Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Yeah. It’s frustrating. No one really knows what it is like to be in constant pain. And some goofball worried about you getting “hooked” on an opioid.
I had Prostate removed. And have been in constant ever since. Have a spinal stimulator in now. Very little help. I can understand why some people end their lives have to live in constant pain and no hope on the horizon

Happy Friday Friends!
My name is Lisa, from central Missouri…very rural area. When I moved here 17 years ago I was extremely worried that I wouldn’t find the right care for my Osteoarthritis. I’ve had bi-lateral Hip replacement, right side revision done cuz of Surgeon error…no suffering permanent nerve damage & severe nerve pain from him “traumatizing the femoral nerve while trying to dislocate” defective hip parts. He actually told me that! Then, of course, blamed it on my back being the cause of the new hip repeatedly dislocating. I trusted him when he said it’ll eventually get better; 2019 still defective.
By the time I went to take legal action, of course, it was too late. I’ve also had 3 failed back surgeries, tried e-stimulators…couldn’t calibrate it correctly so no use for me. I need both my shoulders done and receive injections every 3mos to help ease that horrific pain. I’m scared to death to get my shoulders done, per the outcomes of previous surgeries.
Luckily 🍀🙏🏻 I found an amazing pain management specialist close (enough) to me to prescribe the right combination of medicine that makes things more tolerable. I am 70% functional but I’m so depressed that it hinders me from being a productive. Pain feeds depression and depression feeds pain…not to mention the anxiety that comes from things you know need to be done but you literally procrastinate or avoid completely. NOW they’ve determined that a lot of my shoulder pain is directed to my neck, which also needs a fusion surgery!
I’m scared for my future. My son and I have an understanding that he is not to let me suffer should I become non-mobile or productive. I don’t want to live in this pain and if I don’t take care of what needs to be done, it’ll all get worse. It’s not a bright sunny future I was hoping for.
God Bless All Sufferers with Peace & Comfort.✌️🙏🏻❤️‍🩹🥺

Hello. I am a 66 year old woman who has been in pain since my 20s. I have had injections, pain management, the stimulator temporarily installed in my back, surgery, pain meds, PT, Tens unit and Medical Marijuana. I may have missed mentioning a few treatments. I have been diagnosed at WellSpan and John’s Hopkins with various diagnosis. The last several diagnosis were DISH, psoriatic arthritis and Osteoporosis. I was told by my Arthritis doctor that I have the bones of a 90 year old and I have bone spurs from
My neck to my tailbone and all my joints. Eventually I will need all my joints replaced. So far I only had my left knee done. None of the treatments really worked. I guess I have accepted the fact that I will continue to live my life in pain. Anyone know of any miracles?

@momma1960 I wanted to let everyone know I've been in lower back pain since I feel about 5 yrs ago .Trying everything for relieve prescription and herbals .I finally am using Omega xl been on it 6 weeks ,love it I don't have any pain have 2 more weeks then go to 2 a day I just ordered more on autoship.I recommend this product 4 a day for 8 weeks then 2 a day .This really helps 100,
%,try it for yourself .

Hi. My name is Sandra and I am looking forward to learning from this group.

I’ve had chronic pain now for about 7 years. The typical lower back & cspine area from working as a nurse for almost 30 years and from being very physically active.

I am now 61 and disabled / retired.

My name is Armor and I have had cervical dystonia since 2014 (I had received the right diagnosis at Walter Reed Neurology). I won't go on about the trials and tribulations since I was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and have completed chemo/radiation. They wanted to start me on immunotherapy, but it threw me for a loop, so we are waiting to see what the way forward. I thought CD was bad enough but with cancer this has become a real challenge.

Hi all, I suffer from chronic pain, mostly osteoarthritis. Affected are my hands, twisted now, my tailbone sciatica in both legs, my neck my shoulders my feet, my jaw my face all suffer and electrical charge like feeling. Depression is chronic. Practice s for intuitive eating an mindfulness.

Hi … my name is Meg and I’ve been dealing with chronic pain for over 2 years. In May of 2022, I had a fall at work which resulted in a full rotator cuff tear, a bulging disc in my neck, and spinal fusion surgery L3-L5 in April 2021. I’m still recovering from the surgery and am in constant pain. My spine surgeon transferred me to Pain Management because he believes he’s done everything “surgically” possible for my cervical and lumbar pain. My orthopedic doctor will not operate until Pain Management clears me, which won’t be for quite some time. I’m allergic to every narcotic pain medication except for Dilaudid.
I’ve been on every muscle relaxer and anti-inflammatory medication without significant relief. I have PT 2 times a week with dry needling, cupping and stim, but the relief is gone as soon as the treatment ends.
I want to research holistic treatments, but I’m on Worker’s Comp Disability and have no say in who my doctors are and what treatments I can do. It’s been incredibly frustrating.
I’d love to hear if anyone has a similar story and how they are coping.

I'm Heather and I have severe, chronic pain. I have gastroparesis, fibromyalgia, grade 4 osteoarthritis to my spine, and both knees as well as avascular necrosis of (that I know of) my hips and knees. I've been in pain for so long that I don't know how long I have had it if that makes sense. Because of the GI issues, it's a struggle to find good pain management that doesn't make that worse-but any med I take is likely to some degree, make the gastroparesis worse. My palliative care provider honestly tells me "it's all a trade-off for you." and how my pain is managed depends on what I am okay to live with. That's my chronic pain.

As for me, I like to live my life to the fullest-I stay as active as I can (which right now, is very limited), and I am working full-time as a nurse (I do nights so I can be a LITTLE less active). I did a dumb thing and worked a second shift and paid a heavy price-the next two days I was almost immoble due to the pain. And yes, I take pain meds-you bet I do! I have also had pain bring me to the point of wanting to take my life. All it seems to do is get worse. And yes, I got myself some help and am on a better track.

I really feel my struggles with chronic pain help me to be a better nurse. When a patient says "I'm in pain," no worries, I got you! I utilize meds for patients as ordered and when appropriate but I am also up on the non-medication ways to try to help with pain. And I pass that along to my patients. Though if one is being honest with themselves, we all fall short-sometimes it can't be helped. I strive to keep my patients as comfortable as I can and I will proudly say I once was written up for getting a hospice patient pain meds. No regrets there, I did my job-as a nurse and a human being. Most of my colleages will tell you I am a pretty compassionate person. I think the chronic pain is a contributing factor.

That being said, I am in need of a total knee replacement on both sides and lack the money to live on while I am recovering. So I am raising money and socking it away as much as I can-I'm tired of being in pain all the time.

Pain doesn't define me. My life is more than that.

Hello! My name is Brenda, and I am from the DC area. I have been dealing with chronic pain since about 1994, though I was not diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis until 2009. I have had knee pain since I was a teenager. My left kneecap is out of place. I also have osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, several associated syndromes, and fight with depression. I look forward to learning new coping strategies in this group and sharing anything that works for me.