Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

I had left inguinal hernia surgery with mesh and a plug in 2015 and have had horrible pain since day 1
I have had several nerve injections that have not given me any pain relief.
I take pain medication everyday
The last time they tried nerve injections the dr said I only have one layer in my abdomen and the nerves he wanted to inject could not be seen
Now on May 3 they are going to try the Proclaim DRG nerve stimulator on me. If it helps control the pain after one eeek then they will implant it in my back.
It is like a spinal chord stimulator but it is made for chronic pain in the lower part of your body and for chronic pain after hernia surgery
I also have bad back issues so they’ve talked about implanting a spinal chord stimulator some time later
I’ll be 80 years old in June and I was always a very active lady until this horrible chronic pain I’m not good sitting upright or standing very long.
Has anyone had this pain stimulator placed in their body?

THANK YOU KELSEY!
I AM SIGNED UP BECAUSE I HAVE HAD CHRONIC PAIN FOR MANY YEARS NOW. I HAVE PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AND DIABETES AND OSTEOARTHRITIS AS WELL AS HYPERTENSION AND HERNIATED DISKS L4 AND L5 AND T5. I AM LOOKING FOR HELP AND SUGGESTIONS FOR NEW TREATMENTS FOR MY NEUROPATHY, AND ALSO, TO GIVE SOME ENCOURAGEMENT TO OTHERS. IT'S NICE TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS THAT UNDERSTAND.
I THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME IN THE GROUP!!!

Hello, my name is Emmett and i have had chronic pain for almost a decade now. I see both a Pain Specialist and a Pain Psychologist at MA General Hospital in Boston. My pain has been diagnosed as Myofascial Pain Syndrome or MPS. The pain is known as Chronic Myofascial Pain or CMP. I've been battling mightily to gain back my life and can talk extensively about what i have done and am doing. I hope to help and maybe find a few diamonds in the rough from others to keep! Cheers

Hi, I used to be involved under the name "Victorious"
And joined groups regarding Fibromyalgia and depression. My husband and I are seniors trying to navigate newer our
health challenges after moving to Stockton without family around, and with health challenges, using walkers and pain meds, trying to find church and other activities for fellowship. The pandemic put alot of us into seclusion of sorts.

Hi, I’m Annette, or anne4u.
I have experienced chronic pain for over 19 years. Back in 2005 I noticed something was going on with my body, I just couldn’t understand what. After seeing a few doctors, I was referred to a rheumatologist and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It wasn’t widely understood or accepted as a diagnosis then, and it’s still a controversial diagnosis! But it’s a very real illness! My symptoms began with flu symptoms, swollen glands and all, fatigue, weakness and body pain. I’ve had rash problems, with biopsy’s that showed nothing. Head to toe body pain so bad I’m unable to work. I also have degenerative disk disease, myofascial pain syndrome, chronic fatigue, hypothyroid, osteoarthritis, insomnia, TMJ, GERD, IBS, depression… I have been through numerous treatments over the years! I’m experiencing pretty bad withdrawal symptoms from recently reduced and stopped opioid medication. That’s wreaking havoc on my body. All my pain symptoms are on alert! I’m doing the best I can to get through this particularly difficult time.
I’ve belonged to some support type groups, online and in person in the past. It’s been a few years since I’ve participated in any. I like what I’ve seen here on Mayo Clinic’s Connect. Glad to be here!

Hello @kekoski and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. This chronic pain has to be upsetting, especially given how active you were. I found a previous discussion on hernia repair surgery with a couple of members such as @quark and @jobby99 who shared what could be helpful information about the root cause of their chronic pain. Take a read at the link below to see if you find it helpful to your situation regarding your pain.

- Chronic abdominal pain after cystectomy and or inguinal hernia repair: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chronic-abdominal-pain-after-cystectomy-and-or-inguinal-hernia-repair/

With regard to pain stimulators, @lorirenee1 may be able to come in and share her experience with the exact same pain stimulator as the one you have mentioned.

When is your anticipated procedure for implant?

Thank you for the nice message. I didn’t think I’d get any responses
I go for my preop physical tomorrow and my procedure is next week on Wed (5/3)
I wish I could talk to someone that had it done I’ll go back and read what you sent me to go to read. Thank you

This is something I need to work on as I always tend to push just that extra bit which gets me. I am not sure why I do that last little burst maybe out of stubbornness even though I know it gets me nowhere. I sincerely appreciate the tip and will be trying it....TODAY actually. Thank you Rachel!

I’ve done the same ‘self care’ as you. I do meditation, try to eat right and maintain some exercise. Right now I walk when ever I’m able. Usually 2-3 times a week for at least 30 minutes. I have FM, another source of pain is degenerative disk disease. My back has been neglected for several years from doctors I’ve seen. I know Covid didn’t help any of us seeking help for pain conditions! I gave up my career, which I loved after a head on auto accident triggered fibro, with injuries. I hung in another year, until I couldn’t get out of bed. That was 19 years ago. I think the losses we experience when we start having serious health problems are like mourning a death. I was also very active prior to disability. I owned a Harley Davidson and put 20,000 on my 1st bike in 18 months. I was a buyer for Harley Davidson and traveled all over the US for my job. It was heartbreaking to give it up, and sell my bike!
I hope you are able to find the help you need. I’m currently looking for a new pain doctor. Finding the right doc is so important!

@7lilsnkr Hey there. These are inspiring words to hear you say. You are certainly not alone in the push/crash cycle, that's for sure, but you have a leg up by acknowledging and wanting to work towards correcting it.

I peeked at your bio and see you are new to join Connect, welcome. I relate to your frustrations of feeling too young to have disabilities hold you back, and wanting to accomplish more than your symptoms allow. I left my banking job after 26 years (a lot of customer service, like you) and began short-term disability. I wasn't able to get past my symptoms like I had hoped and one year later filed for permanent disability. My chronic symptoms began around 43. I had to leave work at 46. So, now at a newly turned 52 years young, I get you. One of many things I learned by attending Mayo's Pain Rehabilitation Center and receiving cognitive behavioral therapy, was that I did myself a disservice by focusing on things like age.

Again, you are not alone. It takes work to recognize and accept things we must do different to better our cause. Moderation and modification are definitely big ones for me and I think it's wonderful that you are open to working on them too. Please give yourself grace along the journey.

How did today's task go that you were going to try out?