Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

@meryw
I live in vegas

@hraka13

Morning - been living with SI joint pain for 6 years and did get shots every 4-6 months till they stoped working. In addition neck and shoulder pain has taken over because of 4 bulges. Finally in the Mayo spine center and shocked they do not do pain management - what do people here do for chronic pain relief? I started with Ibprofin 800 mg 3 times a day - helps for edge pain but nothing for break through pain

I am Marja from Finland. I have had cronical nervepains on my lower back on the left side nearly 7 years. Lyrica helps somehow. One part of the problem could be Tarlov’s kysta near the place where nerve is pressed. This all began on my journey to Germany where we walk a lot in the sunshine, changed trains in a hurry etc. It is always said that movement is medicine but I say, that movement is the medicine from Hell.

@simaya Hello, Simaya. I'm sorry to hear about both your pain, and the fact you do not have anyone supporting you through it.

I also have radiculopathy that runs from my T10-T11 area of my spine around my right side, into my oblique muscles. These muscles are constantly locked, from when I get up until I go to bed, and this causes a lot of pain. My daily average is about a 7 / 8 on a scale up to 10, and there is no medication I've had that helps with this.

I've had 3 epidurals, the first two doing nothing for my pain. Those 2 were at the T12-L1 area, and the 3rd epidural I just had in February was at the T11-T12 area. Unfortunately, this 3rd epidural has caused me more pain and cramping in my right side oblique muscles.

The latest procedure my doctor tried was two days ago, May 7th. He did Trigger Point injections in my right side obliques. There has not been any relief yet, my pain is the same as before the injections so far. But I'm giving it until the end of next week to let my doctor know if there is any improvement.

Please write with any questions you may have, and I'll answer what I can. Or if you just need to chat, that is fine as well.

I’m sorry for your suffering of chronic pain. Mine differs from yours but doesn’t hurt less. I can sympathize with you though. Do all you can in keeping your movements. I lost the ability to walk for a year when Covid struck me and gave me what they now call “Covid related arthritis.” It comes on fast where I didn’t have it at all. It attacked my whole spine and my hands. I get many injections and have been getting nerves burned. They call it nerve ablation. I moved and have a new pain doc and he did this nerve ablation with radio frequencies. I don’t know the difference from the other way. It sounds safer in not paralyzing me. I have 5 bulging discs through out my spine and neck. I never stop being in pain. I learned I have spondylitis on top of this severe arthritis. In a matter of a few short years I may find myself back in the wheelchair. I am going to search out a doctor that can prolong this. I don’t want to sit idly by and wait for it to happen. I also suffer muscle spasms. The worse is under my right scapula. Underneath where tissues and nerves and muscles connect. Under there it begins and it is so painful that my body responds in movements I cannot stop nor control. I look like I have a bad case of non-vocal mobile Tourette’s. I don’t have this. This is how bad I get the pain. Cyclobenzaprine 10 mg 3x daily doesn’t cut it. I use heat. I can’t do ice. It causes me great pain and that is from the Fibromyalgia that attacked me in 2005. I feel the heat would relax the spazzing. It is so painful. I try the neck massager in that area and the neck and below to my waist. They are all so tender I can’t take the pain. I put myself to a protruding wall and find the tender area and push as hard as I can and then rock it while pushing. I’m doing acupressure and sometimes that does work. Then I get right back to the heating pad and sit with it on more than not. I got an attack in the grocery store the other day. I can’t walk the store. I drive their carts to get around. I’m with my husband. He is used to this happening to me now. He didn’t panic but we did cut the shopping short. He finished up later that day. It is so very painful and renders me to a chair with heat more than not. I have so much more going on with me. Literally I could write a book on that alone. I pray for all of us people who suffer chronic pain. Some suffer from surgery or their body not changing properly. Some suffer from it from and outside source and that is me from COVID and others just because we are aging. I fit that bill too. I pray that we all become healed from head to toe. I used to be worse. So I feel that my body is heading that direction. I trust in prayer and I won’t stop until we are healed. Thanks for reading. Elizabeth

@marcd2k I had 2 epidural and my doctor told me that I might have to get epidural injection in my neck because pain is now radiating down both my arms. It's very painful. I here lying down on a heating pad because my neck and shoulder hurts. It's hurts even more not having any support and my husband is tired of my situation. Sometimes he said I'm lying about my pain. I doing my best to stay strong for my kids.

Are u able to move around.
Try using a heating pad, it helps a little and use magnesium body wash, lotion and supplements.

Thanks for reaching out to me

Hi - I am Caroline and have had chronic pain with neuropathy and now Charcot Foot is part of the pain puzzle. Working with the Ottawa General Hospital in Canada for chronic pain help and see if we can get some relief. Looking forward to sharing
Caroline in Canada

Hello, I’m sorry to hear about your pain. I lived with s.i. Joint pain for a little while. They soon recommended s.i. Joint surgery. The recovery was hard and it took 6 months before the joint felt normal. But I’m extremely glad I did it now. I have no pain at all now. I have trouble with trigeminal nerve (pain in the face) also. So I’m heading down the road to get it treated. I’m not sure if they will do surgery, I suppose it depends on what shows up in the MRI and MRA images. I know there certain surgeries for this and the possibility of a pain pump where the catheter will run up the length of my spine to the cervical area of my neck. Hopefully either the pump or a surgery will work.

@simaya You are welcome for me reaching out. I know we all need all of the support we can find, as the US medical system is broken, and we have to do most of the work ourselves.

I can move around, but I cannot get back to my regular routine of working out and stair climbing. We have a group of climbers that meets every weekend outdoors for an hour of stair climbing.

I used to work out three days during the week, and climb on the weekend. Unfortunately, my oblique muscles do not let me do this, as they lock up with too much effort on my part to move around.

I do have a heating pad that I use for my side, it helps calm the muscles down. I have heard of using Magnesium for muscle cramping, I'll have to look into which would be the best for my situation. It feels like having a calf cramp in my side, and the only thing I can do is lay on my back. That is the only way I get relief, because sitting or standing gets painful after an hour or so.

Keep trying, I know it is not easy, but we have to keep looking on our own. I have been trying for almost 3 years now, but I have to keep researching, reading, watching, and making my own appointments when I can.