To wonder how we TTC with chronic pain?? Really struggling!

[DunravenBadger]

DH and I want to TTC later this year. I'm tapering off pain medication (pregabalin) under GP guidance and really struggling! Pain levels are high today and I've cried a few times.

If you suffer with chronic pain, how have you found TTC? Any pain management techniques you can recommend?

I'm quite surprised by the suggestion that people with chronic pain shouldn't have kids. It depends on how severe the condition is I guess, but I find that with chronic pain etc. I can pretty much do whatever "healthy" people can. I just take meds to give me a hand when needed. I also thought it was nothing unusual for people who need daily meds to sometimes stop them in order to TTC/go through pregnancies and breastfeed (although this is optional as there is always formula). It's just a sacrifice one has to make but a lot of people do it. I'm low-key hoping to have another child in the future (maybe), and would totally quit my meds and just white knuckle the pregnancy, and then see how I felt after giving birth. I'm already fully capable of looking after a little one and able to run around after them, partially because I take my meds. Nowt wrong with that. I'm also not planning on making my child my carer as I can look after myself. My mum has similar conditions and has done since I was little. She sometimes has quite a bad time with it all, but she has never needed any help from us, apart from just someone to talk to and have a good old moan about aches and pains. I get that everyone's different but loads of us do just fine.

@DunravenBadger I have hypermobility too. It's not the worst they've seen but my GP and physio have certainly pointed this out to me. I was lucky for all the general pains to disappear when I was pregnant, but towards the end something happened to my back so I'm left with an additional back issue. That's a bit of a pain (lol) and has taken a few years to sort, but it's a bit better now and I've learnt to live with it now. I also have fibromyalgia and random connective tissue/arthritis stuff that no-one has been able to fully pinpoint (I have suspected EDS actually, as I have a few of the main symptoms but nothing too drastic so god knows what it really is). I think part of learning to cope with it has been acknowledging that we don't even really know what's wrong with me, and being ok with it. It is what it is.

Good luck with the taper! You can totally do it. If you feel like crap, just do it a bit slower. You'll be off it in no time.