Anybody in pain? Had pain?

[Jacqui805]

A lot of us are here because of problems with pain.  Some of us suffer or suffered from acute pain, others of us suffer from chronic pain – from a variety of causes.  

I happen to be one of those chronic sufferers, and am always looking for relief.  A respite from it entirely, or a reduction in it’s severity or duration would be nice.

I got to thinking, maybe some here have found things that help them either cope with their pain, or reduce it in one of those ways I just mentioned.  Maybe you’ve even found something that keeps a particular pain away in the first place, or something that allows you to enjoy or participate in certain activities like being on the computer, your favorite hobby, or an activity of daily living (ie, dressing, bathing, etc.)  Have you found a med., either Rx or OTC, something herbal, homeopathic, or holistic? –Something topical?  -Relaxation exercises, guided imagery, meditation, massage? –Chiropractic care, acupuncture?  -Assistive devices, braces, or chair pads & cushions?

I’m sure you get the idea here….anything, any idea at all.  Sharing what has helped you would be wonderful, not only for me, but I’m sure, for all of our MedHelp friends who also suffer.

[wait2long]

I have daily chronic pain, life altering chronic pain in my hips, legs, feet, shoulders, arms and hands..no relief yet, i am sensitive to hot and cold, suboxone, advil, tylenol is a joke for this type of pain, although i dont know how much the sub really helps?? i am on a low dose now, maybe why pain has worsened?  wont know that for a while longer,...bengay feels soothing and so does my jacuzzi-hot tub, but doesnt relieve the pain.  its quite tiring by the end of the day, then your exhausted but only sleep in 2 hour intervals, so no real restorative sleep either.
prednisone is the only relief i get so far, but limited relief as you can only use it short term. (5 days is all they will give me) neurontin helps very little for me, not enough worth mentioning really...
massage is painful for me, skin sensitivity and muscle tenderness and stiffness.
my pain has worsened in the past 3 months...it comes in waves of bad to worse...

so i have been on the hunt for alternatives also...sorry i'm no help, but will be watching this thread. wishing you lifelong relief.....cuz i know it ***** when your day cant go as you want or plan it to...
W2L                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

[avisg]

I am doing PT for my leg right now that seems to help ,well at least until I had to chase the dog down yesterday it was not ready for jogging yet ...:(

[Savas]

In all seriousness I do know what you're talking about. I spent months in the hospital after my accident...they put me in one of those chemical comas since they couldn't medicate for the pain (infection makes pain almost impossible to manage).

But you are right, long term serious pain is life altering. What I was really getting at is... you have to try to not let your pain define you. true, you have to accept it, deal with it, and cope with it, but if possible, you have to try to keep it from totally taking you over.

[enemy48]

I haven't read anyone suggesting cool menthol rubs.  I accidentally discovered this by buying the wrong product.  Thought I was getting a hot salve.  The cooling actually works better for me.

Also, for my neck & shoulder pain I freeze solo cups of water w/a wooden stick in the cup.  I hate doing this, but works great.  I place the ice on the area of pain and leave it there till I'm in another kind of pain.  Frozen pain.  It's hard to do, but works for me.

[VicUser]

I think anyone that has dealt with real chronic pain would disagree with you. If you can't move or fear breathing because of the pain, you can't pretend it doesn't exsist. That may be fine for a sore throat or a boo boo on your knee, but I think Jacqui is talking about pain that alters your life, at least I am.

[Savas]

I learned this trick from my mother;

If you ignore a problem and pretend it doesn't exist, it will hopefully eventually go away or resolve itself.


Thank you Mom!!!!  ;)


Heh heh...seriously, I did a hell of a lot of physical therapy years ago to deal with pain. The best I could come up with is the PT caused me to hurt so bloody much in OTHER areas, that it made me less aware of the pain I was working at to get rid of.

Which in a warped way, makes sense.

[VicUser]

I have been living with lower back pain and pain in my left leg and foot for about 8 years now. I have been taking vicodin to help with the pain and allowing me to function as a “normal” person. I have had several sets of epidural cortisone shots, physical therapy, traction, various meds, acupuncture, and a whole host of test to “find” the problem. I have found that ice, hydrotherapy (aka using a hot tub) and acupuncture works the best. Acupuncture works really well if done by a good acupuncturist but is somewhat cost prohibitive after a while. I was paying $90 per visit and needed to go once a week, insurance didn’t cover it at all.

Hydrotherapy is great for short term relief, the cost of a hot tub is allowed under federal law as an allowable expense for a flexible spending account, aka section 125 plan, as long as one’s doctor rights a prescription of signs a letter of medical necessity. Swimming is also good because of being zero gravity and eliminating the pressure on the spine.

I am at the point that my Neurosurgeon wants to implant a neuro-stimulator for pain relief, so I can function and do what I want again without the need for narcotic medication. I am somewhat concerned about this option and would like any input on pros and cons.

[allaboutmary]

Advil, ice & heat packs.  I eat way too many advils. I'm pretty much just waiting for my stomach to start bleeding, but it's the only thing that really helps me. I hear that acupuncture is really the way to go, just can't afford it now.

[dominosarah]

My chiropractor is my hero........

[joann1975]

I am all for massage!

[GoingToMakeIt]

B.E.S.T. technique by trained chiropractors can help.
Acupuncture can too.
Massage helps my back to relax.

[Jacqui805]

Sorry, I meant to put this on the social side.