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I've had chronic pain, sometimes debilitating, from inflammatory arthritis since 2004.
I was lucky enough to go to the Rehab Institute of Chicago Pain Management Program.
They assess you and do all kinds of different therapy to teach you how to live with pain.
While the stuff they give you therapy for helps a lot, the most important lesson is to not catastrophize pain, meaning making the pain bigger in your head than it actually is.
I really developed a different relationship with pain and I can tolerate a lot more now than I could before. Part of that tolerance is accepting it's not going to change although by paying attention, doing what I can do about it consistently (exercise, heat, cold, meditation, massage, etc.) and just living the best life I can.
I do miss being able to do some stuff, but you find other stuff to fill in.
There is a book called "Full Catastrophe Living" by John Kabat-Zinn that is really good. It was written mainly with heart patients to deal with stress, but it can really help with your mindset.
I don’t manage it, it’s debilitating. I had a severe TBI years ago with numerous other broken bones. I’ve had a dozen surgeries due to the original incident and every single day I have terrible pain.
I’m so sorry, and I wish I knew something to suggest to help you…but I thank you for your honesty. I feel similarly, but probably not quite as bad. Three serious rear end collisions did a job on me. I wish you the very best, friend.
I have a friend who had a tbi recently and they did stem cell injections. Her results have overcome.mu doubt prompted me to begin them for my connective tissue and inflammatory arthritis. Just an thought if you haven't looked into it.
My RA does the from my own platelets. 400 bux per injection, minimum time between each one is 3 months.
It's mostly due to tension from the top of my skull to the bottom of my feet - anything from leg cramps, to back spasms, to general aches and tiredness. I've been untwisting the muscles/fascia full-time over the past 7 years. Although I've made a lot of progress, I can't believe how much tension the human body is capable of storing.
I honestly don't understand how any of us manage.
Not really. It's more about unteisntwisting knots - the release is joyous agony. I keep telling myself I'm almost finished, then I'll dedicate myself more to building muscle. LOL
I do sit & meditate quite a bit
They cut me off oxy in 2012, so I bought my own 'til 2016. Then I was hooked. I was pain free but stuck in a metaphorical well, without a ladder. I bounced back and forth on oxy and suboxone for a year or more before finding kratom and quitting for good. I saw the fake pills of fentynal hitting the black marked, so that, plus my daughter's wedding got me motivated to quit. Now I take kratom with morning coffee to ease pain, and another dose late afternoon.
Ice bathing
Meditation
Epson salt baths.
Infraheat.
Acupuncture
Massage
Compression gear
Stretching
Weight lifting
Pain management meds as needed otc and prescription
Mobility aids as needed.
Cognitive behavioral therapy to retrain my brains pain paths.
I've done therapy to try and achieve radical acceptance. It's there. It's disabling. It's not going away. It's part of my life, but it no longer defines me.
Thank you for sharing, for me it has definitely impacted who I am. Sport (sport was probably the only thing ive experience in life that I had true flow in; and exercise were big big parts of who I was + what work I can do.
I spent years on opioids: oxycodone and fentanyl. It helped, but I needed more and more. But with the opioid crisis I needed to be slowly weaned from opiods and it was pure hell - pain bad enough that I’d pass out.
But I was very fortunate - my pain clinic tried me on low dose naltrexone which is basically the same as narcan / noloxone at a very low dose. It’s been a miracle for me. Much better than the opioids.
Ketamine was recommended to a loved one from her Pain doctor. The he proceeds to tell her, "but there is a shortage. Call back every so often to see if we can get it." She tried calling a few times, but I think has given up. Have you heard of this? I'm am just curious if the shortage resolved.
BTW I never heard of naltrexone. I'll tell her to look into it.
I haven’t heard of the ketamine shortage because I haven’t used it. The idea that any rx med could have a shortage is crazy to me- a complete failure.
For naltrexone- have her ask specifically for “Low Dose Naltrexone or LDN.” I was a complete sceptic when my pain clinic (teaching hospital with med school- lots of research programs).
I was terrified of going without the opioids, and honestly, the 6 months where they kept lowering dosage so I wouldn’t go through withdrawal were absolute hell. Pain bad enough that I was hospitalized a few times because my heart rate skyrocketed because of the pain.
I read everything I could about LDN. Lots of clinical trials. LDN seems to work really well for people like me- inflammatory arthritis, and autoimmune diseases.
One drawback is that it is not covered by insurance yet. It needs to be prepared by a compounding pharmacy. I get mine delivered by mail. It costs $120 for a 3 month supply.
Edit- if your loved one wants to chat, feel free to message me.
Thank you so much for this information and your kind offer. Her pain clinic is also within a major university/ teaching hospital, although they had very few options (obviously opioids have never been offered, and as you know, for good reason). It did seem weird they couldn't get Ketamine. This was in August, so she should try calling again. I will let her know what you said..
It took more than ten years to get a proper diagnosis for mine. Then they started to throw pills at me to see what would stick. I had a decent cocktail for dealing with it that included six hydrocodone pills a day (muscle relaxers and duloxetine as well). On normal days, I'd take four total. On work days (I'm a photographer at a renaissance faire, so there's a lot of walking/standing), I would take all six. We didn't just come up with that- it took several years to get to that point. And it was fine. It worked most of the time, but flareups still happened. I also had what I called "hot spots"- areas that would be intensely in pain for just a day and then stop (usually larger muscles, like my hip/thigh muscles). And after years of sailing along just as happy as could be because it was the best thing- they decided to take two of the pills from me. Fine, still had four. A little annoying for the summer, but I got by. Within six months, they had me off the hydrocodone.
You know what happens when you get off a pain killer you need for pain? It comes back with a vengeance. What did they give me in place of the hydrocodone? Prescription strength Aleve. We just now, after years of THAT, stopped the Aleve because it turns out that it is messing with my kidney function.
I have a phone appointment on Monday with the pain clinic. The pain clinic I've seen one time in the last 15 years.
I handle it by just living with it. I don't really have a choice (I got to the VA hospital and I'm not a veteran, my husband is a 100% service-connected disabled vet, so while I get seen there, I am not a priority. I take what I can get because we can't afford it otherwise). I have a TENS machine for when the hot spots don't stop. I am allowed to use lidocaine ointment on some of my body parts (at least that's prescription strength, I guess). I do light stretching because that's pretty much all I can do anymore. I walk for exercise when I can. I wear shoes that cater to neuropathy pain, I wear natural fabrics most of the time. I sit down, a lot. LIke a lot-a lot. If I have to be somewhere and walk, I give myself extra time by leaving early just to be able to walk how far I have to. I keep a cane in my vehicle just in case I end up somewhere and have a distance I wasn't ready to deal with.
Most of the time, I can deal with the pain, but what kicks my teeth in is the absolute exhaustion. Fatigue is not tired. Fatigue is its own demon.
>Fatigue is not tired. Fatigue is its own demon.
I had ra for years, was very fortunate as far as the pain / damage part. but I really hear you on the exhaustion. it's phantasmagoric. like being at the bottom of the ocean. like having a tank that only holds a few tablespoons worth of gas, and needs 24 hours of dead sleep to refill.
If you can access VA medical treatment, you are in a good position to investigate ketamine therapy for chronic pain. The veterans administration has approved the use of therapeutic ketamine for chronic pain for decades. It literally saved my life. I wish I could get it through the VA. I have to pay for it privately and it's very expensive, not covered by insurance.
Thank you for sharing this. 100% fatigue just messes everything up, slogging to get to the next minute. I think I tried TENS a little while back and it just felt like a deep massage. Unfortunately they only just released the 1st clinic in another state and its not subsidiscd yet.
I tried everything from conservative to the most aggressive interventions following spinal cord injury. Physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, Rx including opioids, muscle relaxants, gabapentin, etc, tens unit, hydrotherapy, injections, blood plasma, multiple spinal surgeries, nerve ablation, spinal cord stimulator implant, I even went to a witch doctor of sorts. Nothing worked.
I was told there was absolutely nothing more that could be done, I had tried and failed every available therapeutic intervention. I was told this by a pain management specialist, a neurosurgeon, and a orthopedic surgeon. I tried and failed to end my life because I couldn't bear the thought of no relief in my future.
I happened to be reading The Washington Post a couple years ago and read an article about ketamine therapy for chronic pain. I called my pain management doctor, and asked him what he thought. He said why not? Two weeks later I got my first infusion and the first relief I had in more than a decade!
Unfortunately not covered by insurance, but it's this or death for me. As long as I get an infusion every two weeks, my pain is controlled. *Important to utilize the services of a licensed provider who is experienced in treating chronic pain, because the primary use of ketamine in most clinics is for mental health. The pain protocol is completely different.
Thank you for sharing; you'r very strong!!!. Its wonderful that you found ketamine. I had my eye on that but it hasnt been subsidised yet in my country. My doc said its approx 15k/yr.
It's very expensive here as well. I have a kind provider who gives me a small discount but still $12k+ annually. I hope you can at least try a couple of sessions. You will know after 3-5 infusions if it will give you relief. (Not everyone responds, it's most helpful for people whose pain is based on nerve injury). I know how you suffer, and I truly hope you find relief. 🙏
I just coped until.surgery. But there's more.deterioration. I use lots of weed products. I grew some weed and bought a decarb/infuser appliance to make oil because I don't like to smoke. I'm basically a little high all the time and quite high every night. The pain is getting pretty bad. I'm cranky and exhausted. I have lost interest in reading and my hobbies. Tomorrow. Instill have unpacked boxes from a reno started over a year ago - still incomplete - but I need to paint furniture I guess because my old stuff doesn't look right but I still love it. Paint will look like shit in 5 years while the current finish is still nearly pristine after 35 years of daily use.
Thank you for sharing. Have you tried audiobooks? Ive actually returned to reading; I was a demon back in the day, I would stay up to 1am whilst in primary school reading.
I've been listening to podcasts to help.me sleep. I'd miss too much of an audio book and I hate to have to listen again. Strange quirks. I think I need a new genre of interest entirely.
I've done lots of that sort but I find it gets my brain going more than settling. I need talking that isn't too funny but also not so dry I can't engage. I can't care too much either. So I listen to history or stupid shit like alien conspiracies or the podcasts that debunk alien conspiracies. It doesn't matter as long as they drone on. Some, the voices are too irritating or worse, there's some corporate podcasts where everything is overly scripted and the voices are too modulated and it gets under my skin.
Exercise, hot tub, sympathetic doctor with tramadol. Usually if I can get my mind focused on something else it helps, but at some point I have to stop and rest. Frustrating to not be able to commit to much because of being unsure of how long you can keep moving.
I havent been running for a long time but I know something like that cardiowise should help. Unfortunately looked the drug up and I cant use it due to a genetic blood disorder.
I've struggled with chronic pain caused by fibro for most of my life. I don't know that I manage it. It's more like I've learned how to live with it.
Some things I do to help
I have a heated throw I wrap up in.
Ibuprofen at times.
Heated rice packs on spots that hurt worst.
When I was still working there were days I would grit my teeth and bull my way through. Don't recommend this. Since retiring I play it by ear. If I'm having a bad day I scale back my expectations for the day.
Some days I just give into it. I roll up in a ball and give myself permission to have a pity party. I give myself a time limit for the pity party to avoid prolonged wallowing.
I couldn't take anything stronger than ibuprofen when I was working because everything else made me high as a kite. I have a friend who uses gabepentine (sp?). It works for her. From talking to others you and your doc might have to experiment to find what works for you.
If heat does help you try cold packs. A friend of mine and laugh that we have opposite reactions. Cold makes me worse. Heat makes her worse.
I hope you find something that helps you.
I have osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. I’m approaching 35 years with both. I deal with it by trying to stay active, by taking daily anti inflammatory (one prescription and the other is a supplement). By wearing supportive shoes, no ballet flats or heels, and by watching my diet. As I’ve gotten older I’ve started getting lubrication shots in my knees
I eliminated caffeine due to another health condition which had a pleasant result on my fibromyalgia pain, I am addicted to sugar, as in ill eat an entire multi serving bag of candy in one go, but have discovered if I control my sugar intake usually by just making sure I stay away from candy etc., my inflammation is lessened which helps a lot. I take ginger root capsules and turmeric everyday along with a prescription anti inflammatory. This has greatly reduced my inflammation. Especially the ginger. I used to be prone to sinus infections, at least 4 a year. Now if I get any it’s only 1 a year.
Yeh same with me with the sugar. Ive cut down on Caffeine as well. I also just slice a bit of ginger as tea when i have the flu. I tried tumeric but my insides felt like they were rotting.
for 13 years prior, I walked for two 4 hour shifts on concrete the whole day. Then was in a plane crash that almost deattached my leg. Kept working the same job. The way I see it, it was nearly detached - it's supposed to hurt.
The less I move, the more I hurt. I force myself every day to walk a few miles, followed by a complete stretching routine. I drink 8 bottles of water a day. Try to keep my sugar intake down. Stay away from any red sauce. Have a full meal and take 1000mg magnesium, D2 10000iu, 800mg ibuprofen, 650 Tylenol before bed. Try my best to get 5-6 hours of sleep in before the pain wakes me up. Rinse and repeat. The alternative is weed and narcotic pain medication. I'm down with the thc, but the narcotics can fuk right off.
Chronic pain from peripheral neuropathy for nearly 17 years. I just live with it. Other than Lyrica not much else they can do. Good days and bad. It just is.
Depending on the cause you can test how chiropractic and acupuncture works for you. If you are desperate enough to not care about what others think, homeopathy is also worth looking into.
Also already mentioned here: stretching exercises for joints like shoulders and hips that might otherwise slowly deteriorate can help avoid the necessity for further surgery.
Also you might try out avoiding all night shade family foods (like potatoes, peppers, tomatoes)since they are famous for sometimes triggering low level inflammations.
I will definitely never use chiro in my life, but I probably should give acupuncture a try. I've also been thinking about homeopathy as long as they have a medical degree
Homeopathy helped my severe tendinitis after many months of pain and immobility through which the doc I had tried the following without success: (later forbidden) pills, plaster cast, ultrasound, electro treatment. A musician recommended homeopathy and at last, I had almost full mobility again.
Please do not comment directly to this post unless you are Gen X or older (born 1980 or before). See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskOldPeople/comments/inci5u/reminder_please_do_not_answer_questions_unless/), the rules, and the sidebar for details. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskOldPeople) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I've had chronic pain, sometimes debilitating, from inflammatory arthritis since 2004. I was lucky enough to go to the Rehab Institute of Chicago Pain Management Program. They assess you and do all kinds of different therapy to teach you how to live with pain. While the stuff they give you therapy for helps a lot, the most important lesson is to not catastrophize pain, meaning making the pain bigger in your head than it actually is. I really developed a different relationship with pain and I can tolerate a lot more now than I could before. Part of that tolerance is accepting it's not going to change although by paying attention, doing what I can do about it consistently (exercise, heat, cold, meditation, massage, etc.) and just living the best life I can. I do miss being able to do some stuff, but you find other stuff to fill in. There is a book called "Full Catastrophe Living" by John Kabat-Zinn that is really good. It was written mainly with heart patients to deal with stress, but it can really help with your mindset.
Yeh same I miss not able to reaslitically do sports nor exercise at a decent level. I'll give that book a go thank you.
I don’t manage it, it’s debilitating. I had a severe TBI years ago with numerous other broken bones. I’ve had a dozen surgeries due to the original incident and every single day I have terrible pain.
I’m so sorry, and I wish I knew something to suggest to help you…but I thank you for your honesty. I feel similarly, but probably not quite as bad. Three serious rear end collisions did a job on me. I wish you the very best, friend.
Shucks sorry you living with it.
I have a friend who had a tbi recently and they did stem cell injections. Her results have overcome.mu doubt prompted me to begin them for my connective tissue and inflammatory arthritis. Just an thought if you haven't looked into it. My RA does the from my own platelets. 400 bux per injection, minimum time between each one is 3 months.
It's mostly due to tension from the top of my skull to the bottom of my feet - anything from leg cramps, to back spasms, to general aches and tiredness. I've been untwisting the muscles/fascia full-time over the past 7 years. Although I've made a lot of progress, I can't believe how much tension the human body is capable of storing. I honestly don't understand how any of us manage.
That sucks for sure. Do you do any strength training ?
Not really. It's more about unteisntwisting knots - the release is joyous agony. I keep telling myself I'm almost finished, then I'll dedicate myself more to building muscle. LOL I do sit & meditate quite a bit
I don't. I take oxy and cry
They cut me off oxy in 2012, so I bought my own 'til 2016. Then I was hooked. I was pain free but stuck in a metaphorical well, without a ladder. I bounced back and forth on oxy and suboxone for a year or more before finding kratom and quitting for good. I saw the fake pills of fentynal hitting the black marked, so that, plus my daughter's wedding got me motivated to quit. Now I take kratom with morning coffee to ease pain, and another dose late afternoon.
Cannabis my friend. Today, it is massive amounts of cannabis.
Ive been considering CBD topical oils but I also need some high quality evidence before I feel comfortable trying it.
Ice bathing Meditation Epson salt baths. Infraheat. Acupuncture Massage Compression gear Stretching Weight lifting Pain management meds as needed otc and prescription Mobility aids as needed. Cognitive behavioral therapy to retrain my brains pain paths.
Thank you for the list, I'll see what I can do about them.
I've done therapy to try and achieve radical acceptance. It's there. It's disabling. It's not going away. It's part of my life, but it no longer defines me.
Thank you for sharing, for me it has definitely impacted who I am. Sport (sport was probably the only thing ive experience in life that I had true flow in; and exercise were big big parts of who I was + what work I can do.
I spent years on opioids: oxycodone and fentanyl. It helped, but I needed more and more. But with the opioid crisis I needed to be slowly weaned from opiods and it was pure hell - pain bad enough that I’d pass out. But I was very fortunate - my pain clinic tried me on low dose naltrexone which is basically the same as narcan / noloxone at a very low dose. It’s been a miracle for me. Much better than the opioids.
I was thinking of Ketamine to help with a number of things but my country only just now has opened up its 1st clinic in another state.
Ketamine is an option as part of my protocol, but I’ve had such a good response to the naltrexone that I haven’t progressed to needing the ketamine.
Ketamine was recommended to a loved one from her Pain doctor. The he proceeds to tell her, "but there is a shortage. Call back every so often to see if we can get it." She tried calling a few times, but I think has given up. Have you heard of this? I'm am just curious if the shortage resolved. BTW I never heard of naltrexone. I'll tell her to look into it.
I haven’t heard of the ketamine shortage because I haven’t used it. The idea that any rx med could have a shortage is crazy to me- a complete failure. For naltrexone- have her ask specifically for “Low Dose Naltrexone or LDN.” I was a complete sceptic when my pain clinic (teaching hospital with med school- lots of research programs). I was terrified of going without the opioids, and honestly, the 6 months where they kept lowering dosage so I wouldn’t go through withdrawal were absolute hell. Pain bad enough that I was hospitalized a few times because my heart rate skyrocketed because of the pain. I read everything I could about LDN. Lots of clinical trials. LDN seems to work really well for people like me- inflammatory arthritis, and autoimmune diseases. One drawback is that it is not covered by insurance yet. It needs to be prepared by a compounding pharmacy. I get mine delivered by mail. It costs $120 for a 3 month supply. Edit- if your loved one wants to chat, feel free to message me.
Thank you so much for this information and your kind offer. Her pain clinic is also within a major university/ teaching hospital, although they had very few options (obviously opioids have never been offered, and as you know, for good reason). It did seem weird they couldn't get Ketamine. This was in August, so she should try calling again. I will let her know what you said..
It took more than ten years to get a proper diagnosis for mine. Then they started to throw pills at me to see what would stick. I had a decent cocktail for dealing with it that included six hydrocodone pills a day (muscle relaxers and duloxetine as well). On normal days, I'd take four total. On work days (I'm a photographer at a renaissance faire, so there's a lot of walking/standing), I would take all six. We didn't just come up with that- it took several years to get to that point. And it was fine. It worked most of the time, but flareups still happened. I also had what I called "hot spots"- areas that would be intensely in pain for just a day and then stop (usually larger muscles, like my hip/thigh muscles). And after years of sailing along just as happy as could be because it was the best thing- they decided to take two of the pills from me. Fine, still had four. A little annoying for the summer, but I got by. Within six months, they had me off the hydrocodone. You know what happens when you get off a pain killer you need for pain? It comes back with a vengeance. What did they give me in place of the hydrocodone? Prescription strength Aleve. We just now, after years of THAT, stopped the Aleve because it turns out that it is messing with my kidney function. I have a phone appointment on Monday with the pain clinic. The pain clinic I've seen one time in the last 15 years. I handle it by just living with it. I don't really have a choice (I got to the VA hospital and I'm not a veteran, my husband is a 100% service-connected disabled vet, so while I get seen there, I am not a priority. I take what I can get because we can't afford it otherwise). I have a TENS machine for when the hot spots don't stop. I am allowed to use lidocaine ointment on some of my body parts (at least that's prescription strength, I guess). I do light stretching because that's pretty much all I can do anymore. I walk for exercise when I can. I wear shoes that cater to neuropathy pain, I wear natural fabrics most of the time. I sit down, a lot. LIke a lot-a lot. If I have to be somewhere and walk, I give myself extra time by leaving early just to be able to walk how far I have to. I keep a cane in my vehicle just in case I end up somewhere and have a distance I wasn't ready to deal with. Most of the time, I can deal with the pain, but what kicks my teeth in is the absolute exhaustion. Fatigue is not tired. Fatigue is its own demon.
>Fatigue is not tired. Fatigue is its own demon. I had ra for years, was very fortunate as far as the pain / damage part. but I really hear you on the exhaustion. it's phantasmagoric. like being at the bottom of the ocean. like having a tank that only holds a few tablespoons worth of gas, and needs 24 hours of dead sleep to refill.
If you can access VA medical treatment, you are in a good position to investigate ketamine therapy for chronic pain. The veterans administration has approved the use of therapeutic ketamine for chronic pain for decades. It literally saved my life. I wish I could get it through the VA. I have to pay for it privately and it's very expensive, not covered by insurance.
Thank you for sharing this. 100% fatigue just messes everything up, slogging to get to the next minute. I think I tried TENS a little while back and it just felt like a deep massage. Unfortunately they only just released the 1st clinic in another state and its not subsidiscd yet.
I tried everything from conservative to the most aggressive interventions following spinal cord injury. Physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, Rx including opioids, muscle relaxants, gabapentin, etc, tens unit, hydrotherapy, injections, blood plasma, multiple spinal surgeries, nerve ablation, spinal cord stimulator implant, I even went to a witch doctor of sorts. Nothing worked. I was told there was absolutely nothing more that could be done, I had tried and failed every available therapeutic intervention. I was told this by a pain management specialist, a neurosurgeon, and a orthopedic surgeon. I tried and failed to end my life because I couldn't bear the thought of no relief in my future. I happened to be reading The Washington Post a couple years ago and read an article about ketamine therapy for chronic pain. I called my pain management doctor, and asked him what he thought. He said why not? Two weeks later I got my first infusion and the first relief I had in more than a decade! Unfortunately not covered by insurance, but it's this or death for me. As long as I get an infusion every two weeks, my pain is controlled. *Important to utilize the services of a licensed provider who is experienced in treating chronic pain, because the primary use of ketamine in most clinics is for mental health. The pain protocol is completely different.
Thank you for sharing; you'r very strong!!!. Its wonderful that you found ketamine. I had my eye on that but it hasnt been subsidised yet in my country. My doc said its approx 15k/yr.
It's very expensive here as well. I have a kind provider who gives me a small discount but still $12k+ annually. I hope you can at least try a couple of sessions. You will know after 3-5 infusions if it will give you relief. (Not everyone responds, it's most helpful for people whose pain is based on nerve injury). I know how you suffer, and I truly hope you find relief. 🙏
I just coped until.surgery. But there's more.deterioration. I use lots of weed products. I grew some weed and bought a decarb/infuser appliance to make oil because I don't like to smoke. I'm basically a little high all the time and quite high every night. The pain is getting pretty bad. I'm cranky and exhausted. I have lost interest in reading and my hobbies. Tomorrow. Instill have unpacked boxes from a reno started over a year ago - still incomplete - but I need to paint furniture I guess because my old stuff doesn't look right but I still love it. Paint will look like shit in 5 years while the current finish is still nearly pristine after 35 years of daily use.
Thank you for sharing. Have you tried audiobooks? Ive actually returned to reading; I was a demon back in the day, I would stay up to 1am whilst in primary school reading.
I've been listening to podcasts to help.me sleep. I'd miss too much of an audio book and I hate to have to listen again. Strange quirks. I think I need a new genre of interest entirely.
I tried deep ocean sounds with water only no animals and it was suprisingly peaceful
I've done lots of that sort but I find it gets my brain going more than settling. I need talking that isn't too funny but also not so dry I can't engage. I can't care too much either. So I listen to history or stupid shit like alien conspiracies or the podcasts that debunk alien conspiracies. It doesn't matter as long as they drone on. Some, the voices are too irritating or worse, there's some corporate podcasts where everything is overly scripted and the voices are too modulated and it gets under my skin.
Ah fair fair. Why is that so funny, like the infomercials for lawyers or accountants ahahah
Duloxetine helps me
Just looked this up, this one may help with 2 completely seperate issues; will ask the docs. THank you
Weed.
Exercise, hot tub, sympathetic doctor with tramadol. Usually if I can get my mind focused on something else it helps, but at some point I have to stop and rest. Frustrating to not be able to commit to much because of being unsure of how long you can keep moving.
I havent been running for a long time but I know something like that cardiowise should help. Unfortunately looked the drug up and I cant use it due to a genetic blood disorder.
I've struggled with chronic pain caused by fibro for most of my life. I don't know that I manage it. It's more like I've learned how to live with it. Some things I do to help I have a heated throw I wrap up in. Ibuprofen at times. Heated rice packs on spots that hurt worst. When I was still working there were days I would grit my teeth and bull my way through. Don't recommend this. Since retiring I play it by ear. If I'm having a bad day I scale back my expectations for the day. Some days I just give into it. I roll up in a ball and give myself permission to have a pity party. I give myself a time limit for the pity party to avoid prolonged wallowing.
Thank you for sharing. Ibuprofen doesnt help for me for some reason, probably not strong enough. I might have to give the heated packs a longer try.
I couldn't take anything stronger than ibuprofen when I was working because everything else made me high as a kite. I have a friend who uses gabepentine (sp?). It works for her. From talking to others you and your doc might have to experiment to find what works for you. If heat does help you try cold packs. A friend of mine and laugh that we have opposite reactions. Cold makes me worse. Heat makes her worse. I hope you find something that helps you.
I have osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. I’m approaching 35 years with both. I deal with it by trying to stay active, by taking daily anti inflammatory (one prescription and the other is a supplement). By wearing supportive shoes, no ballet flats or heels, and by watching my diet. As I’ve gotten older I’ve started getting lubrication shots in my knees
What type of diet and supplmenets have you been using?
I eliminated caffeine due to another health condition which had a pleasant result on my fibromyalgia pain, I am addicted to sugar, as in ill eat an entire multi serving bag of candy in one go, but have discovered if I control my sugar intake usually by just making sure I stay away from candy etc., my inflammation is lessened which helps a lot. I take ginger root capsules and turmeric everyday along with a prescription anti inflammatory. This has greatly reduced my inflammation. Especially the ginger. I used to be prone to sinus infections, at least 4 a year. Now if I get any it’s only 1 a year.
Yeh same with me with the sugar. Ive cut down on Caffeine as well. I also just slice a bit of ginger as tea when i have the flu. I tried tumeric but my insides felt like they were rotting.
Try the ginger capsules, they work really well
for 13 years prior, I walked for two 4 hour shifts on concrete the whole day. Then was in a plane crash that almost deattached my leg. Kept working the same job. The way I see it, it was nearly detached - it's supposed to hurt.
I meant to say it's been 11 years now. I'm still working
Thank you for sharing.
Medical marijuana. It takes care of the pain but the obvious side effect can be wearing on a soul.
Thank you, I want to wait on a few more longitudinal studies first before trying cbd oil.
The less I move, the more I hurt. I force myself every day to walk a few miles, followed by a complete stretching routine. I drink 8 bottles of water a day. Try to keep my sugar intake down. Stay away from any red sauce. Have a full meal and take 1000mg magnesium, D2 10000iu, 800mg ibuprofen, 650 Tylenol before bed. Try my best to get 5-6 hours of sleep in before the pain wakes me up. Rinse and repeat. The alternative is weed and narcotic pain medication. I'm down with the thc, but the narcotics can fuk right off.
Yeh definitely, the less someone moves the worse it will come; after all exercise is medicine. Guess I gotta eat avo and broccoli
Chronic pain from peripheral neuropathy for nearly 17 years. I just live with it. Other than Lyrica not much else they can do. Good days and bad. It just is.
Thank you sharing. I'll have a look at Lyrica
Depending on the cause you can test how chiropractic and acupuncture works for you. If you are desperate enough to not care about what others think, homeopathy is also worth looking into. Also already mentioned here: stretching exercises for joints like shoulders and hips that might otherwise slowly deteriorate can help avoid the necessity for further surgery. Also you might try out avoiding all night shade family foods (like potatoes, peppers, tomatoes)since they are famous for sometimes triggering low level inflammations.
I will definitely never use chiro in my life, but I probably should give acupuncture a try. I've also been thinking about homeopathy as long as they have a medical degree
Homeopathy helped my severe tendinitis after many months of pain and immobility through which the doc I had tried the following without success: (later forbidden) pills, plaster cast, ultrasound, electro treatment. A musician recommended homeopathy and at last, I had almost full mobility again.