FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Chronic Pain - good days and bad days

Elithia
Community Member

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

40 Replies 40

G’day justAnYtka’s, I am sorry your dealing with the endo, I have a couple of friends who suffer considerable pain with this. One friend in particular I seen have very cruel attacks come out of nowhere. I hope someone on here who suffers the same condition can help with some tips for you to help cope.
harpbird

I was please my appointments weren’t pushed too far away.

gulp💧

Like the sound of that, covid iso blues. 🤔

gulp💧💧

Me no sing 🎶, yeh na, my voice didn’t come with any tone 🤣 , will look into that app

Gulp 💦 💧💧

I was lucky with the harmonica I picked it up so easy, a shock to my teacher, I was one lady in a class of fellas. I could mimic the teacher after a year.

Drink for you 💦💧💦💧

though I haven’t played for years as with the limited movement I have in my neck makes it impossible to play without severe pain causing a migraine 😰

💧💧

funnily enough that’s what tattoo I want , it is a big old tree frog on a log playing the harp , with one foot dangling in the water to the beat.

💧💧 your water ,

so wet those tonsils and belt out a song, if I could walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more , to be a man la Layla

mmMekitty
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

good morning, 🐸, How are ya? I'm hoping it's not so hot, at least. I have to admit I'm rather glad I am in this part of SEQld where I didn't have that really bad storm (a little south-west of me) last Tuesday evening. It's been cooler since Wednesday .

It's early enough that I'm still having my coffee. - & that cup is bigger than it looks! To magnify it so it does look the same size depends on the size of the screen, so I couldn't tell you how much bigger...I've got a large tv I'm using for a monitor & even zoomed to its maximum 1600%, the emoji still isn't big enough when I hold my coffee mug/soup mug up next to it.

By the way, nothing wrong with a little croaking. 🎤. Think, Marianne Faithful, Tina Turner. Or try a sort of style which would be like a poet performing to music. I don't know how they get the timing & rhythm to not sound too forced, but sometimes it works very well.

I was just thinking, wondering if there are such electronic substitutes, like a microphone which alters the sound of your voice so it would sound like a harmonica, (or other fun things)? Couple with an editing program which would allow you to fix the pitch of each note? Or am I really dreaming, pie in the sky, dreaming?

About tattoos - what is it that attracts people to wanting to be tattooed? To have something which the person getting the tattoo expects to be permanently on their skin for the rest of their lives? (This question from someone who doesn't even have pierced earlobes.) I do like the idea of a frog on a limb playing a harp. Their mouths look perfect for it, to me. 😺

Can you imagine if Kermit was playing a harp instead of the banjo? in 'Rainbow Connection', or if it had been included in 'It's Not Easy Being Green'? Now, there's a thought! 😺A blues version!

A happy day, to you, Harpbird.

mmMekitty

good evening to you mmMekitty. 🐱

my day started out thinking I could come out of isolation. But no, even though I tested positive for covid I was able to leave but no because I still have some symptoms I have to be in isolation until next Friday. Oh well the way I look at it I get another week all to myself and loving it. It’s not for ever and will take it as it comes. My osteopath rang again today to see how I am going , which is nice. good you were safe from the storm. We got a far bit of rain here and today is nice and cool which I am enjoying. Oh I am the same with the size of my coffee cups, there more like a bucket 🙂. The hotter the better. That true croaking raspy voice will do me just fine and dandy. Now that would be good if there was such a thing. Think there is on an organ or flash keyboard ? Would be great fun to mess with lol I actually have two tattoos, one of a poppy my kids brought for me just after my dad died. Never in the world I have thought of getting a tat. I Also have one of a baby elephant holding a 💔 shaped 🎈 for our dear 👶 grandson we lost. He will have been 3 in a couple of weeks . I cherish my tats . I have them on the inside of my forearms so I see them all the time. Yes I can picture Kermit playing a harp would be brilliant lol. I got my diamond art picture out yesterday and have been sitting at the table putting tiny little coloured dots on there numbers , going to be a beautiful 🦚 when I am finished. Taken a couple years already lol can only sit for so long then I got to get up and move around. Think my little 🐶 is hungry, her belly is making some weird noises. 😂


mmMekitty
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Hi Harpbird,

😺Good, you have things to do, a cute 🐶to look after & for some company & cuddles, & you are enjoying your own company.

I do enjoy the Garage Band app on my iPhone, even though it has problems. I simply enjoy making sounds. I can't accurately aim my fingers to deliberately forms chords, but that hardly seems to matter. I've decided on a new musical style I call, "Near Enough Is Good Enough". 😸

I like the piano best, though there are many modern synthesized sounds, other instruments, such as organ, strings, drums, bass, as well. There is a setting for automated chords, or for various scales, like pentatonic, or minor blues, or klezmer, & more.

For some reason I began playing this app with almost exclusively with my left hand.

*

Tatoo or not, your little grandson will always be in your heart.

*

I haven't heard of 'diamond art' before, but the way you describe it is like 'paint by numbers'. It's fine to take a long time - I think that would make me feel like I'm getting my money's worth! I do get too impatient.

*

😸Nice Osteopath!

*

Now, take a break for some more 💧💧. (had to borrow some of your 💧💧, like I borrowed Jo's❤️, because my PC doesn't have the💧, & the ❤️on mine don't turn up red. Hope you do't mind. Do you happen to have a walrus emoji?)

mmMekitty

mmMekitty
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

How you going, Harpbird?

Not many sleeps now!

I got new exercises to do as of today. Gotta stretch certain areas & loosen them up. Because it hurts to stretch, I need to do the stretches. If it didn't hurt, I wouldn't need to do them....😾

I hope you have been able to hop out for a little sunshine while you are there. That's important , too, even for little frog🐸gies . No sun-baking, that's all.

Sleep well,

mmMekitty

Hi mmMekitty, I hope your stretches are helping . That is also something I can not do. Oh wouldn’t it be heaven to wake up and stretch ahhhh. Not to have to struggle or need help to get up . I lost that ability when my dumb spine decided it was better of calcifying together. I got over the covid well and finally getting my booster tomorrow. I have just had another round of injections in my spine. Sometimes I think for the relief I do get isn’t worth the side effects. Sorry for whining I am having a very down day. I look fine on the out side but and crumbling on the inside. 😖

mmMekitty
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Hello Harpbird,

Effing stuff ain't it! I don't think I could say words strong enough. I can't help but to compare with others, & wonder why I complain... I know I complain because even if my pain is mild, on a daily basis, it it so irritating & frustrating.

I'm trying to continue my stretches. But I did some silly thing to my upper right arm & it's making the streches very difficult to do properly. But, there is slow improvement , to slow, I say, but while I do improve, I get cranky for complaining.

Recently I have bought a couple pairs of dumbbells, 1 & 2 kg, to also strengthen my arms & wrists, so they (the wrists) won't hurt so much (that's what the physio said), & to build some muscle up again in my arms. I don't like feeling weak in any sense, so I am taking to the weights better.

I did want so much to stretch, upon waking, but while I was too restricted to do so, I think , I learned how much I took it for granted. I might still get little cramps in some places, so I try to do it carefully. I guess these are signs of getting older.

I wish there were more things to do thanto try to distract you, me & anyone with persistant, ongoing pain.

I could try juggling some mmMarshmallows...give you a little giggle for a moment? Would you like some? With any luck, you might find my favourite mmMarshmallow!

I'm thinking, I got lucky, Monday last, having risked going to my Ophthalmologist's appointment at the big eye clinic, with all those Doctors, staff & patients & others... not being able to wear a mask, with concerns every time I need to go somewhere...but yeah, I don't think I have been infected , this time. It's Thursday now, & no symptoms turning up, 😸so I'm thinking it's unlikely.

Glad you've got your booster. I think it's a good time to have got it.😺

It is lovely to hear from you, even on a down day.

mmMekitty

hi again, thanks for your reply, yeh the words I would use would soon get deleted. Chronic pain is so cruel. My gorgeous grandkids and my angel 😇 in heaven distract me momentary but it comes back with a vengeance. I am so doing my all not to SH today. We do as our physio, chiro, gp, osteopath, pain specialists tells us to , half of it causes a flare up the other half just can’t physically be done. Injections help but cause so many unwanted side effects then sets off depression and drinking so I don’t SH. Some Medico’s need more education on chronic pain. NO We don’t want pills , misery. We want to join in life again. Ive been in pain a long time but chronic uncontrollable since February 2002. I try weights, oh heck no , not worth the flare up, but I do sit with an exercise band and do what I can, I do walk when this dang fit bit tells me to get up. I think at 57 ( for me ) isn’t old ,we still should be able to go shopping enjoy it and not suffer for days afterwards. ok now you got my attention, I recon those huge campfire marshmallows 😋 want to enjoy a marshmallow it has to be worth the munch. Funnily you mentioned the ophthalmologist? I got a call with my appointment at jhh , only been waiting since July last year. With my history of skin cancer this appointment can’t been soon enough. So I rang jhh back for the gastroenteritis and well I still have a year to wait 🤨. I won’t have a gut left by then. So glad you didn’t have covid. I was lucky I suppose having my first two vax I didn’t get it bad, but so enjoyed two weeks in house by myself. I got a call off a friend a little while ago, I suppose she knows me well enough to read between the line, yeh I had a good cry 😭. I am sitting on my verandah with the flood waters running under the house, so if you want to come fishing I can almost guarantee you will catch an eel 😜. Thanks mmMekitty

Leisa68
Community Member

Hello all,

Ohh the pain is bad today, but the voices in my head are quiet, so I can cope. I allowed myself a stronger painkiller this evening, I just can't move without it. I usually use a less strong sedative and usually, that's okay. I have bilateral tendon disfunction, so both tendons in my legs and feet have been torn and therefore my feet are collapsing to one side. The doctors have operated on my left foot (taking my bones apart and fusing them back together) but the operation has not gone well and my left foot has collapsed again. I go back to the hospital in late April and find out what can be done.

The pain is like a heavy hammer to my feet, a burning searing hammer. I am lucky to have my partner as my carer and am currently on the pension. My tolerance to pain seems to be high I think, I have had this pain for some time, and most times I can tolerate it. Ice packs help too. Keeping my feet up works with the swelling. I never thought about my feet when I was well and working, isn't it funny how much I think about them now!

I hope you all have a lovely Easter.

Leisa