I have suffered with chronic pain (lower back) and muscle spasms for at least 15 years now. Feeling depressed as it just seems to be the same old painkillers that now don't have that much effect!
Just needed to rant and maybe talk to others in the same boat.
If you read this, thanks x
Hi Alex
Sorry to hear your distress
I was taken off my pain meds as I had tried everything most of which I'm allergic too and the others just don't work anymore and my GP decided anti-depressants would be more benficial to me, this is not something I'm happy or comfortable with but I have agreed to give it a go.
6 weeks into them and I am suffering with more side effects from these than any of the other meds I take combined.
You should see your doc and maybe seek pain counselling?
Hopefully u will feel better soon tc
Hi Alex constant chronic pain for all those years is bound to make anyone want to scream. Do you think it's worth a try seeing someone else at a different pain clinic as they all have different knowledge about pain meds and some are more updated than others. Learning to manage the pain is not always easy and I know from experience that some days are worse than others. It maybe worth a try and google pain methods used in France etc because the nhs can send you there if nothing else works. They seem to be sending alot of patients abroad lately to do procidures and ops that they don't do here. Just a thought??
Hi Alex. Yes chronic pain is so debilitating both mentally and physically. I support forum like this one can bea great help, not only for ideas and suggestions for managing your pain but as a place to rant, complain and even sob. I've found it so. I have also found trying to help others is therapeutic so wins all round.
I have to assume if you have had pain all this time you had been referred to and been to a Pain Management Clinic. If not then you need to be hassling your GP to do that for you.
Sometimes a change of meds can give more relief as it seems a body can get used to one and it stops being so effective.
Meditation ? You may think it's not for you or that your pain is such that you could never manage it but Mindfulness meditation works with dealing with pain and stress and helps to reduce the tension that goes with unrelenting pain and helps prevent additional pain. I have it as part of my routine and trying to encorporate the ideas into my daily life has definately stopped the panics and freak outs when the pain gets particularly bad.
I hope you get lots of support and suggestions
Best wishes
Dee
Iam 40 had a bad bck since been 15 had an accident where as I landed badly on my lower back . But I also have fibromyalgia, inflammatory joint diease, hyper mobility, degenerative disc diease and stenosis iny lumber spine. I personally thing most of it hereditary as a afew females on my dad's side plus my Nan had similar issues. I've had physo, hydro therapy, traction, spinal block injections, which did not work and left me quite poorly. Also and emergency discectomy l4/l5 in 2013. I am now under a very good neurosurgeon, my last procedure 2 wks ago was a discogram, where as they numb the surface of yr back and then feed 2 needles the size of knitting needles, in to the affected discs. Phil them with blue dye and anaesthetic and use a ct scanner, to take pictures the dye give s clearer images. So I now have to have another ct and X-ray next week, to make sure there's enough bone left from my previous surgery. So the consultant can preform, another discectomy and wallis ligament s. Less invasive than fusion. This will happen in the next to month. Hope u get some relief
Hi Alex
I have suffered much the same as you for over 20 years. I have had numerous injections, nerve root blocks but nothing helped. I had an Epidural which worked for nearly 12 months, it was wonderful. I have since been told I must keep taking Pregablin and Baclofen forever if I want to be pain free. I don't like that idea, but if needs must.
Good luck with your pain management.
Hi Alex
Thanks for sharing your feelings with the group. It's so depressing having pain for such a long time, especially if you're not comfortable with taking pain relief long-term. I second Dee's recommendation of trying meditation. It's never really been 'my thing' but out of desperation I recently turned to a book called "Mindfulness for Health". I'm only 3 weeks in but I'm already finding that some of the big ideas of the book are changing my habits of how I deal with the pain. It basically discusses how pain turns in to secondary suffering, where your brain is anticipating and expecting pain. The book is helping me to take each moment as it comes and not to dwell on how much worse I am, or how much worse I could get. Anyway, as I say this is helping me, but everyone is different and I hope that some of the ideas on this feed will help you to feel that there are positive steps you can take.
Best of luck.
Martha
Be thankful you are getting pain killers. I was getting oxycodone. 5 mg x 2 daily. My Dr left, the new doc doesn't "do pain management" and I am left with nothing. I have looked for other resources, and they don't exist in MA, USA.
I haven been here in half a year or more, I went to this Dr I was in so much pain, life didn't seem worth living. Someone touches me and I would cry out in pain no matter where you touched me. They took me off narcotics, fear of becoming addicted. So much pain nothing and no one could help. Then I went to this one Dr. I didn't really care the system let me down. So he started moving me in different ways, not chiropractic, but just moving me. And so I left. And I looked on my paper he adjusted muscles. He did quiet a few he listed them. And a month later I had no pain at all. None, I couldn't walk hardly at all, sleeping was hard and I was taking medication. And pain filled my life. I felt guilty coming here because I still have no pain I got it done around DEC 16 and its march. I am getting twinges so I may go back in but he is busy month in advance at least.
Hi there.
I suffer from crps so chronic pain swelling muscles spasms etc it's been 17 years now.
I went through the drug cycle, morphine , liquid and tablet form
Gabapentine plus lots of others.
I did this for nearly 10 years with no relief.
I then made a conscious decision to become drug free.
While I still have the same symptoms flair ups etc I find my mind alot clearer
This allows me to become more rational towards my condition. I now find I am able to identify triggers stresses etc and cope with them better.
It is also allowing me to work on different relaxation , distractions and other techniques which I wouldn't have been able to cope with while on lots of Meds.
Do you have any pain management help. It sounds like you need other assistance on top of medication.
These techniques can be difficult to learn but have proved very helpful to me.
I think it's like learning a whole new way of life . I equated it to learning how to learning how to drive . I felt at nearly 40 I didn't really need to learn anything to get through life but I have worked hard and it does help.
Finding things that worked was hard as everyone is different. But once I found a distraction and a way of relaxing I found lots of practice helped.
I am now training to be an advisor for a pain management group to try and help others in similar position to me.
The group thing is a bit scary to begin but helpstill you realise your not the only one like you are. You may get some help from this kind of thing.
Please try and stay positive and believe that there are people out there to help.
If there is anything I can assist with please let me know.
Thanks dave
Hi Alex. If you don't mind me asking what meds are you taking? Feel free to rant away, I know how you feel as I've chronic pain in my knees for 20yrs and then shifted to my shoulder and back. Chronic pain is so damn depressing. Unfortunately just because our disability is not visible doesn't mean it's not real. It may just be you need your meds jigging about.
Feel free to rant away we've all been there. Let me know how you get on.
Takecare Debbs. 😃
See an Alexander technique teacher. They may be able to help you cope better.
Yes, chronic pain is depressing. I just had a night where I was awake all night. Which isn't good because I will sleep most of the day now. I find if I can get out of the house everyday and do something where there are other people really does help. Grocery shopping, having coffee with a friend. This pain forum is also very helpful because we are all going thru some kind of pain. Last month at my pain management appt I broke down and cried. Something I never do there. He being a very kind man questioned me. I asked him if chronic pain and depression go hand in hand and he confirmed this and also asked if I take anything for my depression. I had forgotten to that morning so that explained my feelings. Find something that you enjoy. I love music and dance. I can't do that very often due to my pain, music is very therapeutic I think I will also start a journal in hopes of a way to recognize my pain triggers and then avoid those situations. I've always wanted to take a pottery class, but my hands and fingers hurt a lot from my RA. Hope I could help
Itching skin and fed up with it
Fed Up..
Fed up with doctors.
Feeling fed up
