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?

Katy, a side effect of my fibre means that I can't cool myself down. My bodys thermostat is broken and so I would struggle with that many baths a day, also have very dry skin. I was given hydrotherapy a few years back but I collapsed with heat exhaustion and was rushed to A&E from outpatients and I was unconscious so needless to say I didn't finish the course

I actually find heat packs on my knees/back/shoulders etc better personally and a bath once a week (honest I shower in-between) or if my knees are very sore it does help them. you'll just have to play around to find combinations that work for you. I also like my TENS machine and we are saving to buy an osim massage chair as have had use of one before for a month and it was fab.

Ohyoubadkitten, I did see a physio a few years ago and he prescribed pilates as he said that my core muscles were weak which meant that I was placing unnecessary strain on my external muscles and joints. He did a 6 weeks programme with me and I still do it now if I'm having a good day. I just use a 10 min solution pilates DVD that he gave me and it has helped with the extra muscular pains in the same way that massage helps. My ref feral was through the GP.

My next door neighbour has mild fibro and she's a physio, she says that any gentle stretching and toning exercise is good with all chronic pain and as long as you don't overdo it or collapse in a heap though exhaustion (which would be me most days) then to just do what yiu can when you can. She mainly recommends brisk walking as a cardio exercise that also helps strengthen the body but obviously that all depends on where your pain is worse etc.

Just realised what a long post that was. Anyway my knees are still agony and my hip joints, ivejust taken some more meds so hoping to sleep soon.

Thank you helibee, that was very helpful :) hope you managed some sleep.

I'm the opposite I can't keep warm; my thermostat never really worked

Pilates; here I come & swimming I understand apparently it could take upto 6 months to do 20 minutes exercise 3 times a week (what I do with my current exercise I don't know)

The bath in he morning helps with stiffness & pain; the one in the evening less so but it does relax me for sleeping

I've got lots of learning to do

HMS and FIbro with a dose of Facet Joint Arthrosis thrown in here. First two for nearly 20 years.

Can i creak and whinge along too please?

Fibro ladies get yourself onto Lyrica. Trust me on this!

Not so much a pain winge but wasn't sure where else I could put this. Had a blood test today, sat in the waiting room feeling light headed - I'd just done the CO2 breatheliser thing - and when I got called my blood refused to flow! The first arm was totally useless, it didn't bleed when she took the needle out and hasn't even bruised. The second arm was really slow to fill. It's got me worried now because my blood is obviously being thick today (probably my own fault for not being better with the injections - and I'm stressing about having another TIA

When do you get the results CMOT?

Hardhatdonned. I tried Lyrica and dissent get on with it at all, neither did a coulee of others I know. I guess it's like pain killers, it works for some and not for others. Glad you find it helpful.

Confuddled, my blood goes like that sometimes. I hate having to get blood tests done as I always pass out! Hope you get the results quickly.

I'm very sleepy today.

Whinge, whinge, pins & needles, pain, whinge, whinge

I've had it a few times so wasn't surprised but it usually goes the other way - my blood stops flowing then I go faint. It's the blood objecting to being drawn and going thick, obviously that has an effect on how well it goes through the brain so you get lightheaded at the least, pass out or TIA at the worst. I once had 11 vials up to the ones that look like tobassco bottles and both arms rebelled, as she was trying to get my second arm to work I went!

How is everyone today? Enjoying the sunshine?

I am but I find the evening difficult

Today, bizarrely, my elbows hurt; both of them, quite a lot

Poop

i'm a bit more comfy - slept ok and moving around better. hooray!

Oh good, sleeping is great isn't it

sleep is the best thing ever invented how are you doing today?

Left fingers, elbow & shoulder bad

Right elbow better

How about you?

Sorry about your left arm being so uncooperative. :(

I'm off to the gp with a bee sting on the bottom of my foot that is getting worse instead of better. dd has got to the point I think of mentally rolling her eyes at me and I don't blame her!

When I was really bad with CFS a bee/wasp sting stopped my leg working

oh blimey.

Joins OYBBBK looking at foot sternly

Its not working, nor is the antihistamines and cortisone. We have to stare harder. I have 36 hours to get it better.

Can I join in with the chronic pain whinging?

I have hip dysplasia, and am on the waiting list for a Ganz osteotomy. My surgeon is lovely but has said the wait could be long, meantime I'm pumped full of Lodine (one in the morning) and then at night two 10mg of Amitriptyline at bedtime. I have also been on a lot of Tramadol, but swapped to Amitriptyline as the Tramadol wasn't having a huge effect anymore.

Whilst the Lodine seems to take the edge off the pain for the morning, by the afternoon I can feel my hip clicking and my knee and shin burning. There's a constant feeling of something being caught between the ball and the socket in the joint - surgeon has said that's the feeling of my thigh rubbing the edge of my hip socket. Not a nice thought.

Anyway! I feel bad moaning to DP and family about my dodgy hip. I know in the grand scheme of things it's not serious in the way some illnesses are, but it's having a negative effect on my life, and good god it just hurts!

that sounds horrid catpower, its rotten that you are having to wait for the treatment that you need. Chronic pain touches so much of your life and most people dont realise that.

:( herbie I'm really sorry. Can you have a friend with you when you ring and ask if you can actually go in for another talk. Take a friend who will advocate for you, it can be really hard to stand up for yourself. Remember that ultimately it is your body and noone can make you do anything you don't want to do. A consent form isnt a bidning contract. {{{hugs}}}

you aren't moaning, you are saying how it is and its pretty rotten for you at the moment. If you can be really honest abot your fears when you speak to them hopefully they will be able to alleviate some of them.
I hope you manage to get some sleep tonight.