dealing with Chronic Pain...

i cant find anything pain med wise that works for me so i am forced to live with the pain constantly with no relief so i know what you mean.. its horrible but dont know what else to do about it. i just try to not be so active that i bring on more pain and with the fatigue im not very active as is but if i really want to do something i try to not let the pain stop me.. i rest when i can and need to and just try to listen to my body and know where my limits are.. im bad about following the limits some times but eh you only live once!!

I live with pain every day of my life and have done for over 30 years. I do much the same as you in that I do whatever I can on any given day and if I am having less pain then I try to do a little extra because I never know how I am going to be the next day and the next and may not be able to do anything on those days...and I take meds for the pain, although they don't help very much. My doctor has been trying to get me to take a stronger meds but I keep putting it off as long as I can because I know I'll get immune to that pain med and then maybe there will be nothing left for me to use when I really need it!

wow you are so brave! i have a migraine that attacks when just being triggered. but when i have the symptoms, i immediately take medicine, for prevention. but honestly, i gave up taking medicines. i'd rather take the pain as it is and just deal with it.

I feel your pain. I have osteoarthritis with spinal bone spurs, Fibromyalgia and restless leg syndrome. Pain is a daily thing for me. I use several things to help. One is meditation. I don't know why but it helps me be calm and manage my pain sometimes. I also use a hottub, or ice packs. And if all else fails then I have prescription pain meds. Now one thing I'm going to suggest to you for your restless leg syndrome may sound weird, but many of my friends with this swear by it. And it was recommended in a doctor's journal of one of my friends. We don't know why it helps, but it does. Ok, you get a bar of ivory soap and unwrap it. Then you put in between your top and bottom sheets down by your legs. For some reason it helps some people with RLS and pain. If nothing else its worth a try right? Good luck.

I have an extremely bad back as well as neuropathy. I honestly cannot remember the last time I was not in pain. Some days are much worse than others. Those days are the days I reach for my meds. On a normal day (if you want to call it that) I take a hot bath or shower in the morning, stay as active as I can during the day, and try not to sit, stand, or lie down for very long periods of time without alternating. I sleep with a heating pad on my lower back and my legs propped up on pillows. Even then, there are times I just can't sleep. The absolute best thing I have found to help me sleep is a memory foam matress. Unfortunaltely, I haven't had the money to buy a new one for over a year now. Yes, I hurt, all the time, but, I don't let it get me down. I tell myself everyday that I fdeel great and it is going to be a wonderful day. I approach it with a positive attitude, and don't let the pain run my life for me.

I have Restless Leg Syndrome too. I don't have the pain with it yet, but I have the spasms, that just make you want to move your legs all the time. I do not take meds, as I can not afford them, plus the doctor said there are just too many side affects. She told me to put a bar of soap between the top sheet or blanket and the bottom sheet. She said that she does not know why, but that it has been known to work. Ever since I started with the bar of soap, I sleep much better. If my legs do bother me, I will get up and go on the computer and play a game that has some action to it, and it keeps my mind off my legs, which helps it pass so I can sleep. Another thing I discovered myself, is that I take my hair brush, and brush my legs with it, the fronts, backs, sides, the top of my foot, between the toes, sides of the feet, and the bottom and heel of the foot. It helps to desensitize my leg, which helps stops the spasms, and then it doesn't bother me to have the blanket or sheet touching my legs. Sometimes I just have to pull up my slacks or pj bottoms so that the fabric does not touch my legs, that is when the brush comes out. Good luck to you.

I have pain issues caused by a rheumatic arthiritis problem since the last few years. Althought the medication keeps it in control, there are a lot of times that the pain aggravates. In my opinion there is no point in hiding it. Most people will ask out of concern. I am honest with them and explain when the need arises. The rest of the time i try to keep myself engrossed in whatever i am doing. That helps. The frame of mind is important here and as troublesome the pain can get, we have to learn to bear it and try to get the better of it. The more we let ourselves get overwhelmed with trying to bear it, the more difficult it can get. I do wish you all the best and hope that you continue to lead a fairly normal life.

i lost a kidney to cancer 4 years ago and since then my disc's are deteroirating at an alarming rate so its bone on bone, the v.a. has me one 6 painkillers a day which us not good for my remaining kidney so i found that letting super hot water pounding on the location is a great relief. if you have the mobility and means to get a hot tub that could be your answer, or just let the shower do its work. i got rid of the cane for awhile and thats a plus. i hate parking in those handicap spots when there's so many people worse off than me but some days i do use them.

Next month I am scheduled to be tested for arthritis and hopefully for Fibromyalgia also. I'm in pain a lot and it hurts to walk because my muscles are always hurting me. All I do now is pop Ibuprofen and other over the counter pain medication like crazy and it doesn't really help. I hope they can give me something for the pain I have daily. I get tired of the pain ruling my life and people I know can't relate or understand what I'm going threw usually.How do I deal with the pain? Not very well actually, I think because of this pain I'm often depressed and hope my doctors appointment will shed some light into why my muscles & joints hurt so much.I push myself daily to do things and usually at the end of the day I'm in terrible pain, if I go out shopping for more then an hour and come home my muscles and body hurt life crazy. Hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel for me.

How do I deal with it? I exercise, get enough sleep, visit the doc regularly, occasionally take medication if I really need it, keep a positive attitude, don't overdo. That's pretty much it.

I've had knee pain for years now that began while I was in the US Army. Recently the VA diagnosed me with early osteoarthritis in both knees, but I continue to have problems even with "conservative measures" like stretching, ice, using knee braces, taking motrin, naproxin, or other NSAIDs, and rest. When the pain gets really bad, my hips and back starts hurting too. For about a month or two the pain increased to the point that I was using forearm crutches constantly. I've even gotten differant pain killers off and on, from toradol shots to percocet and currently vicodin, but I hate the way the pain killers make me feel--especially the vicodin. I was seen just yesterday at the VA after my daughter's surgery (she had some ear tags removed) and they ordered some blood drawn to look for inflamitory contidtions like rhuematoid arthritis, lyme disease, or possibly fibromyalgia, as I also get pain in my ankles and wrists occasionally. If it is something like lyme disease, the ortho doctor said they could give me an antibiotic and my pain could disappear alltogether! I'd love for this to be something easily treatable, but I'm afraid of getting my hopes up. I've had problems for almost ten years and until recently the most I heard from the VA was that I had patello-femoral (or retro-patellar) pain syndrome, which is a fancy way of saying I had generalized knee pain and they didn't know why. The docs still seem uncertain quite what's going on or why I'm in so much pain, but they have acknowledged that my pain is real. This is somewhat reassuring--even though no one wants to have anything wrong, I've had some docs all but flat-out tell me that it's in my head or that they thought I was making it up. I even had a civilian rheumatologist basically imply that I was trying to cheat the government for benefits (he told me all these stories about people trying to do just that, but how it never worked because there was no evidence to support their case). It has been pretty hard for me, and I finally got into mental health because of how it has affected my moods and stress levels. This is something I didn't want to do for a long time, but I realized that it isn't fair to take out my frustrations on my family. I worry that there will come a time that I will get fired or not be able to work because of pain. I worry that some day I might not be able to do things around the house, or even play with my kids. It's really frustrating and depressing sometimes, but I'm hoping that seeing the counsilors can help. The also have me trying wellbutrin, and from the sounds of it, they plan to gradually step up the dosage to help balance my moods. I don't generally get into all this, but this seems like a good outlet. I think I understand how you feel; sometimes I have to use canes or crutches to help me walk, but I get frustrated because they make it difficult to do other things and I get dirty looks at the store sometimes (even when I'm wearing my "Disabled Veterns" hat). It's not easy dealing with chronic pain sometimes, especially when everyone keeps reminding me I'm too young! Take care, bro, and keep doing the best you can do. I hope they can find something to help you out more with your pain.

I have an S curve scoliosis that somewhat has an alarming degree of curve. Two years ago, it was only 7 degrees and 11 degrees but has now gone to 13 degrees and 24 degrees. I could not stay seated for a long period of time and finding a comfortable sleeping position is something I have to deal with every night. There are times that my back would ache for the whole evening or sometimes for the whole day. There was a time that my Physical Medicine doctor prescribed a painkiller, but only good for 10 days and it was the most wonderful 10 days of my life. But after the 10 pills she does not want me to be dependent on it, she only adviced me to put a hot compress on my back for 15 minutes. Sometimes the pain is too much there is nothing I can do but just endure it. I guess somehow I have developed great tolerance towards pain.

Dday, have you tried something called as EFT? Look it up on the internet and learn the basics of it. It is fairly simple and has known to help deal with a lot of chronic pain sufferers. Buzz me if you need more information. I'd be happy to help, as I have learnt this technique myself. Good luck, and keep mylotting!

I suffer with several prolapsed discs, dropped foot, numbness with chronic pain in right arm, chronic pain when I walk, arthritis in my knees and hips. I use pain patches and tablets but I certainly do not worry about what other people think if I have to stop and lean forward because of pain in my lower back, why should I and why should you they will only be thinking thank goodness it's not me suffering. I just get on with life what is the point in feeling sorry for yourself or worry what other people think takes up to much time and energy enjoy life while you can. Good Luck

You know me Darrel, chronic migraines! Sometimes I feel like I don't deal with them and they take over my life. This year though, my knees are so painful that the pain wakes me up and I can't straighten or bend them. I've come to the point of screaming in pain and crying. Sometimes I get down on my knees and can't get up and other times I can't get down. I don't know what the problem is but I'll be talking to the doctor on my regular check up.