What do you do when you chronic pain flares- up and overwhelms you?

Posted by calmmylife57 @calmmylife57, Sep 28 4:15am

Do you just rely on pain medication or do you use gentle movement or exercise, mindfulness, talk with friends, TENS machine, massage, acupuncture, cupping, or soemthing else?

How do you keep your muscles strong and joints flexible, when your body is screaming in so much pain? Do you work through it, or does your body shut down to protect you because it's too much?

I have lumbar sacral spondylosis wiht radiaculopathy, cervical radiaculopathy, fibromyalgia and hyper mobility. So it's a combination of very painful neurophatic and neuroplastic pain, with muscle spasms, brain fog, IBS, and a range of other symptoms.

Iast night my coccyx -( tailbone) buttocks, hips and pelvis experienced so much deep burning and numbing pain, wiht pins and needles which radiated down my legs I passed out my body couldn't process that amount of pain. Also I was getting the same symptoms in my neck so that caused my shoulder, neck and head to wipe me out to.

When I woke up at 3.50am this morning I did very gentle stretches. Even now my muscles feel like they are bleeding, they feel cold, and the pins and needles aren't as intense as last night because I couldn't move to get my pregablin and I live alone. And I've tried training my cat, and she just tries to open my, meds and take them herself (joke) .. meow..ha ha....

It's a battle, but I don't let it beat me, I'm doing everything I can to stay mobile via gentle exercsie and currently having hyrdo therapy with a physio. I've had acupunture on the NHS, I do Yin yoga and Qigong to keep my body healthy- yes it hurts but I'd rather have a fit body with strong muscles to help support my skeletal frame and keep trim so they can't balme it on me being over weight as I weigh nine stone and I'm 5,6.

I'm curious to know what other people's coping stratergies are because I read so many people's stories on here who just want to give up and die. And I get it, I had those moments in the early stages of my diagnosis, when I didn't understand what was happening to my body. I read up on my condition to undertsand it and support myself. But with the support of two brilliant woman psychologists, who supported me and helped me get my mindset to a healthy and balanced place, and still check in with her once a month when I need that support and want to cry or scream.

Big love to eveyone on here living through such horrible pain! XX

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

bigsy67vag | @bigsy67vag | 7 hours ago

My pain is obviously much less than yours so you have my sympathy. When my pain gets too much or flares up I’m afraid I rely on Oramorph which always does the trick. I use it sparingly to make sure I don’t get used to it. My pain is localised to my lower back and left leg. Much of it is coming from my left hip which is scheduled for replacement next summer.

Everyone remarks on how positive I am. I concentrate on what I can do and what joy I get from life. There is always some if you look hard enough for it.

Beyond that I can only say ‘good luck and keep smiling.