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?

Oh herbie, that's so rotten for you. I hope that your consultant will listen to your fears. I can completely understand why you do not want the injections if it put you in bed for 3 months last time. Does this consultant know about that!

I hope that speaking to them will calm your fears and reduce some of the pain. I'll be thinking about you.

Katy, how are your elbows?

Catpower, Oh you poor thing, that sounds very painful. Don't worry about moaning about the pain. That's what we're here for. I often feel the same way as you, that there are people out there dying and seriously ill. However chronic pain and the effect that it has on peoples lives can never be underestimated. We are in pain all day every day. Most people struggle to be in pain for a few hours, let alone 24 hrs a day for years and not knowing if there is an end in sight. So moan all you want and we will send you gentle hugs I'm so very unmumset in my hugging did your consultant give yiu any idea how long the waiting list is?

I managed out to the garden centre with ds and my dad for MIL's birthday. I am very close to her so it was lovely and we had yummy fresh fruit scones and watched ds go on all the rides whilst we sat in a garden swing. I was only out just over an hr and sat down for a good 50 min of that but am suffering now with my knees :( and as a result can't sleep. I was going through an insomnia phase but I thought it was over but after this last week I'm not so sure. These phases can last for a few months at a time and then I can sleep again (pain related awakenings aside). Unfortunately my level of fatigue does not subside no matter how much or little sleep I get. But I'm less likely to need a long nap if I'm sleeping better.

Anyway sorry for rambling, I am VERY tired. Going to try sleeping. Night all

Hi everyone

How are we all today?

My elbows are so-so my hips are worse; I think I have wandering pain

Is it too late to say "hi"?

I'm 29 and have been in pain since having SPD 4 years ago. It eased off slightly after birth, but then something went with a bang when I was carrying ds up the stairs. After 40000 doctors opinions, but no actual scan or x ray I paid to go and have an MRI 2 years ago. This indicated a cat scan was needed. I was brassic by then so waited 7 months for an NHS appointment, then another 5 months for the follow up which took me to 17th April last year. The consultant said I have previously broken my spine at the base in 2 places. (Not a clue when.) One side has healed, but the other has made too much bone and joined some facet joints and nerves together. Joy! Soooo, he said my main option was injections in the area and maybe a nerve block if that works.

12 months on I'm still waiting for the injections. I was told at Christmas they won't fund them and someone should have told me in August! Then DH kicked off and they would do them, but at a private hospital, then it was too complicated for them and now after complaining I should get a date this week (please God!)

In the mean time I live on Naproxen, 30/500 co codamol and Tramadol. And to top it all off not only have I had to give up my business as I can no longer stand for more than 5 minutes or lift or bend, but I have started having seizures. This I am told, is Epilepsy so I can no longer bastard drive either!

Oh and I have recently started having doubleish vision, which the optician says is the muscles around my eyes not working. He's not sure why, but has put prisms in my glasses. This has made no difference what so ever and I have to go back on Tuesday.

Anyway, "HI!" and if you read that lot you are a better woman than I am!!

I'm in hospital because I was having tightening on Friday so they're getting steroids into me - great fun, hope baby appreciates this! Last night they found me an electric bed which is brilliant, I can get up in one go, my neck isn't stiff and my back isn't hurting (apart from a knot on the edge of my shoulder blade lol) I'm wondering if I can fit the bed and table into my bag I'm liking the table I can eat high enough that I don't have to bend and force a foot into my ribs or hurt my back!

Hello, I'm new here too! I happened to see Helibee's post on the AIBU thread regarding the wedding venue that would not provide space for the OP's disabled friend to rest during the celebrations. I noticed that Helibee has Fibromyalgia/CFS - so do I.

I'd like to ask a question: I take Tramadol and Codeine alternately (one prescription for one then one for the other) but I wondered a) whether it's safe to alternate those meds during the same day and b) I find if I take either after 9.00pm then I suffer dreadfully from insomnia - can't switch off and toss and turn all night.

Any views or experience please?

Hi Mandy, I take both tramadol and dihydrocodeine or codydramol. I take tramadol every day but not codeine based every day. The days I need both I leave about 2 hrs in-between. I couldn't not take the tramadol as I find that most helpful at regulating my background pain and then the codeine based for topping up pain releif. How much of each do you take?

How long have you had fibro/CFS for?

Confuddled, the electric beds are very good. I tried one out at the grand designs show that had a tempur mattress on top, I didn't want to get off hope you and baby are ok and baby doesn't come yet. How many weeks are you now?

Pantaloons, wow you poor thing, you really sound as though you have it rough. I can't believe that they haven't done anything about it before now. I really hope that you get your appt this week and now epilepsy on top of everything else, you are a brave woman.

helibee not so much brave as a total whinger at the minute, but I'm hoping to get sorted out a bit over the next few weeks.

Mandy, I find the tramadol make it hard for me too sleep and try to take the Naproxen or cocodamol towards tea time. The pharmacist recently told me I shouldn't be taking the tramadol and cocodamol together. His exact words were "how do you get up in the morning?" But the doc who prescribed them said it was ok.

I'm off to price up an electric bed!!

I'm almost disappointed to be home! It was great fun and amazing how much it takes the pressure off the pelvis and back. I'm going to put my order in next time I'm in triage! Apparantly they belong to the postnatal ward but because people go up and down from antenatal and postnatal wards all the time they get mixed up, they would have rung for one for me if they hadn't had a free one on antenatal. Only down side is they don't stay dressed and you end up on bare mattress lol

I went in at 27+4, I'll be 28 weeks in the morning. This is actually a little late for me to be starting all this! I had my first at 20 weeks (who obviously didn't survive) second at 31 weeks which was totally unexpected as they said it was a one off and I was well past the previous stage, third one went into labour at 23+6, got the steroids and drip to stop things, spent the next 11 weeks in labour with her, delivered at 35 weeks.

Pantaloons, you are definitely not a whinger and that's what we're here for anyway! :)

I take my tramadol as follows . . .
.50mg 6am
.100mg 2pm
.50mg 8pm

If in a lot of pain then I'll double uo the 50mg doses and take extra doses at 4 hourly intervals. I then take codeine based pills at 4pm and 10pm if I need to. I personally don't find they interfere with sleep but I go through periods of insomnia anyway, it's just a part of my illness. Tolerance to the meds though can sometimes cause insomnia.

Confuddled, fingers and legs crossed that baby stays put till time. My cousin has an irritable uterus and with all 4 pregnancies she was in actual labour from 21 weeks. They could see on the monitor and feel her contracting. Thankfully they weren't productive enough to do anything hut they did steroids and stitch for her too.

I've been very tired today. Then just before bed ds decided to spill blackcurrant all over his toys!!! Then he took of his clean pyjamas, dh thought he was helping but went overboard with the carpet cleaner (picture a very frothed up carpet and toys) and i looked around and I noticed all the mess in the conservatory and went into a cleaning and a frenzy so know my knees are even more sore! Nevermind, I'm off to bed, night all

I'm going back to my doctor, the amitriptyline makes me soooo drowsy the morning after I take it at bedtime. Find it very hard to get up when my alarm goes off, then when I do eventually get up I'm groggy and slow for a couple of hours afterward. I'm going to try and see my GP this week to get either more Lodine or Tramadol again.

Not seeing my surgeon until May 19th - seems like a lifetime away.

The PALS ldy rang yesterday and asked when I was going for my appointment. Which was a bit?!?!? Seeing as she is the one who is supposed to be organising it. Apparently the appointments lady was supposed to ring me 2 weeks ago so PALS is going to chase it up (again).

I'm going to the opticians today and an appointment for neurology came through for the 31st May. I'm guessing the scan and eeg confirmed epilepsy as when I was having the eeg, the tester said if the results weren't clear I would have to go for a sleep deprivation test and I was never recalled. So, with a bit of luck I will get the goggles sorted, the epilepsy meds and the spinal injections over the next few weeks and be a new woman.

That's the theory anyway.

Hope everyone is ok and plodding along alright.

Can I join you ladies? My pain is not nearly as long standing as yours but I am guessing that we are not in a competitive pain competition!

Have been off work since November when I flew to Edinburgh for work. The next day my neck had started stiffening up. Since then I have had:

Stabbing pains in neck
Pain in T7

Has now changed to:
Pain in shoulder
Heavy tired dragging feeling in arm
Pins and needles in arm
Grip reduced in strong arm
Now have purple hand and both feet
Reduced pulse in said extremities
Blisters on feet
Freezing cold hands and feet - wearing ski socks despite the weather

I luckily have private medical insurance and I've had a neck MRI and XRays, cortisone (allergic to this and had reaction), can't take Amytriptiline 10mg as I had the most terrible tinnitus from it, around 40 sessions of physio, EMG tests (clear). Sick pay ends on 9th May!

Physio thinks that I might have thoracic outlet syndrome and am back to see the neurologist tomorrow to discuss it. If I do have it, it is an operation to remove the 1st rib with horrible looking recovery and am v. scared!

Sounds like you have a double edged sword Ben10. As they think they know what it is = yay. But it needs a nasty operation = boo!

You are lucky to have your med insurance and it's certainly something I wish I had. I don't envy you your syptoms though. It seems like you are having a really tough time of it. Good luck with the neurologist, let us know how you go on.

Oh how I wish I'd taken out BUPA when I was working in those halcyon days before pregnancy, stretchmarks and 4am feeds. I'd have had my by now rather than being on so many pills I rattle like a charity tin. I'm trying to keep up with pilates at least three times a week (in order to shift the fold of flab/loose skin at lower stomach/hip level) but dammit it hurts. I know I shouldn't be moaning as it's all for a good cause/no pain no gain etc, but why can't I just be normal and able to exercise by running (which I did before, did a 10km race before I found out about my dodgy hips) or going to the gym or whatever.

I'm having one of those days where the next appointment with my surgeon seems forever away, and being given yet another 100 pack of Tramadol is more than a little disheartening.

God I'm being a self indulgent moanbag today.

Ben10 I hope your appt with the neurologist goes well tomorrow. If you do end up having to have the (rather scary sounding) operation then we can compare scars/morphine doses! (I'm trying to find a silver lining in anything and everything!)

Hello everyone, can I come in for a moan too?

I have Bupa cover Cat but, whilst it covered me for my graves disease (thyroid) and the op almost killed me the disasterous op resulted in fibromyalgia which is not covered. Seems unfair to me. I paid to see a rheumatologist but it wasn't enough info.

Amatriptyline making me drowsy all day too, stopped working on the pain aswell. Now trying to decide if the Gabapantin is worth a go. Taking tramadol rarely as I seem to get bad palpitations. Or is the fact I havn't slept in six days something to do with it?

Am fed up. Getting stabbing pains in my sides, back and have a dead left arm. Last month was a good month too. If only there was some warning system, I could plan my life better. Feel like life is passing me by. My mum rang and suggested a rake around the charity shops tomorrow looking for vintage tea pots for her garden fete. I panicked at the thought of making that commitment. That's depressing.

Anyway, feel better for getting the moan over and finding you all x

Hello ladies, I'm back and disappointed......

Another MRI scan booked for next week and consultant the week after that. I know it isn't a long time in NHS terms but 6 months and still don't know whats wrong with me :( The consultant said that the last MRI 4 months ago didn't show any extra bone that could be causing this pain which feels like someone is standing on my collarbone area constantly. Now have an added extra symptom of feeling as if I have a tablet stuck down my throat all the time!

Got prescribed with Imipramine which apparently have fewer side effects than Amytriptiline Perfumedlife. We shall see........

As for private medical cover . When I called to get authorisation for the MRI the "lovely" adviser told me that as my condition was chronic they might not cover me any more. By that they mean that I had unrelated whiplash in 2006, physio/MRI for lumbar disc joint degeneration in 2007 and now this neck/ shoulder/ arm pain since Nov 2010. As the spine is counted as one area, apparently all of these conditions are one claim .

Am trying to keep calm with it all in the midst of going through redundancy consultation in the last month where I kept my job, sick pay about to run out, DS being assessed and DXed with SEN and fighting with the school re said DS. And now to top it all off I can't even drink on my new tablets

Have some un-Mumsnet HUGS Ben10 and perfumedlife, sounds like you need them! So sorry to hear about your troubles with everything Ben10... waiting feels so much longer when you're trying to deal with pain and medication. Hopefully the MRI and consultant will shed some light on what's causing so much pain... and perfumed I really hope your symptoms ease up on you. I have an acquaintance with fibromyalgia and I don't know how you cope, I really don't.

I'm not taking Amytriptiline anymore, was making me scarily groggy in the mornings which wasn't helpful when trying to get DS ready for nursery etc. DP is being a saint and doing schoolruns etc when he can fit them around work, but right now it feels a struggle. His work have said that after my op he can work from home which is fantastic (would be bed-bound apart from physio visits otherwise) but I don't want to put any additional pressure on him.

I would like to join in too. I have calcified tendonitis in my left shoulder recently diagnosed but been suffering for 2 years. In the past 2 weeks I have the same pain in right shoulder!

The painkillers have inflammed my liver and I was told last week after a camera down the throat that my stomach is bleeding.

So I am not supposed to take any! So am p off. and in pain and cant sleep with the pain that goes on all night.

Am having an amitriptyline tonight although they make me tired and spacey all morning.

They think my body believes that 4lbish is how big it needs to cook babies to, my youngest was "OK" because she was IUGR so she didn't get evicted till later as I didn't realise she was as old. It's not exactly connected to the Hughes Syndrome but bit of a spin off from having had a natural labour so early the first time.

I've had scans through the last three pregnancies to see if I have an incompetent cervix but never needed a stitch. They've recently swapped from IC scans to IUGR scans. Is it too late to just adopt?

I need to find someone who is willing to do my back. I have a knot under my shoulder blade that makes me feel like I've been punched in the back.

Sorry to read everyone's pain, is spoons more "MN" than hugs?

Hi everyone. I had a good day yesterday and made the most of it and enjoyed a wonderful day with ds. I'm always in pain but it was manageable yesterday and fatigue was kept in check. I did collapse into bed early but I had such fun with ds. However today, lots of pain :( my back, knees and shoulders are agony. When my tender points on my shoulder flare uo you can actually see the swelling. Dh accidentally brushed past my shoulder and I think I jumped about 10 feet into the air. I actually find Syndol the most effective medicine to take alongside my tramadol when my shoulders flare as they have a muscle relaxer in them. Anyway here's hoping tomorrow is a better day.

I'm trying to sort out life assurance so that if something ever happened to me that dh wouldn't have to give uo work or if he did that he'd have some money as I dont work. I shoukdve known with all my illnesses how long a process it would be but now 7 months on and they've written back and forward to my GP. Now I have to have blood tests and urine sample! I always pass out and my arm is agony afterwards. I know it's pathetic but my pain threshold is just so low :( I think they want the bloods as in Jan 2010 I had routine thyroid bloods and they found that my lymphocytes were raised slightly. They think that its probably normal for me after 6 months testing, the levels didn't get any higher but obviously worried me at the time. I guess the insurance wants to make sure that it's nothing serious but things like that just play on my mind and just worry me. I know I'm being silly and yiu all have many worse things to worry about. Sorry.

perfumed I know what you mean about not making commitments. It scares me too every time I have to make an agreement to do something or to go somewhere. I hope you do get out and have a nice day with your mum tomorrow.

confuddled do yiu have any antenatal massage therapists where you live? My friend booked one as her back was agony and the masseuse said she was surprised she could even stand up right as her back was so knotted she must've been in agony. I hope yiu get some relief soon and that baby tries to stay cooking :)

catpower that's good about your DP's work. My dh's work have always been flexible and allowed him to work from home when i've been really bad. I too worry about getting ds ready for nursery. Occasionally if no one has been around to help, he's just had to stay at home. It makes me feel awful.

canei are they going to operate on your shoulder? My dad, my MIL and my SIL all have problems with tendinitis, bursitis and calcification of the shoulder. My dad has had an op on one shoulder and is now waiting on the other. The injections seem to work for my MIL and physic and occiosionally she needs naproxen. My SIL is having to have her shoulder replaced :( really hope that you get some sleep and relief soon. Do you find things like biofreeze gel helpful?

ben10 so sorry to harper about everything that you've been going through. When I felt like a tablet was stuck in my throat, pins and needles and cold hands and feet, it turned out to be hypothyroidism. I was in such pain with my fibromyalgia that I didn't notice the extra pain that had arisen as a result of the hypothyroidism. Really hope that you get everything sorted with your ds soon. Are you trying to get him into a SEN school?

helibee, does your blood stop flowing when they take bloods? I always thought it was in my head until I realised that my blood stops and my head starts fading at the same time.

I used a lady in my last pregnancy for my back but she's closed since, I'm thinking of asking the man downstairs (it was upstairs of a hairdressers) if he has any contact details for her in case she'll still do it. Last time she said she could spend hours unpicking the knots! I have a lot of upper girdle problems because of being on crutches and carrying my weight through my shoulders and chest. There doesn't really seem to be much around here.

Yes, they have great difficulty in taking my blood. Thankfully our practice nurse is amazing and you wouldn't even know that she's put the needle in. However last time our practice nurse was on holiday and I had a locum. Well I've nicknamed her "the butcher"! She went into a kinky vein that i have even after I told her that, the proceeded to wiggle the needle around so much that my arm bruised from my bicep to my wrist :(. As this is for the insurance, it'll be a nurse from medicals direct i think. I'm just hoping she's gentle.

Are you near London? If so then I could ask my friend who looks after her back.

If the blood flow changes with the faint feelings or just doesn't flow and you always feel faint it could be linked, the blood goes sticky to prevent it from being taken so it also has problems flowing around the brain which causes the faintness. I've had them induce a TIA from taking too much blood and my body not handling it. Last antenatal I felt a little lightheaded after doing a carbon monoxide test. Phlebotomist couldn't take my blood, it didn't flow, didn't bleed afterwards and didn't even bruise later!

I'm not in London, I'm from the Mids but thanks for the offer

How are we all today?

I have a cold - hardly life threatening but misery inducing

Shoulder/elbow is uncomfy, low back is beyond words

But life goes on

Hey, hope everyone is okish today.

I had quite a good day yesterday, but then woke in the night feeling like someone had shoved a brush handle up my arse. I even woke DH up to make sure he hadn't tried anything funny whilst I was comatose! It was the same when I got up, to the point where it made me cry out when I moved, but has now faded away. Not sure what it was, something new and different no doubt!

I've been referred by the optician to the hospital. Rang up just and I 'm booked in for the 20th of June. He seemed to think the double vision might be epilepsy related? Oh well.

And the PALS lady rang to ask whether I had an appointment yet for the injections. The answer was still a big fat "NO" and she is looking into it......again. DH spoke to her and said "if she was a dog I would have hhad her put down by now" Nice. Good job he's only joking. I think.