Chronic Pain - good days and bad days

[Elithia]

Hi lovely people,

So my main mental health challenge these days relates to living with chronic pain. I wondered if there might be others in the same situation?

It's a tricky topic: it doesn't fit neatly into anxiety or depression, and so I've posted it here.

I'm thinking of a thread where people can share their good days (strategies that work; small victories; celebrations) as well as bad days (hitting the wall; or just those dark nights of the soul when pain gets in the way of sleep).

If you are living with chronic (or acute) pain, and this thread sounds like something you'd be interested in, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.

Wamest wishes,

Elithia

[Elithia]

Hi Harpbird,

Yes indeed, it's a yellow-tailed black cockatoo. We get them around here too, on sunny days when they all flock down to the coast. I've planted some banksias and am looking forward to the day when they stop in to crack into some of the seeds.

Sounds like you've really been given the runaround on more than on occasion! I'm really sorry that's happened for you.

I've had bad referred pain from an impinged nerve in my spine for months now.

Thanks Harpy 🙂

Elithia x

[Harpbird]

Hi Elithia,

My spect scan also showed arthritis in shoulders more so in the right side in Rotator cuff.

Do you like coffee or tea? Oh boy I enjoy a good cuppa. But can only use the take away mug or my own sippy cup, lol

I do live with a heat pack on me. I made my own in a T shape , so it wraps around my neck and down my spine past my waist. It’s heave when it’s really hot. I found a heated pool good too, but live over 20 km from the nearest one.

With your nerve pain do you get what feels like a phone on vibrate under your skin? I get it constantly in my right shoulder blade and on my thighs,

hope your having a good day.
harpybird xx

[Harpbird]

I have had a rotten last couple of weeks pain wise.

Constantly ringing pain dr to be told no appointments available.

Then I ring pain clinic today and they say they sent permission forms to continue pain management to my GP on the 24th last month.

Finally got onto my medical centre and they looked and recon my GP hasn’t received any forms and she will ring pain dr to find out where they are.
Then in her next breath says she will forward them into my gps inbox now. I am so mad some one is lying 🤥. Meanwhile I am suffering. grrrrrr

[Harpbird]

Hi Elithia, I hope your doing ok, thinking of you.

[Harpbird]

Good day today for me , my pain specialist finally got back to me and I start my first course of injections in my neck tomorrow. I can’t wait.
I hope all you fellow pain sufferers are doing ok.

[Harpbird]

Well 1st injection went in right side C5/6 nerve root. Got intense but only for a moment then everything from there through shoulder and down arm into hand had massive pins and needles and went numb. My daughter took me home and by then the intense pain was horrific , I went to bed and it lasted two hours, I was almost about to call an ambo. But husband came home and got my meds. Now it’s all good phew. No pain in hand is not what I am used to, feels good. I am booked in again in 2 weeks for bilateral injection at next level. Suppose a couple hours extra pain will hopefully give me a few month’s relief. 🤞

[Harpbird]

Hey Elithia, how are you coping ? Low pain I hope for you.

[Harpbird]

Is there any chronic painers out there?
I have had my 10 injections in my spine and two on my right shoulder.
I had all my hopes pinned on these lot of pain relief, just even to take the edge of for a little while, but I am back to square one and in a very bad head space .
how do you get by ? I am really struggling.

[Hanna3]

Hi Harpbird,

I haven't read through all the thread here but I thought I'd briefly post a comment as I saw yours - sorry to hear what you're going through. I have chronic pain from a lumbar spine disc problem (nerve pain). I read a couple of excellent books on pain management from the library where I live and my physiotherapist put me onto Utube talks by Lorimer Moseley, who is a physiotherapist in Australia and worth listening to.

I get bad flare up days but the pain is still not near as bad as it used to be - I use heat packs, I walk as much as I possibly can, swimming or walking in water is great - also a few stretch exercises - and learning about neural pathways and how much your mental health is connected to chronic pain - Moseley's talks are good to help understand this. Fatigue/anxiety can make pain flare up badly.

Don't know if you have a pain management centre available to you at a hospital near you? Anyway it might be worth looking for some books on chronic pain in a library near you for techniques to help you cope - distraction is also good - notice while you are absorbed in something you enjoy you don't feel the pain as much?

I wish you well. Lots of good Utube talks on chronic pain management. I hope you find some help chronic pain is horrible but you can learn how to manage it as well as you can.. good luck! Cheers.

[Harpbird]

Hi hanna3,

thanks for your reply, yes I have been to an intregrated pain management at a large hospital near me , 18 months I followed it through , did everything they asked. The thing is going all that way ( only 50 min drive) to be there for 5 hours a day, then to make the trip home. I need a driver as I can’t drive that far. I am limited to 25 mins to prevent a flare. All I felt like I got out of it was that the pain is in my head. A few others did to but the quit coming.

two years after that I went private to a pain specialist to help me get off the amount of pain meds I was on. I actually cried when he said that the pain isn’t in my head . Took 7 months to wean off those meds ( going through the withdrawals was horrendous, something I never want to have to go through again) to change them at lower doses.
He gave me a book to read ( it was just so repetitive I gave up reading it)

I can distract myself, my grandkids are my world and am too busy to feel the pain. Or can crochet for a bit or make macrame floating shelves.

I will search the out those sites you recommend. Thank you.

harpy