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.

@gailb

@grandmar

Ronnie, I am again amazed by your positive feelings in spite of your extreme pain. You continue to look for the positive in each issue you have. You are an inspiration to others in pain, including me. My pain feels small after reading your posts. I hope your doctors find a conservative treatment for your spine problems. I have a compression fracture in my C7, and when it's inflamed the pain is excruciating. I also have ongoing osteoarthritis, DDD, lumbar issues, spondylitis, etc which I'm sure you've read in my previous posts.

While I am feeling better right now, I notice that my neck and back pain and leg weakness is slowly returning. Your experiences are helping me as I suspect I will be needing additional work one of these months. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and feelings on this site. You're helping so many others in similar positions, in spite of your pain.

Gail
Volunteer Mentor

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Tramadol is not a narcotic. It is addictive in a very insidious way. You will get sick when you go cold turkey, just like you would from narcotics. The difference is you won't crave more tramadol, you'll just get sick, 72 to 96 hours. Tes, personal experience, the first year it was on the market. They were passing it out by the bucket full as a substitute for hydrocodone.

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@grandmar

@mamacita
Thank you for the very kind words.
I will certainly keep you informed on what is happening with me.

I am so sorry you are having such a difficult time from the Fibro.
I have it too.
Although I am not 100% symptomatic, I experience very little pain from it.
With all the pain I DO have, how do I know?
The other pain I am currently experiencing feels very different than the one I have with the Fibro.
I still do have all the tender points and so long as no one tries to get in to deep, I leave it alone and it leaves me alone.
See, I get massages so they need to be very careful.
I don't get deep tissue massage in order to keep inflammation away.

How did I manage to almost negate the Fibro?
1. I took amitriptalyn (sp.?) at a VERY low dose (10mg....I 5ft. 6.5 inches and have weighed up to 210 lbs. while on the meds).
It helped to get me into a deep restorative sleep.
2. I went for therapeutic massage every other week. (expensive, but very worth it).
3. I went to a chiropractor every other week. (on the off week from my massage).Luckily it was covered by my insurance.
4. I went for aquatic physical therapy. The soaking in the warm water alone felt great!
5. I started to lose weight. I went on Weight Watchers.
6. I started to walk (as a form of exercise). I started off VERY slowly because of the pain. My hubby would literally have to drag me around at the beginning. After a while, I was able to walk all I wanted without a 'push'.
7. I started to go into the workout room where I lived. I did the tread mill and weights.

All this took several months, but it did work!

I pray you feel better today and each day!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

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@grandmar - thank you for your ideas. So often I forget to prod myself in to moving when a fibro flare is coming on. I am going to look into Tylenol PM, as that my kidney disease will not allow anything but Tylenol, in order to try for a decent night sleep.
Ginger

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@parus

@gailb I have been reading about genetic testing for different things. Does insurance pay for this type of testing? Probably varies.
A smiling flower face helps me. Hope it helps you and maybe someone else. I do enjoy my small secret garden with BIG color.

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@parus

Yes, Medicare will pay for your genetic drug tests. I don't know if you have private insurance, whether or not they will pay for it. I didn't answer right away because @wsh66 answered your question much better than I could. I'm going to get the testing myself. I hope you find something to bring you relief. I'm happy to read you're use of CBD is helpful. Things are looking up for many of us with the legal use of Marijuana products and derivatives. I've been using CBD oil each afternoon or evening when I have pain, which seems to be increasing again lately. I see my doctor middle of September.

I love your photo of the nasturtium. Viewing flowers always improves my feelings. I feel joy when I see them. Nature is so inspiring. We're in the desert at our daughter's "getaway" home close to Palm Springs. Even though it's 111° here, the landscaping of the community we are in is beautiful! There are many flowering desert plants and bougainvillea that grace her yard overlooking a small manmade lake. It's also peaceful. I enjoy the dry heat here for short periods of time during the evening. We have several ducks that visit when we're outdoors. One always comes up the little hill from the lake and peaks at us while hiding behind a short wall. His little head and eye pops up and he stays while I talk to him. I love it! Then, I give all the ducks some bread crumbs. Joy in small things makes my life better.

Gail
Volunteer Mentor

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@parus

@gailb I have been reading about genetic testing for different things. Does insurance pay for this type of testing? Probably varies.
A smiling flower face helps me. Hope it helps you and maybe someone else. I do enjoy my small secret garden with BIG color.

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@gailb What a great life! (For both you and the ducks.)

Teresa

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@grandmar

Hi All!
It's 3am and I've been up for 2 hours.
Pain invades my ability to sleep (and my hubby's).
I take the pain meds and it takes the edge off, but it does not take the pain away.
I sometimes get a nap in during the day but not all days.
I am exhausted and I have brain fuzz.
My poor hubby is exhausted, too.
He hears each and every noise I make when I move or get up to use the bathroom.
I feel terrible! He is so afraid I will fall, again, and hurt myself.
He rarely leaves me alone in the house, even though I have one of those 'I've fallen and can't get up' buttons.
I haven't driven myself in forever.
He feels I don't pay attention and that I don't lift my feet when I walk.
Frankly, all these precautions are probably a good idea.
It's not that I don't pay attention, it is just that it is hard for me to focus with pain meds and no sleep.
Tomorrow is the big day, I get my results from the mylogram CT I took last week.
I sure hope it helps to solve the puzzle.
If not, I think it will be time to discuss the possibility of a pain pump.
Something HAS to help.
I don't know how much longer I can deal with this acute pain and lack of sleep.
Soon they will be calling me the Zombie Grandma! LOL
Thanks for letting me vent.
I hope I made sense!

Here's to a pain free day for us all!!!!

Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

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@grandmar and the other people I feel I know from reading their postings, forgive my negative attitude but I no longer believe in "if the doctor said so, it must be so." I feel we also bear some responsibility to investigate what the doctor tells us and prescribes for us. This is time-consuming and sometimes useless, but I'm really tired of sometimes feeling like a pawn in the Medicare game of guaranteed payment. @cognac

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@grandmar

Hi All!
It's 3am and I've been up for 2 hours.
Pain invades my ability to sleep (and my hubby's).
I take the pain meds and it takes the edge off, but it does not take the pain away.
I sometimes get a nap in during the day but not all days.
I am exhausted and I have brain fuzz.
My poor hubby is exhausted, too.
He hears each and every noise I make when I move or get up to use the bathroom.
I feel terrible! He is so afraid I will fall, again, and hurt myself.
He rarely leaves me alone in the house, even though I have one of those 'I've fallen and can't get up' buttons.
I haven't driven myself in forever.
He feels I don't pay attention and that I don't lift my feet when I walk.
Frankly, all these precautions are probably a good idea.
It's not that I don't pay attention, it is just that it is hard for me to focus with pain meds and no sleep.
Tomorrow is the big day, I get my results from the mylogram CT I took last week.
I sure hope it helps to solve the puzzle.
If not, I think it will be time to discuss the possibility of a pain pump.
Something HAS to help.
I don't know how much longer I can deal with this acute pain and lack of sleep.
Soon they will be calling me the Zombie Grandma! LOL
Thanks for letting me vent.
I hope I made sense!

Here's to a pain free day for us all!!!!

Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

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@cognac I couldn’t agree with you more. We each have a responsibility to take charge of our health.

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@grandmar

Hi All!
It's 3am and I've been up for 2 hours.
Pain invades my ability to sleep (and my hubby's).
I take the pain meds and it takes the edge off, but it does not take the pain away.
I sometimes get a nap in during the day but not all days.
I am exhausted and I have brain fuzz.
My poor hubby is exhausted, too.
He hears each and every noise I make when I move or get up to use the bathroom.
I feel terrible! He is so afraid I will fall, again, and hurt myself.
He rarely leaves me alone in the house, even though I have one of those 'I've fallen and can't get up' buttons.
I haven't driven myself in forever.
He feels I don't pay attention and that I don't lift my feet when I walk.
Frankly, all these precautions are probably a good idea.
It's not that I don't pay attention, it is just that it is hard for me to focus with pain meds and no sleep.
Tomorrow is the big day, I get my results from the mylogram CT I took last week.
I sure hope it helps to solve the puzzle.
If not, I think it will be time to discuss the possibility of a pain pump.
Something HAS to help.
I don't know how much longer I can deal with this acute pain and lack of sleep.
Soon they will be calling me the Zombie Grandma! LOL
Thanks for letting me vent.
I hope I made sense!

Here's to a pain free day for us all!!!!

Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

Jump to this post

@cognac
I agree that we must be our own advocates. For me, it meant researching for the best doc I can find.
I have also researched procedures before they are performed.
However, we are not medical experts. For that reason, I go to the docs to hear what they say and suggest.
I always have the opportunity to get other opinions and reject suggestions.
Ronnie

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@grandmar

Hi All!
It's 3am and I've been up for 2 hours.
Pain invades my ability to sleep (and my hubby's).
I take the pain meds and it takes the edge off, but it does not take the pain away.
I sometimes get a nap in during the day but not all days.
I am exhausted and I have brain fuzz.
My poor hubby is exhausted, too.
He hears each and every noise I make when I move or get up to use the bathroom.
I feel terrible! He is so afraid I will fall, again, and hurt myself.
He rarely leaves me alone in the house, even though I have one of those 'I've fallen and can't get up' buttons.
I haven't driven myself in forever.
He feels I don't pay attention and that I don't lift my feet when I walk.
Frankly, all these precautions are probably a good idea.
It's not that I don't pay attention, it is just that it is hard for me to focus with pain meds and no sleep.
Tomorrow is the big day, I get my results from the mylogram CT I took last week.
I sure hope it helps to solve the puzzle.
If not, I think it will be time to discuss the possibility of a pain pump.
Something HAS to help.
I don't know how much longer I can deal with this acute pain and lack of sleep.
Soon they will be calling me the Zombie Grandma! LOL
Thanks for letting me vent.
I hope I made sense!

Here's to a pain free day for us all!!!!

Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

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@cognac Absolutely so. And, we must learn to deal with the openness of our society. Sure we should protect privacy, but when our privacy inhibits the ability of others to learn about themselves and the world, we have done something wrong. As I search for definition of my illness I have seen cases of lab laziness that cost me a diagnosis; doctors changing lab reports to me their own naivete; nurses giving opiates to a patient (me) after surgery when she knew it would send me off psychiatrically, and more. Then I wrote up my med experience and reports and diagnoses and put it all on dropBox https://bit.Ly/1w7j4j8

REPLY
@gailb

@grandmar

Ronnie, I am again amazed by your positive feelings in spite of your extreme pain. You continue to look for the positive in each issue you have. You are an inspiration to others in pain, including me. My pain feels small after reading your posts. I hope your doctors find a conservative treatment for your spine problems. I have a compression fracture in my C7, and when it's inflamed the pain is excruciating. I also have ongoing osteoarthritis, DDD, lumbar issues, spondylitis, etc which I'm sure you've read in my previous posts.

While I am feeling better right now, I notice that my neck and back pain and leg weakness is slowly returning. Your experiences are helping me as I suspect I will be needing additional work one of these months. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and feelings on this site. You're helping so many others in similar positions, in spite of your pain.

Gail
Volunteer Mentor

Jump to this post

@wsh66 I know its not a narcotic I did take Morphine ,Vicoden, Percoden but never got addicted I was pointing out as long as you do as the Dr says you wont get addicted unless you ,yourself abuse it.

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@parus

@gailb I have been reading about genetic testing for different things. Does insurance pay for this type of testing? Probably varies.
A smiling flower face helps me. Hope it helps you and maybe someone else. I do enjoy my small secret garden with BIG color.

Jump to this post

@gailb dry heat sounds good to me right now here in Long Beach the humidity is horrible I moved here to get away from it The cbd cream helps I put it on morning and night Tomorrow I go see Dr.going to write myself a list of what I want to talk to her about Nature is awesome isn't it .

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