Anyone Suffer Chronic Pain?

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Kucek
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2005 10:12 pm

Anyone Suffer Chronic Pain?

Post by Kucek » Sun Jul 01, 2018 9:17 pm

I know I am probably writing a lot of posts today. My kindle is old and Wi-Fi in area not good so Some days I cannot boot up to get online too log in. Today working well.

I know its a long-shot, I see its been about 2 years since anyone posted on this forum, hoping to get replies....but then again hate too see others in pain. Two and a half years ago I took a very bad fall in our garage...nothing broken x-rays said, Doctor said I would recover eventually. Unfortunately that did not happen. I moderately tore my meniscus and hurt my back. Surgery was not an option, because the tear has such a limited blood flow, very bad for healing, most people get worse!? Also I was 54 years old and not thin..and the fact my mother and uncle died in surgery scared me too death too have surgery. Why risk worse pain or death? Tried to learn to live with it.

That did not work out for me so well. Too protect my had knee and too "protect it" I walked(waddled) differently. Putting pressure on good knee, now that one is bad, my knee would "lock up" for hours. Still I went on, tried too live with it. I started taking Ibuprofen, or motrin or alleve, they tore my stomach up, so had to go off, now all I have is low dose tylenol, and truth be told it dies not really help at all, lately it makes me queasy, which it never did, worry about my liver, I may try some vitamin D, the pain is unbearable when I walk, I walk with walker, its a little better when sitting, and it seems to go away when I lie in bed with pillow between my knees..most relief, but Im spending WAY too much time in bed.....and I know its to avoid the panic, brutal pain and fear of dying...when Im sleeping I am not thinking about how my life is.

My husband is furious with my deterioration, my child, whom I love dearly confused, I try too hide it from him. I feel my pain, my mouth in need of dentures, and fear of dying because I feel so bad everyday is hindering my progress frim the program. I did the program twice before...but I was younger, thinner, no pain and love and support from family and friends. Many have distanced themselves from me, my own sister called me a 'physical and emotional cripple" and told me she cannot talk too me any more, that really hurt, on top of my husbands frustration, Im deeply depressed.

If anyone out there is dealing with a physical condition, whatever it may be...how you are handling it, coping and surviving. I would love too hear from you. I am basically housebound, on a walker so the agoraphobia is rough, I cant leave too see Doctor, thank goodness for PA who will come too me, insurance covers nothing anyway! I am praying very hard all of us can reclaim our lives and enjoy life, if even a little bit, fighting physical AND emotional pain is so very hard. Thank you, GOD bless you.

Kucek
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2005 10:12 pm

Re: Anyone Suffer Chronic Pain?

Post by Kucek » Thu Aug 02, 2018 6:24 am

If anyone is not only suffering panic, depression and agoraphobia, but also chronic pain I would love too hear fro you. My pain is stopping my recovery I know and its getting worse! I walk on a walker, because of knee, leg and back pain, now my thighs even burn and ache. I am housebound and very depressed, I cry everyday, I do not fell like a human being anymore. Friends and family have shunned me. I has six teeth pulled and the dentist left town, so I never got my partial dentures, for months I have been calling dentists to do a housecall, just for an impression or x-ray so I can have my teeth...you can just imagine how badly I look hunched over on a walker missing teeth, I know that is"feeding" the agoraphobia. I feel so hopeless and helpless.

If anyone can help me I would appreciate. I've been praying for a long long time for at least partial or a little relief...if you would say a prayer for me I would appreciate and be grateful. Its s hard living anymore. I'm praying to get my life back. Thank You.

Bryce_in_TX
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Sep 07, 2019 4:04 pm
Location: Wichita Falls, TX
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Re: Anyone Suffer Chronic Pain?

Post by Bryce_in_TX » Thu Sep 03, 2020 8:52 am

Hi Taylor, its me again. If you get tired of me replying just tell me to shut up. OK? I won't be offended.

I just found your post this morning. I've been dealing with pretty severe back pain for about 6 years now. About 4 days after coming out of the hospital after a stroke, I began experiencing severe back pain. One day I was fine with no pain, the next day I had the pain. It would last for about 8 hours, then it would quit. Then about the same time the next day it started again and lasted about 8 hours. I put up with it for about two months before I couldn't stand it any longer. My wife drove me to the emergency room and I was hospitalized over night. My doc put me on 300mg of Gabapentin daily. That took care of it for a while. The dosage gradually crept up higher and higher. Eventually I had to see a pain doctor. Eventually, he added an opiod to the Gaba. Then two opiods.

So, this is where I am now. I have difficulty controlling my blood pressure, also. The BP meds make me sick sometimes. I've tried about 11 different ones. I've seen a cardiologist about them. But, they make me sick a lot and one of them seems to make the back pain worse.

The combo of meds I'm taking now make me sleep a lot. They greatly interfere with daily activities. Fortunately the pain meds do completely alleviate the back pain for 12 to 20 hours a day. A specialist tells me that surgery is not an option.

So, yeah, I have chronic daily pain. It doesn't sound like it's as bad as what you are experiencing, but it isn't good. Things have been a lot better before now. I'm difficult to live with sometimes. I can't do near as much as I used to could. I miss my jogging.

I have an inversion bench that I am using daily now and that helps some.

Being in constant pain would drive anybody crazy and make anybody feel depressed. I've experienced enough pain that wasn't alleviated to understand what that is like. There have been times in the past, before having the meds I have now, that I yelled lying on the bed and tossed and turned because of the pain. It can be terrible.

Gabapentin worked for several years by itself before I had to have something stronger.

I have a book called "The Pain Survival Guide" that I bought several years ago. It's for when the meds no longer alleviate the pain to the point that I am in constant pain. I'm not there at this point, thank God. And from what I've read in the book, I don't think it will be of much help when I do get to that point. It talks about instead of fighting the pain to surrender to it. I don't know how one does that.

Anyway, yes, I have daily chronic pain. I can make jokes and laugh during the day and enjoy some of the day because the pain meds are pretty effective for me. Otherwise, I'd be climbing the walls and yelling and tossing and turning.

I woke up from sleep on Tuesday and was very sick. I was in a fog. I didn't know what was happening. I also felt some depression and I hadn't felt depression in several years. I felt helpless and extremely weak. In that state I knew it wouldn't be possible for me to show up for my dental appointment which was scheduled for today, Thursday. So, after a few minutes I was able to gather myself to call the dentist to let her know I couldn't make the appointment. After being awake several hours I realized it was probably the blood pressure meds that had made me sick. I also didn't feel depressed any longer. Then, yesterday I woke up feeling fine. It was 8 am, so I called the dentist to see if they had filled my appointment space. They had, but said they could fit me in yesterday at 9 or 10 am. So I went in yesterday and had my teeth cleaned. So, that's out of the way for 6 months. So, there are ups and downs. On good days I can still mow our big yard with a push mower.

Sorry for the suffering you are experiencing, Taylor. Praying for you today. There are meds to help or totally alleviate the pain. Gabapentin might be one. It's not a controlled substance if that worries you.

I started using Listerine mouthwash about 25 years ago. I've had few cavities since. The "Healthy White" has 8% alcohol and hydrogen peroxide in it. Works very good for keeping the cavities away with infrequent brushing.

In regards to family and friends abandoning you, I am sorry that has happened. I've felt that briefly in that past too. I don't have many friends. I have a very good one that lives across the street from us. He's as good as gold. He has experienced depression a lot and still does but he's managed to keep working through it all. We took a walk about a year ago on a bike and jogging trail the city had created. He was down on himself. I listened to him and it was then I learned he had been with the same company for 29 years. He didn't see that as something he should be patting himself on the back for. He was concerned that he didn't have a familiar job with them anymore and was in new territory with them, a job he didn't have any experience with. It unsettled him. His condition had caused the move in the company. He had been seeing a psychologist for a while and had taken some time off his job. He was doing all he knew to do to stay functioning and working for the company. I could see a lot of good, positive things about him and how he was handling the situation.

For one, when he was doing very poorly he had sought me out for help. If it had been me I would have clammed up and shied away from everybody. Two, he was trying to get help from a professional. Three, the company hadn't let him go, so they must see value in him. Four, he has been with the company for 29 years, 30 this year.

So, I began telling him that I wish I could say I had worked for the same company for that long. And the rest. All truthful statements. I told him he was beating himself up like crazy and that was causing much, if not all, of the depression. He's a great person, he really is. I told him that, too. He's my fishing buddy. After that, there was a time about 9 months ago when we went to a McDonald's and he told me how he had been abused as a child. Tears ran down his cheeks. So, I tried as best I could to comfort him.

So, that's my one friend. And I have a cousin my age that's like a brother to me. That's it. I treasure them and greatly appreciate their friendship. I don't feel worthy to have friends. That's insecurity talkin' and I try and not go there. I joke a lot and laugh alot.
"Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can."

Napoleon Hill

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