Need help with every day pain

@bosco17 Pain can be a real pain…it’s exhausting, depressing, and debilitating.

I’m in pain every moment of everyday. Exhaustion of mind, body, and spirit cloud most of my days. However, I have learned to distract my thoughts with “hobbies”. I have started doing things that make me happy. I’m building my family tree online. The tree has taught me so much about myself, and the historic lives of my family. I started doing jigsaw puzzles. I borrow them from the library. Painting is my stress reliever. I just “throw” paint on canvas or paper, and see where it goes. Watching YouTube videos helps me learn new ideas for painting, comedy, anything I can learn from keeps me happy.

I don’t take anything for pain with the exception of Tylenol every once in a while. I guess I can do that because I’ve had pain for so long, I can’t remember what it feels like not to have pain!
Polyneuropathy, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, occipital neuralgia, a movement disorder, bone spurs on both feet, tremors…

Bottom line for me is distraction. Oh, yes I forgot (!) to say that I have Mild Cognitive Impairment so my brain is starting to mess me up too…

@bosco17
What have you been diagnosed with that is causing nerve pain? Have you seen a neurologist and orthopedic spine specialist to diagnose you using bloodwork, EMG/nerve conduction studies and imaging?

I have been dealing with chronic pain for decades since I was really young. I have stayed away from opiates. I am glad you are too. I use ice, I get nerve blocks, I work with positioning I get Botox. It is a different type of pain. I took a class young called mindfulness based pain reduction. There is a book by Jon Kabbot Zin called full catastrophe living. It is a lot of work but it pays off. I used to just lie under a blanket and cry softly. When I feel bad I rest and turn inward. It is hard but now I would say pain is a given in my life and I am more used to it.

Its spinal stenosis . My discs are pushing on the nerves and thats what is causing the nerve pain. Went to spine center and they wouldnt operate and told me to strengthen the muscles around my spine Which disappointed me! Every disc in my back is compressing on nerves. Its hopeless!
What is neurology(takes 3 months to get an appt.) going to tell me that I dont already know. Im not a fan of meds as the side effects are worse than the disease, so I deal with the pain every day by walking 3 miles every day to fight as I wont give up. As far as the Osteoarthritis there is no cure , Im thinking the bone pain might be cancer so Im gonna see an oncologist.
Thanks for your input,
Bosco

@bosco17
What were you told was the reason they wouldn’t do spine surgery? Was it due to the potential for bone cancer or other health issues?

Which levels of your spine do you have degenerative disc disease and herniated discs? Did you have an EMG/nerve conduction study to narrow down which spinal nerves are compressed.

Were you offered steroid spine injections to reduce inflammation and help with reducing pain? Were you offered nerve ablation? If not, why not?

They just told me I was not a canidate for spinal surgery and when I asked why they told me to do physical therapy strengthening at Brooks which was a waste of time as they just give you a list of exercises and to do them at home . Health issues also were a problem Liver TP and bypass surgery. Every disc is compressed with bulging and herniations. Never went to pain management as steroids dont last long ,maybe 2 mos. and then if you keep getting the shots they actually do more damage than good . Dont want to get any of these because they would have to do an ablation on every nerve in my spine! and @67 I just dont want to deal with it. Also have CKD -2 which limits what I can take orally. An EMG is just gonna tell me I have nerve damage which I already know . I just have to live with it and that's life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for your concern

Did you research spinal cord stimulators?

i am a retired interist with 46 years of experience It is a supreme tradgey they way the lawyers and political people have ruined pain control in this country DOCTORS INCLUDING MYSELF ARE SCARED TO PERSCRIBE OPIATESeven if the patients are in severe pain tHE CRIME IS THAT THEASE SAME JERTS HAVE BEEN IMPOTENT TO STOP THE IMPORT OF FENTENYI COCAINE ECT the doctors a in terror giving these medications out and who suffers the hurting patients AI have severe spinal stenosis and from my pain doctor i got 7 tramadol Why dont they stop the mexican cartels and the chinese If it invoives having our marines to defeat and destroy the cartelsJUST LIKE HAMAS THEY MUST BE DESTROYED