A place to whinge about chronic pain

[PliezReleaseMe]

...so that I do less of it in real life.

For me it's hypermobile joints and particularly knee pain, have had it for 20 years & recently had surgery to correct it. Still too early to tell what impact it will have.

Right now though I just want to have a good old sob and a whinge and say that I am fed up of having to think about pain, manage pain, medicate for pain, find ways to overcome or push through pain. I am tired of having constipation/runs, hives, itchy skin and brain fog from pain meds. I am tired of having anxiety attacks because of frustration about my restricted mobility.

I know everyone gets aching joints, but there are times when the pain is so bad that I feel faint and nauseous.

Does anyone else manage chronic pain, the kind that no-one can promise will heal or get better? What strategies do you use?

I find the comments like "but you look so well, that's a consolation at least isn't it?" well actually no, looking well is no consolation to feeling like crap 24 hrs a day and barely having the energy to get out of bed let alone anything else!

Most days I just smile and get on with it, there's not much else I can do. I do try and think positively but have the odd day where I want to scream into a pillow and cry all day : ( People often look critically when my ds is sitting on my lap in the wheelchair like I've placed this awful burden upon him my dh usually just makes a point of grinning at them until they look away

Herbie you said that your dr was stopping the tramadol, has he stopped it already? My friend was stopped tramadol so that she could take morphine tablets but as she was reducing the tramadol she was in agony! Dr hadn't thought ti give her something to tide her over between meds hope you sleep tonight!

Rock, I know what you mean about the fibro fog/mental cloudiness, half the time I am surprised that my ds learnt to talk sense as I'm sure I don't most of the time. I can barely think straight and according to my dh when I'm very tired I keep asking him not to let himself get infiltrated!?!

evening all. crept out of bed as I couldnt get comfy and didnt want to wake dh. Waiting for tramadol to kick in then I'll try again. Cats are very pleased to see me down here

Evening all may I please join the thread.

I am lostinwales and I have had a problem with my thoracic spine since I was 16, the best Dr's can come up with is I have an inflammatory degenerative disease of my spine but they don't know why or how to stop the degeneration. I have trouble doing pretty much anything for more that 15 mins at a time, laundry, cooking, walking, standing, sitting.....

My liver is becoming fried from 20 years of paracetamol/ibuprofen and currently I'm taking a drug for rheumatoid arthritis (Arcoxia 90mg) although taking this the same time as an anti ulcer medication hasn't helped a huge amount with the pain but it has given me the symptoms of a stomach ulcer . I LOVE tramadol but can only sit around smiling when I take it, mind you that helps with the pain!

This morning getting the boys packed lunches together left me gasping with pain and in tears that a) it hurt so much and b) I'm youngish and I should be out doing things not trying to time my shopping so I only do a little bit at a time. I am humbled by most of you on this thread coping with so much worse. Bodies can be such traitorous shits eh?

I would love to chat right now but as I have taken my evening coedine to help me sleep I will be slurring my typing soon, see you in the morning.

Oh and PliezReleaseMe thank you for starting this thread, I am boring myself, let alone my friends, whining in RL so having somewhere to vent is brilliant.

hope you manage some sleep lostinwales. gnight.

gnight OYBBK, hope the tramadol kicks in soon. (Is it a bit weird to have a brief moment of fandom and tell you I LOVE your weather threads )

awwww, thank you that's made me smile in real life!

Hope you get some sleep lostinwales and you ohyoubadkitten The tramadol I took at 10pm hasn't helped so I'll wait till 2pm and take some more. I've also had extra dihydrocodeine and diphenhydramine but still in lots of pain : (

helibee, thats quite a hefty mix. I hope it helped. Not so much sleep, though the tramadol def helped with the pain. Never mind. A new day today.

Morning! I had a lovely sleep as I'm super sensitive to Coedine and it knocks me right out! Can't take it in the day though if I want to do anything than doze and drool. I have to go and pick up DH's morning suit in for a wedding on Saturday, our nearest town is about 45 mins drive so I have the joy of driving, ouch and walking back to the car park carrying something heavy, double ouch. Combined with all my friends being excited that I got to go shopping without any children and I could happily knock their teeth out. They don't seem to understand 'no I didn't do any shopping for myself as I was nearly weeping with pain trying to stay upright'

helibee you must have the constitution of an ox! Coedine and Tramadol would have me drooling for days, hope you had some decent sleep.

Those of you sensitive to Codeine I'm wondering if you've tried half dose Co-codomol & adding 2nd half of the dose an hour or so later??

I ask as I too have problems with codiene - weirdly less problems the with morphine I have on repeat, though I don't like really it & do find it can make headaches worse, though again I found taking half dose worked better for me, some pain relief & able to cope as not as woozy etc, though still gives me a temporary headache

I had a fall last Oct, cracked a couple of ribs - @ the damned hospital of all places - A&E gave me co-codomol 500s for it, which was a Godsend at the time & weirdly I realised they actually help with my migraine too :) - nothing else i can tolerate does, but did leave me spaced out, but not so bad as the other drugs I have - I've now found splitting the dose as above gets passed the side effects & still gets me pain relief for general aches, & some nerve pain & migraine

Diazepam works best for me on muscle spasms & takes the edge of the TOS & other neuro pain too

I too am not keen on taking drugs, especially as I've already damaged kidneys, so manage as naturally as possible & keep drugs as a back up for when I want to get out & about & do stuff, takes the edge off so I can be more active - I do rely on Ibruprofen on a morning though :( not keen on that, but sinus swelling leaves me with real groggy tender head which again feels swollen as do my arms etc & effects my balance, vision etc, so I have to take a couple early in order to be in any state to even manage the short school run

I do find things like clary sage aroma oil, Epsom Salt & black pepper & ginger baths, paingone pen for localised pain, oxygen for cluster headache, tens machine for back pain, magnesium & riboflavin(vitB?) for migraine, & MLD massage & PMA can all help me cope as naturally as possible,

I now realise my old attitude of desperately trying NOT to take any drugs was a mistake, Pain itself is a stressor & stress in my case causes BIG flare ups (shite for an ex adrenolin junky like me, but c'est la vie)

& helibea I had to laugh at your comment as regards your Kids - when I was first ill & not knowing what or how to deal with it & dealing with a lot of stress, DD was vey young - I lost my voice almost completely for over 6 months M.E. still badly affects my throat/throat muscles in a flare up - I was shocked that DD EVER learnt to talk - let alone be a very early talker - she did a lot of finger wagging & scowling though - as that was the only way I could keep her in line & let her know something wasn't allowed/dangerous etc - she still wags her finger if she's telling anyone off now - & she's 8!! ...LOL

:( herbie.
A lighted kindle is a very good idea. Might nick that one for myself. It's miserable creeping out of bed and sitting downstairs where it is cold so that I don't disturb dh.

I've a new tracker pad instead of a mouse if your hands are bad herbie I can definitely recommend them, gripping the old mouse used to set of my hands & put my neck in spasm, this is much better

good luck with your op, enjoy your lazy tv day

& yes OYBKitten I can relate to that too, though thankfully not often so cold here

Jealous of your reading though - not something I can really do anymore - get so foggy a few chapters down the line & I forget who the darn characters are

Hi everyone & welcome newcomers. I am so pleased that people are finding this to be somewhere that they can say all the stuff they don't want to say in real life. As lostinwales says, I bore myself sometimes, let alone anyone else.

Well after the excitement of finding I could drive, I was walking down the stairs and had a surprise attack of trapped wind - yeah, ha ha, farts etc - actually I get this from time to time and am doubled up with it, I think it's due to holding my body in tension to avoid pain. It took me by surprise on the stairs and I jarred my knee a bit. Between the knee and the tummy I had to take a tramadol and go back to bed feeling really guilty and ashamed of myself and like I'd let everyone down after the promise of a trip out. Tummy calmed down after a couple of hours (I couldn't even get off the bed to go down for dinner, which DH cooked) but knee still painful. I just lay there telling myself how pathetic I am. I don't often get like this, my GP put me on anti-anxiety meds before the op as I knew that the op might trigger me off.

Anyway I didn't go out again yesterday for various reasons & setbacks, then today I managed to drive everyone to work, school and nursery. Was looking forward to a rare day at home by myself & getting on with a sewing project I need to have ready in 2 weeks' time. I sat down with a DVD on and started sewing, but it was so hard to get comfy, I had to keep stopping & resting my leg and I had to use the wrong foot to operate the pedal so the thread kept bunching. After I finished hemming a skirt I thought I would stop for lunch, went into the kitchen and saw that it was 2:30pm and not about 12 as I had imagined. I didn't even notice the DVD finishing.

Unfortunately this has really started the tears off, I am looking around at all the bits of thread & fabric and not knowing how I am going to clean it up because I am so sore from the sewing.

I am supposed to go back to work next week and frankly I am bricking it. :(

Let's think of something positive to end on... I am keeping up the physio even though it wears me out and my leg now bends to about 110 degrees, which is a seriously big deal for me. :)

rockinhippy tell me more about 'Epsom Salt & black pepper & ginger baths' that sounds fabulous. I use heat a lot to soothe my back although my consultant was quite startled just how hot I made it the last time I saw him. I try to use as little medication as I can as it never really takes the pain away and I've had bad liver tests in the last 18 months. Diazepam for muscle spasms sounds interesting, sometimes my whole chest is one big painful cramp and I go a funny shape and moan with the pain, DS's think it's hilarious but can be embarrassing if anyone else sees!

Don't feel bad pliezreleaseme if I jarred my knee like that I'd feel sick as well as the pain, yay for the physio and 110 degree flexion.

DOesn't sound right Leonie - have you been back to whoever prescribed the orthotics?

Ha ha, def don't have the constitution of an ox. Just have an extremely low pain threshold and so often need lots of pain killers to even dent the pain : (

I did sleep well after 2.30am. My dad lives with dh and I so he took ds to nursery today. I also have a throat and chest infection at the moment so I'm feeling sorry for myself and sleeping lots! I wish I could drive as it would be easier to take ds to nursery but dh is worried as I can fall asleep like a narcoleptic

Herbie, I hope you find the kindle helpful. Dh bought me an iPad and its great for when I can't sleep. Its also so much lighterr than our old laptop.

Lostinwales, glad you had a good sleep. I can't go shopping unless I'm in the wheelchair so I sympathise with you having to carry suits as well!

Rockin, I also use TENS for my back and a massage when I can afford it is great for my back but if anyone touches my neck/shoulders, I just scream, it is agony : (

Pliez, sorry to hear that you couldn't get out or enjoy your dh's dinner. I know what you mean about trapped wind with holding body in tension. I'm in awe of anyone who can work with chronic pain. I can just about function myself and look after ds. I'd be an employers worst nightmare, always asleep or off sick

Leonie, I agree with Katisha, you need to go back to whoever prescribed the orthotics and see what they think.

i have a confession to make ladies.
i was in so much pain last night and this morning i took extra painkillers and a sleeper.
i waited until my dc were ready for school and then went back to bed. i have just woken up and realised dc will be home in an hour and i still need to tidy up and get something sorted for tea.
does this make me a bad mum?

Kindle for mothers day! What an absolutely brilliant idea, roll on 3.30 so I can plant that in my PFB's brain, he is gadget mad too and the ideal person to mention it to DH. Sorry you are having a shitty day herbietea I am almost tempted to give my very first unMN ((hugs)) but I'm not sure how you are on being touched when you are in pain .

I am having a good day today as I've done very little this week, but we have a wedding at the weekend where there will be a lot of standing up and sitting properly and I know I need to pace myself or I'll be crippled before we even get to the food.

Feeling a bit of a fraud as well as I know that my pain is eased by lying down, especially as I take coedine and something beginning with d that's a muscle relaxant, I can normally sleep really well until 4 ish and then it's not so bad and I can get comfy with the correct amount of pillow. I don't know how I would hold on to my sanity if pain kept me from sleeping regularly.

Just saw your post frogmella, I think if it means you can get through the evening now with the children home you are a great mother. I think I'd be tempted to take the sleeper just before they get home!

Herbie, I am so sorry you are in that much pain. I know its very unMNet but I give hugs left, right and centre so here is a gentle hug for you.

Frogmella, you are not a bad mum at all. We do what we have to to get through the day. It would be worse if you were in so much pain or so tired that you weren't able to function. My ds is home from nursery but I shall be having a nap soon, hopefully it'll on spire him to have a nap too