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How to deal with constant pain for years
Chronic Pain | Last Active: Apr 21 10:39am | Replies (141)Comment receiving replies
@asilyag I have never been in touch with anyone else on hydrocodone. There's a huge stigma about addiction. I go to a pain management clinic and it's been a huge relief. This is the only provider I have who understands that 4 autoimmune illnesses and fibromyalgia would cause chronic pain.
I learned that good pain control is at least 60% of your pain relieved by pain meds. It is not about 100% pain control. (If it was, then you WOULD be a zombie)
Two things have helped me; I always have the 3 tabs in a pill minder , so I never take more than 3. It's easy to forget in a busy day.
The way that I take pain medication, as needed; I often take one when I wake up, so I won't be a couch potato. And I usually take one before I go to bed so I'm not in pain and can get good sleep.
So, as long as you take them as many hours apart as ordered, you might get more help taking them as needed. Not at certain scheduled times.
That said, everyone is different. I'm sharing what works for me! I also practice chair yoga or gentle yoga, use topical creams like lidocaine and voltaren. I've been helped by psychotherapy. I became a poet when I was first disabled. Any creativity is healing, anything like music or art that takes me out of my self. Finding a way to enjoy life even while living with chronic pain. I would not be able to enjoy all this without good pain management.
I hope this helps! Take care.
Replies to "@asilyag I have never been in touch with anyone else on hydrocodone. There's a huge stigma..."
Thank you so much , someone understands what it like to live like this, I hope pain management can help me next time I go back, I might have to change doctors if it doesn’t work
My chronic pain management is the same as yours. Oxycodone as needed which is usually at bedtime but now I also take one upon waking to get me through morning chores. Voltaren and lidocaine are also my close friends. I can only walk a few steps but do try. Thank goodness for my powerchair as it gets me around the kitchen for cooking dinner and for our furbabies. Due to severe CKD I cannot take any Nsaids.
This is probably the realest answer I've seen on here. Patients get on here for real answers, not pompous replies.
It is incredibly discouraging when you go from active and healthy to be suddenly stopped in life by the wall of pain. It was a big adjustment for me, I had to adjust every detail of my life.
I started getting depressed and down on myself because even with hydrocodone, I still only get a good hour or two on a "good day" to feel alive and get out of bed or not use my wheelchair.
I take 4 tabs a day (also have to put in a reminder case, so I dont forget, because when pain hits you can't remember anymore). I have an alarm on my phone too. I take a tab before I wake up, so I'm not in horrible pain which can detour your day. Same before bed. I also use lidocaine patches, CBD cream, and take THC/CBD gummies. There is so much stigma around these practices. But I'd rather use something that works vs lay in bed focused on the pain and trying not to let my family see me cry all day because its not socially exceptable. And as a mother, I have to power thru the pain a lot to be there for my kids, the best I can. But without anything, the pain is too much to mentally deal with.
It can become an out-of-body experience when it gets too intense, so I found meditation helps when nothing else is working. I take my mind somewhere without screaming pain. I used to use apps, now I can put on music and do it at will. It's cliche but extremely helpful when medication doesn't work.
Another very helpful practice is to thearpy. Chronic pain can take you down hard mentally. I joined betterhelp for talk thearpy and chronic pain support group, very helpful to talk to others and get support. I also started taking antidepressants and do physiotherapy that comes to the house, because I'm so immobile.
Lastly, the part I struggle with the most is diet. I can seriously tell the difference if I ate healthy all day or ate sugar and fats all day, it can cause so much unneeded extra pain. So, if you're having an odd off day, worse than usual, it could be your diet. I'm on a heart healthy diet and it helps control my pain.
So, those are the things that help me cope. Living with Chronic Pain is a different way of life. I try to keep a positive perception and be grateful anytime I'm not in pain. Hope this helped.
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Thank you for sharing. I have plans now to see a dr that will try and help with medication mngt side of chronic pain. I did really relate to your comment though if “finding things that take you out of your self”