Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

I’m Jules and I’m 68 y.o. with chronic pain syndrome due to spinal Osteoarthritis. I injured my back in an earthquake in Los Angeles County in 1988 with subsequent fusion of L4 and S1 with plates and screws in 1992. L5 is not secured by screws to the plates but this wasn’t identified until recently and it’s unknown whether this contributes to my pain. I was disabled from the postop pain syndrome and returned to work in 1996. I’m not sure if I divulged too much info or not?

Hello @jenatsk and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for sharing your story so other members can connect with you.

You mention your spinal osteoarthritis and spinal fusion. I wanted to also share that Connect has a Spine Health Group with many active discussions you might find helpful given your history. Please feel free to join that group as well, if interested, and any conversations that you may find of interest:

-Spine Health Group:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/spine-health/
Since learning of your L5 not being secured, have you had any recommendations to make any revisions?

Thank you

I am 79 with nightly Hypnic h’aches and treated for apnea by Cpap. Have had h’aches for at least 16 yrs and intensity and number have been increasing. Only thing that seems to help is caffeine and getting up and doing something. Hard to get back to sleep then.

Hi. I am brand new to the group and so happy to find all of you. I have been suffering from chronic pain for approximately two years now and have not found anyone that can relate to my condition. I am hoping that by joining this group, I can finally find individuals who understand what it means to be in chronic pain. It is my pleasure to meet all of you. I am so interested in hearing your stories. Thank you.

Annie welcome, not the group we wish to be part of but so very helpful hearing from others who understand what you are going thru, Before I found these wonderful people I felt so alone , and I come from a huge family, because you can tell someone how you feel but they just can't fully get it. Having people you can reach out when you need help calm the pain. I myself have been stuck in terrible pain since a TKR 2 1/2 yrs ago, with no answers coming from the medical field, if I hear 'nothing is wrong one more time" I will scream.But I will keep searching for an answer . Recently I started doing BIO FEED BACK and it is helping with dealing with the pain, not curing it but a better understanding of living with it. I wish you all the best, you will find some understanding people here who know what you are dealing with. Stay strong & keep the faith. sprin64

@annie2 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. We are patients, family members, and caregivers who share our experiences to help support others and offer what has worked [or not!] for us. We are not medical drs and cannot give medical advice.

You have been living with chronic pain for about two years now. If you care to share a bit more detail, I bet others will step in and share how they relate to your same issues! I have chronic pain from fibromyalgia, arthritis of several types, and kidney issues. For me, getting out to walk when possible, really helps, and working on keeping a positive mindset.
Ginger

@annie2 I'd like to add my Welcome to Ginger,s I have fibromyalgia, stenosis, neuropathy and 2back fractures .We are all pain warriors here What kind of issues do you have? I'm sure someone on here can relate to how they get relief Looking forward to hearing from you

Hi Ginger. My chronic pain started about two years ago with (what I thought to be) stomach problems. Mostly heartburn and stomach upset. Gastro did all the usual tests and treated me for GERD. When medications were not working I was taken off them . I then developed severe, burning pain in the upper chest not due to heart issues. Primary prescribed gabapentin and pain subsided. Not long after I started to have terrible, burning pain in the back of my throat and was referred to pain mgt. Again, the usual treatment of gabapentin and nortriptyline along with trigger point injections. Nothing helps. Antidepressants and counseling followed. Apparently, my brain is too stubborn to be fooled into not sending any pain signals. I am not to the point of "acceptance" yet so I am still going from Dr. to Dr. but that is very depressing in itself. I am 65 yrs old this month and had hoped to be able to spend time with my kids and grandkids but all is on hold including family vacation. Don't know if I will ever get used to this new way of life. I thank you all for the warm welcome and pray that we all can get relief from this pain that robs us of so much joy and life.

@annie2 regarding your GERD issue - I have that too. I have found great relief in raising the top of my bed (on risers, under the top two legs/casters of the bed frame). It will take some getting used to it because you will keep sliding down the bed and will need to move yourself back up but with the head of the bed raised, and with a night time Prevacid capsule has relieved me of heartburn considerably. I also found that when I stopped eating by 9:00 p.m. every night it helped ease the reflux episodes too. I keep a bottle of water with me and take a few sips to relieve chest pain on the now rare occasion when I have acid reflux.