I can’t take this pain any longer

[Claire-Rose]

I have been suffering with bad pain for about a year now in my lower back knees elbows and sometimes wrist. My back is the most painful but only hurts when I walk where as they rest hurt all the time. I can’t sleep I can’t go places, so far i have tried cocodamol, codydramol, cbd oil and cream, deep heat creams and patches, ibuprofen gel as I can’t take it orally. I have also used massagers on my lower back nothing is working however I am asthmatic and whenever I have gone to hospital they have given me iv steroids( hydrocortisone) which has worked to the point I can walk for longer but still got little bit of pain so I tried to increase my oral steroids which made no difference and now I’m running out of options so if anyone has any other options please let me know I will try anything

[rabbits65]

Oh no poor you , you sound so poorly . I too have a lot of pain . Sciatica , and very bad feet pain. I have acclimatised myself to the pain. It’s not always easy but decided last year not to take pain killers anymore on a regular basis as they just cloud your brain. Then I developed severe tinnitus , have found the tinnitus site here as helped immensely with that. I now try and relax and walk my poodles as much as my back and feet allow. I am building up strength, have less anxiety , what I wanted to ask you though is , Have you tried going to a pain management clinic ? I went to some sessions 8 years ago and found these sessions very beneficial. They teach you how to manage your pain. The thing is if we get all tensed up it will just make you feel worse. Pain killers are necessary I’m not saying they are not , but they are not the be all and end all of helping you recover . 😊. Take care

[Claire-Rose in reply to rabbits65]

Thankyou I was at pain management clinic but they took me off it for some reason

[rabbits65 in reply to Claire-Rose]

Phone them back at pain management and tell them you need to return . Ask them why they took you off the list when you need help still.

[Nothing_but_books]

Physical therapy made a huge difference to me for back pain. It took weeks of sticking to it, but ultimately it helped a lot. Use heat before workouts to allow you to stretch more easily, ice after to reduce swelling.

Be careful who you go to, there are some bad places. One PT place injured me. They didn't know what they were doing, and didn't care. Check reviews.

I use a wrist support overnight, and it helps too.

My asthma kicks up when I am very stressed, constant pain doesn't help. I know it's hard to keep your stress down when you hurt. I try to keep myself distracted.

I understand what you mean, but don't "try anything". Trust your judgement and look out for yourself.

[Claire-Rose in reply to Nothing_but_books]

Thankyou will try that

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Claire-Rose]

You're welcome.

[ashy67]

got osteoarthiritus of the spine---took morphine for it-didnt even touch the pain

[Claire-Rose in reply to ashy67]

Sorry to hear that I hope you get the right treatment too to manage your pain

[ashy67 in reply to Claire-Rose]

ive tried everything-nothing works---got nerve pain all over as well-----pain in every joint

[Konagirl60]

How old are you? Has your doctor ruled out arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica or Sjögren’s syndrome? You need a diagnosis. Should you see a rheumatologist?

There are many autoimmune diseases that causes symptoms mimicking arthritis and causing chronic joint and back pain.

Can you describe the pain? Is it achy? Do you feel burning sensations? Does it tingle? Are you itchy?

I have neuropathy with muscle spasms. The natural supplements that have helped me are Curcumin ( anti-inflammatory ), Magnesium bisglycinate ( anti spasm ), Boswellia ( pain ), Ginger pills, and Passionflower tablets ( calming and anti anxiety and pain relief ) and Valerian pills ( sleep ).

I still require two meds and I will forever as my neuropathy disabled me and has left me with a severe permanent nerve stretch/pinch injury that has affected bladder and bowel function.

Please PERSIST in getting a diagnosis. Pain pills do cause brain fog as they have sedative like qualities. They also cause other side effects but a person in intractable chronic pain WILL DO ANYTHING if the pain is affecting quality of life, ability to move, ability to sleep as pain is exhausting and when it persists the brain chemistry changes. Have you been offered hydrmorphone or a low dose fentanyl duragesic patch? You need to sleep!

[Claire-Rose in reply to Konagirl60]

Hi I’m 30 and the pain in my lower back is like a squeezing sort of pain like someone is standing on it while twisting it if that makes sense where as my knees and elbows are like a dull ache that gets worse and it feels like when you have the flu and your body aches

[Batty1]

What did they diagnose you as having?

[Claire-Rose in reply to Batty1]

So far osteopenia in the spine, Cushing’s syndrome and pitting odema but they think it’s something more rheumatoid as it’s affecting different parts of my body so waiting to be diagnosed

[Batty1 in reply to Claire-Rose]

Wow you have it bad… sucks and I get it Im riddled with PSA and Hypothyroidism absolutely like sucking.

[Paul_Wakefield]

Hi Claire-Rose I sympathise. I don’t have the same conditions as you but I have chronic acute pain from nerve damage after a multiple neck fracture. I’m in your position psychologically because the pain never stops and I can rarely sleep and there are many times when I am certain I can’t go on. So I think I know how desperate you feel at the moment .

I am working with the pain clinic and on my many visits I speak to other people who have similar conditions to you. There is a treatment that seems to help with a wide range of pain conditions particularly where the pain affects many areas of the body.

Intravenous lidocaine infusion .

You probably know that Lidocaine is usually used as a Local anaesthetic But in this treatment it is diluted and introduced through an IV in your arm. It takes about 2-3 hours. They do some basic health checks like blood pressure before you start. Then they put a cannula in your arm or hand and connect a powered syringe pump. Then you sit there while it’s slowly pumps the Lidocaine solution into your bloodstream.

Nobody really understands why It works but it is a godsend for a lot of people with chronic acute pain.

The length of time it works varies amongst patients but it is usually 6 to 9 weeks although I’ve spoken to some people where it has lasted three months and some where it only lasted four weeks.

The first step, if you haven’t done it already, is to get yourself referred to the pain management clinic.

[Claire-Rose in reply to Paul_Wakefield]

Oh wow thanks I didn’t know that will defo mention it

[MSTKing]

I know where you are coming from - living with pain can be awful, that's why effective pain relief is needed and it sounds like you have tried a lot without success. My advice always around pain - because it does work - is to set up a diary for seven days. Have a scoring method say 1 for the most minor pain and 10 for unbearable.

At points throughout each day mark down what level you are - what made it a bit better - what made it worse. What did you take for your pain and after an hour has it made any difference? Be really honest - mark down when pain made you vomit or if you couldn't sleep due to pain.

Then take that to your GP - they much prefer a document that explains each day and the different points you will be at throughout the day and night. Ask for a referral to the pain team, and explain that so far you have tried lots of medications without success. Hopefully the document will show him that you need a new plan for your pain. Good luck.

[Claire-Rose in reply to MSTKing]

That’s an amazing idea will do it Thankyou

[MSTKing in reply to Claire-Rose]

Good luck!

[Haz999]

I have a trapped nerve in my lower back which travels across to my right hip which I've had for over 2 years and I've also got bursitis in my left hip and the pain travels down to my knee which I've had for over a year. I have had physio, steroid injections, had a course of pilates, tried lidocaine patches and different pain killers which don't give much relief but I bought a small tens machine and this does help especially if I want to go out for a short walk so I suggest you try one. Good luck.

[Claire-Rose in reply to Haz999]

Thankyou I have just ordered a tens machine hopefully it will work

[Stobban]

Yea, you sound so much like me and I have Osteoarthritis. All that you describe sounds the same regarding the pains throughout your body. I suffered a good part of my life in agony, walking, stooping, in fact any physical activity. After years of medical advice I got nowhere but eventually I was convinced I have Arthritis, I then told my new doctor who agreed. I now take strong opioids which work 100 per cent, definately not anti-arthritic drugs, giving me rest at night and mostly pain free during the day.. Opioids are not addictive if taken for severe pain, that's a fact. There's a lot spoken on opioids but they do the job that milder analgesics fail to do. Give this some thought then consult your doctor. All the best.

[Konagirl60 in reply to Stobban]

Which opioid are you using? I’m glad it’s helping you!

[Hidenseek]

Hi I'm so sorry ýou are experiencing so much pain I had a fall back I 2019 which caused a frozen shoulder and severe lower back pain even morphine patches didn't help. So far I have managed to lose 3 stone in weight (not saying yours is anything to do with weight) and to think a year ago I couldn't walk 10 mins without severe back pain. I am now doing 2 x 20 mins walks a day. I have been seeing a physio who gave me stretching exercises to do after hydrodilation procedure to unfreeze shoulder. Unfortunately the key issue is time.....I do get frustrated but this time last year I couldn't move at all because of the pain... now I'm doing 2 x 20 mins a day with paracetamol and tiger balm type ointment from home bargains. As long g as I warm my muscles up before hand things generally are OK. I hope you find a solution that helps. Take care x

[Hidenseek]

Sorry I've just read you have osteoarthritis please do t think I'm belittling you when I said ..time.....I wasn't offered steroids but damaged my sacroiliac joint aswell and that took ages to heal.....I'm still taking it slowly xxx

[Claire-Rose in reply to Hidenseek]

Hi don’t worry I don’t have osteoarthritis I have osteopenia which is in between normal bone density and osteoporosis where the bones break easily luckily it’s reversible. I’m glad you are on the mend I will definitely be taking your advice

[emmap40]

I'm so sorry to hear about your pain, I have struggled with knee pain for years and can relate to your story. I hope you don't mind be asking, but have you tried TENs therapy? I've been using paingone.com/ and really can't believe how effective it is. I used to dread going to any occasion where I would be on my feet, or have to walk for a period of time. It's made such a difference to my quality of life, I bring it with me everywhere.

[Claire-Rose in reply to emmap40]

Hi I just got a tens machine and the pain gone pen I only received it Friday so fingers crossed it works