true but it is a good metaphor to enable one to make predictions concerning pain and discomfort.
Press the reply button to let me know your thoughts on the subject.
Hi Sue I also have chronic pain, fibromyalgia, menieres disease, peripheral neuropathy, my Achilles tendon on right leg is gubbed, leg length difference, Raynaud's disease, sorry I'm going on I do understand your worries and the length of time you've suffered this site is fabulous you can moan and complain to your heart's desire you can also get some really good information and help. Please take some advice on the benefits thing you could get the phone number and phone to ask for advice keep us posted on your progress Linda x
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