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?

Liver enzymes are up and I have serious indigestion so I'm off meds for a while, important I think to live for a lot longer than sleep (don't quote me on that next week!) Not a lot of sleep for me last night then! Never mind, I've got a quiet week planned and I'll sleep even less if I'm worried about frying my liver and dying. Ended up climbing in with DS3 as he makes an excellent hot water bottle and distraction!

Sorry your pain is so bad herbietea, it's so frustrating when they can't put bones right, I don't think most people realise how primitive orthopaedic surgery is, there's no magic cure for most things. Can you teach me how to knit though? I have always wanted to and I have wool and sticks needles(?) but the woman on the internet is not helpful at all.

Poor arm CMOT (best name on MN IMHO!), IIRC you had an accident when you were younger didn't you? It must be so awful to have a limb let you down. A beautiful friend of mine has just had surgery to prepare her skin on her calf for an amputation in June, she had a horrible accident a few years ago and now the decision is to remove the lower leg, even if she has phantom limb pain she can get better funtionality with a prosthesis that the mess she has now. What a decision to make. We are trying to come up with a better word than 'stump' if anyone can think of one?

went to see gp about various symptoms and came away feeling very silly cos I've been trying to take my anti-inflamms as little as possible (cos I hate having to take omeprazole with them). GP told me that I'm going to have other symptoms if I'm not sleeping because of pain. Feel like an idiot because intellectually I know that but I'm so over tired and feeling unwell that I'm just not thinking straight.
so if you see me whinging please ask me if I'm taking the meds that I'm supposed to.

OYBBK - have you taken your meds??

Lostinwales - I can knit; that is I have the wool & the needles & I can almost follow a patten. Except it always turns out wrong

I have KM. thanks :) dh and I looked cack to when I started sliding down and it was about 3 weeks after but it was such a slow slide I didnt really notice how bad it had got.
Taken my anti-inflamms and full dose of codeine and full dose of paracetemol. Codeine is a bit of an emergency stop gap for me. I hate it more than tramadol (looked in the packet, was prescribed it a year ago and only 4 had gone!) Going to be really thick headed tomorrow but if I take it for a day or so while the anti-inflamms get going it should help.

Ah the longterm PGP... Mum keeps going on at me about it, she doesn't believe that it can sometimes just not get better because she knows two people who were in wheelchairs because of it and now not. Wheelchairs are no indicator of how long it will last! I'm getting worse though, I now have sciatica in my right leg, not the painful kind, the "my leg has been replaced by a prosthetic" type! My leg doesn't really hurt and they can do more to it without pain than they can my other leg but I have less movement in it when I move it myself (if that makes sense).

My 4 year old was stropping about going to bed tonight and I tried reasoning with her, called Dad who was in the toilet so couldn't carry her (wish he hadn't said it and said he was coming - men!) so eventually I picked her up and carried her to the top of the stairs. I'm in so much pain now!

Mum said the other day she'll help me fill in DLA forms, I've been meaning to get it sorted for ages but it's so daunting!

My first hospital appointment tomorrow

What do you reckon, a blood test & come back in a month?

probably KM - might also check what you are taking and tell you to take it more. Hope it goes ok today.

Thanks - I am stressing a bit

'Go away & live with it' is my nightmare; I mean live with what? I like a name

Had an accidental rant here its the small things that tip you over.

:( herbie.

I have Fibromyalgia and Hypermobility

I'm still working out what it all means

Did they give you a treatment plan KM?

Take more co-codamol & less naproxen
Referred to a physio
Hip Xray for possible referral to bone man
Blood tests as I don't quite fit in the right boxes

But I don't have inflammatory arthritis

Haven't read much yet but thread title drew me in too
Just back from docs who is querying M.E on top of vestibular migraine and am having test for Rheumatoid Arthritis...they don't think it is M.S.Feel sorry for myself am knackered and agree re trying to push through the pain,tiredness and brain fog.Back to read posts.Thinking of you all[in advance!]

Did he say why you should take less naproxen KM? It sounds like they took you seriously which is good :)
doobydo - hope you get some helpful answers soon.

OYBBK - chatting about it here

But I think because if I can cope with Co-codamol I should & use naproxen as a super pain killer.

Oh yes & oddly the worst one was a joint I have little pain in; or at least I did. After picking myself off the floor it has ached ever since

I suppose it's progress; it doesn't feel much like it

Katy, welcome to the fibro club. On your other thread from a few months ago, I had thought that it was but then when drs came up with the arthritis I just thought I must see fibromyalgia everywhere

Hope you work out which meds suit you best. I find tramadol and either co-dydramol or dihydrocodiene work best for me. Ask if you have any questions. I've had it for 10+ years now :(

Anyway i had a lovely day with ds in princes street gardens in Edinburgh in the glorious sunshine but then ds wanted to go to the castle. It just about killed me getting to the middle of the royal mile (no way on earth could I have walked that hill) but felt so bad and mad at my illness that I couldn't take ds up the hill :( anyway we decided to go to holyrood park instead and I watched him pretend to light a campfire incase we got snowed in

My knees are agony now and I can't sleep! Need more meds, but can't take any more for 1hr.

I'll catch uo with thread tomorrow but hi to new people and hope everyone has a good weekend.

Ohyoubadkitten, did the osteopath help your back after the bruising?

Well it's been proposed a few times on MN

I'm not sure where I'm going with it atm; do you find hot baths help - I'm supposed to have 2 or 3 20 minute baths a day

helibee, thanks for asking :) Kind of, he doesnt help with the arthritis side but he does help with the grumpy muscles that tend to seize up around it.
Lots of unhappy joints at the moment despite me being a good girl about my meds. Still I need to give them time to get on top of the inflammation.

has anyone seen a physio with regards to getting an overall useful exercise program? I'm thinking about booking a private appt with someone who will show me some useful stuff that I can do without aggravating my joints more. Is a physio the right person for that?