Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

I am a 88 year old woman with, among other things, burning mouth syndrome. I’ve had it for over 2 years with no relief. Went to UC Oral medicine clinic. Gave me topical salve, mouth wash, etc. Nothing changes. Hope some others have found relief.

@akristykat I have had personal experience of Spero clinic and have seen people from all over this country and some from other countries. Many people have financed the treatment using a go-fund-me program.

@ailsas I’ve never had gabapentin

@landrew62 Hello Alyce. I'm sorry to hear about your husband, and you, having to deal with chronic pain. I feel the same about my wife that is putting up with me for over 2 1/2 years now, trying to find my source of pain. She is the best researcher a husband could ask for!

I see you mentioned it has been 5 to 7 years, but you didn't mention what your husband has used for the pain. I had Lumbar Spinal Fusion surgery last year, and just as you stated for your husband, I am repaired structurally. However, the second week after the surgery, I was having nerve pain in my lower extremities so bad, I did not sleep for 4 nights straight.

I went to the ER on day 5, and I was prescribed Lyrica. My surgeon's assistant wrote me a prescription for 75mg capsules 3 times a day (morning, noon, night). This helped with my pain almost from the first full day of taking the Lyrica. After two days, I was finally sleeping. And I also had a side effect, I guess you would call it, of sleeping better than I had in over a year.

So, I don't know if this was ever tried, but I would ask his doctor about it if it hasn't. Good luck out there, as many are seeing over the past couple of years how bad the system is getting.

Hi. I am a 75 year old female in the rural midwest. I am pretty active on our farm...or at least try to be. There are days..... I have osteoarthritis in the spine. I am now having hip and leg pain, so probably will get a hip injection soon. I have had them for knees and shoulder. The first one typically works for a year. Subsequent injections do not work for long.
I have a good pain management doc that I am seeing in April to make a long term plan.
I also have an issue with my shoulder, so will probably have an MRI later in the spring.
I ride a stationary bike for 20-30 minutes a day. I alternate Tai Chi with exercises from PT.
I have finally found a good bed time regimen. I also have daily meditations.
I am determined to just keep going as long as I can.

@marcd2k Hi! Thank you for your comments. Your situation sounds very similar, if not exactly the same. He did have lumbar surgery 2 years ago. Nerve pain, which did not exist prior to surgery, is a symptom he's dealing with on a daily basis. He is also currently on Lyrica which gives him some relief. He would like to get off of it due to some of the side effects. He is trying other options for pain management such as Calmare Treatment, which interrupts pain signals. We'll see how that works! Good luck to you. Back pain is so complex. I'm finding Mayo connect helpful to me as spouse supporting him with these pain challenges. Your wife may want to check it out! Thanks again for your reply!

Hi. I’m Jan from Texas. 66 years old. Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Poly Arthritis, etc. Living with chronic pain. Trying to keep up with grand children, children, even my friends. Not working any longer. Appreciate learning from all of you.

A medicine that works well for some. First time I took it was a life saver.
Have fibromyalgia that had me in considerable pain after 15 minutes of
gardening (something good for my sanity) Once on gabapentin I was able to
garden for 1 hour or more. On the other hand some people have problems with
side effects.

ALOHA! Kevin from Texas. 69 years old and neuropathy pain is getting the best of me. In feet and legs for now and feels like walking on hot glass. I'm too young to slow down. Suggestions?

@flynnsbcglobal - Aloha Kevin from Texas. Best suggestion I have is to learn as much as you can about the neuropathy condition and what treatments are available that help. You are not alone and there are many members here on Connect that have shared their experience. Here's a quick search of Connect that lists the many discussions and member comments on "neuropathy what helps" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/.

You can tweak the search words or use different phrases to zero in on specific symptoms to find other members who share your symptoms.