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Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Posted by Kelsey Mohring @kelseydm, Apr 27, 2016

Welcome to the new Chronic Pain group.

I’m Kelsey and I’m the moderator of the group. I look forwarding to welcoming you and introducing you to other members. Feel free to browse the topics or start a new one.

Why not take a minute and introduce yourself.

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

psearby17 | @psearby17 | Jul 16, 2018

Hi Everyone just started a discussion about bulging discs in my neck at C3 and C4, L5 and bursitis in my hips. Also suffer from coccydynia which I've had since 2001; inflammation of the coccyx. All of this has impacted my life and I'm now very anxious and depressed. Don't sleep well either. Can anyone give me some advice as to how to live a "normal" life when I don't feel normal.

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4 replies
ursweetpam | @ursweetpam | Jul 16, 2018

Nice to meet you @ psearby17! It might be a good idea to mention how you've been feeling to your family dr or pain Dr, if you have one. It's common for someone to develop depression and anxiety when they are is constant pain. There thing your Dr can do to help with the. I have major depression, all my life. It did get worse after my failed back surgery and my Dr needed to increase my dose.
Do you have grown children or parents that you enjoy visiting with? Even something like that or a phone call to a friend is just enough to distract you from the pain. It's about all I can do these day since walking is so difficult. I know about the inflamed coccyx. I broke mine during a forcep delivery of my oldest child. I still have to sit on a hard chair with a leg under my butt to take the pressire off. My mom's was so bad it poked through the bottom of spine and thru the skin! Have you tried strategically placing pillows in a way that takes the pressure off that part of your spine? Have you tried a tens? There are good ones on Amazon if you're interseted. Have you spoke with a surgeon or pain management yet? You need to sleep or it's just going to make things worse. Keeping you in my prayers {{hugz}}

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1 reply
Jen, Alumna Mentor | @sandytoes14 | Jul 16, 2018
In reply to @mdmo "Hi, I'm a female 60 years old. I've lived with chronic pain since I was 27..." + (show)
@mdmo

Hi, I'm a female 60 years old. I've lived with chronic pain since I was 27 years old. I was working with disabled children at the time and I was performing a "safety hold" on a child so he wouldn't injure himself or the other children until we could get him to the area where he could vent his anger in a safe place. Anyway he thrusted so hard he caused my back to twist and I ended up with 3 discs herniated in my lumbar area. Since then I've had 4 spine surgeries, hardware, spinal cord stimulator and a implanted intrathecal morphine pain pump. I've had racz catheter procedures done to get the steroid medication through spinal scar tissue. Epidural steroid injections ( more than what is medically recommended) I've had Radiofrequency ablation procedures on my SI joints to burn the nerves, physical therapy, aqua therapy, so......I now have Arachnoditis due to the dura space being penetrated by needles requiring blood patches because my spinal fluid was leaking out.
In 2013 I was diagnosed at the hospital after having a Adrenal crisis. I was rushed to the ER and told after 2 tests that i had Addison's disease. Due to having all those epidural, trigger point, and other steroid injections my adrenal glands had stopped producing the hormones that are needed to live. Now I have to take daily steroids, Hydrocortisone 15 mg in divided doses each day. Also I have to take a medication to keep my fluids in balance. My blood pressure can bottom out if i dont take it and eat lots of salty things. Usually i just take salt tablets.
I have had pretty good results with the intrathecal morphine pain pump. But like everything else it stops working after a few years. I've had mine 5 years. I'm weaning down my dose by 15% weekly. At this rate I'll be off the pump in about 9 weeks not having to incur any withdrawal symptoms.
In the mean time they are giving me Tramadol 50 mg 3 times a day and Baclofen 10 mg 4 times a day for the terrible spasticity that I have each day.
My Faith and classical music is what makes each day bearable. So enough about me...... 🙂

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@lioness At this point, it's just another pain to deal with, you know what I mean? I use heat and ice. I swear that the weather can make it worse just like arthritis.What are you doing for relief? Jen

**edited to add I've done epidural injections for the bulging disk. That gave the most and longest relief.

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jfsherley | @jfsherley | Jul 16, 2018
In reply to @psearby17 "Hi Everyone just started a discussion about bulging discs in my neck at C3 and C4,..." + (show)
@psearby17

Hi Everyone just started a discussion about bulging discs in my neck at C3 and C4, L5 and bursitis in my hips. Also suffer from coccydynia which I've had since 2001; inflammation of the coccyx. All of this has impacted my life and I'm now very anxious and depressed. Don't sleep well either. Can anyone give me some advice as to how to live a "normal" life when I don't feel normal.

Jump to this post

Psearny17 I have bursitis in one of my hips and the way I keep the pain away is lay on ice pls and go to Utube and search for exercises for bursitis, there 3 little exercises you can do. I do them every day , it definitely works . If you can’t get on the floor to do them do them on your bed , ice packs every day intuit starts getting better hope that helps , Judy

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jfsherley | @jfsherley | Jul 16, 2018
In reply to @psearby17 "Hi Everyone just started a discussion about bulging discs in my neck at C3 and C4,..." + (show)
@psearby17

Hi Everyone just started a discussion about bulging discs in my neck at C3 and C4, L5 and bursitis in my hips. Also suffer from coccydynia which I've had since 2001; inflammation of the coccyx. All of this has impacted my life and I'm now very anxious and depressed. Don't sleep well either. Can anyone give me some advice as to how to live a "normal" life when I don't feel normal.

Jump to this post

I also have chronic back problems and ice and wet heating pad helps with that plus tramadol gabapentin muscle relaxer stretching by pulling my legs up to my chest

REPLY
Stephen | @wsh66 | Jul 16, 2018
In reply to @wsh66 "Are you talking about an implanted pump to deliver pain meds? If so, it's the cat's..." + (show)
@wsh66

Are you talking about an implanted pump to deliver pain meds? If so, it's the cat's meow and your daddies fine tooth comb. Get one, I did.

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Ihave a pump and I only have to have it filled every 3 to 4 months. No problem traveling. No perscription to get in advance. The pump will set you free!

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Stephen | @wsh66 | Jul 16, 2018
In reply to @hosta "Hosta here, Has anyone tried the Drug Delivery Therapy? I went to a seminar on this..." + (show)
@hosta

Hosta here, Has anyone tried the Drug Delivery Therapy? I went to a seminar on this type of pain management! I want to look into this. Input would be appreciated.

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Try Dilaudid in your pump, it is much stronger than morphine, less side effects.

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virginialouise4 | @virginialouise4 | Jul 16, 2018

Please cancel this connection

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1 reply
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Jul 16, 2018
In reply to @virginialouise4 "Please cancel this connection" + (show)
@virginialouise4

Please cancel this connection

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Hi @virginialouise4 - To cancel the notifications from this discussion all you have to do when you receive the notification for this post is go to the bottom of the email you received and click the link to Unsubscribe.

John

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psearby17 | @psearby17 | Jul 16, 2018
In reply to @ursweetpam "Nice to meet you @ psearby17! It might be a good idea to mention how you've..." + (show)
@ursweetpam

Nice to meet you @ psearby17! It might be a good idea to mention how you've been feeling to your family dr or pain Dr, if you have one. It's common for someone to develop depression and anxiety when they are is constant pain. There thing your Dr can do to help with the. I have major depression, all my life. It did get worse after my failed back surgery and my Dr needed to increase my dose.
Do you have grown children or parents that you enjoy visiting with? Even something like that or a phone call to a friend is just enough to distract you from the pain. It's about all I can do these day since walking is so difficult. I know about the inflamed coccyx. I broke mine during a forcep delivery of my oldest child. I still have to sit on a hard chair with a leg under my butt to take the pressire off. My mom's was so bad it poked through the bottom of spine and thru the skin! Have you tried strategically placing pillows in a way that takes the pressure off that part of your spine? Have you tried a tens? There are good ones on Amazon if you're interseted. Have you spoke with a surgeon or pain management yet? You need to sleep or it's just going to make things worse. Keeping you in my prayers {{hugz}}

Jump to this post

Hey Sweetpam, thanks for your great advice. Good to hear from you. I've been to a pain management doctor. We're planning on doing a ganglion impar block injection in the near future for my coccyx. Also have scheduled a medical branch block in a couple of weeks for my neck. I have the same issues you do. I didn't know about using pillows. Never thought of that. I do use a TENS unit and that helps a lot. I just can't sit for very long even with the TENS unit so traveling in a car or plane I haven't been able to do. I have trouble sleeping and have had trouble for years. I have to take a benzo and an amino acid in order to get some sleep. I wish I wasn't dependent on them but I am. Thank you for your prayers. How do you manage to get on with your life with all of your issues. I have grown children but they do not want to have much to do with me. One lives very far away and the other just is too busy with her own life, so visiting them isn't in the works for me. I try to stay in touch with friends but most of them don't want to know I'm in pain or what is going on with me. They don't have any physical issues. That hurts me. So I don't say anything about how I'm feeling and that gets me more depressed. So nice of you to respond to me. That means a lot to me.

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