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Chronic pain

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I tend to get very long-winded in these topics of discussion, as it's very near and dear to my heart, and all the rest of my meat coated skeleton. Three years ago, I had become mostly bed ridden from chronic pain and inflammation, among several other things building up over time, after 4 decades of living and doing life just as I thought I should, and as I'd been repeatedly taught by family, beliefs, traditions, schools, medical professionals, etc. Things kept getting worse and hurting worse, as well as issues multiplying as a result of the side effects of recommended treatments, yet I was being told to simply get used to it and be prepared to manage it all through various prescriptions they suggest for the rest of my life. I've been diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis, severe fibromyalgia, have many bone spurs, was told I have very little, if any, cartilage between many joints, balls and sockets, and bones and such, on top of a whole buffet of other "severe" diagnoses that were stomach and respiratory related, etc.

Then I landed in the ER with a gall bladder attack 3 years ago, but luckily it wasn't severe enough to require surgery. The thought of being cut open to remove organs that I was being told I could live comfortably without didn't set well with me, at all. I sought the help of a master herbalist/iridologist friend who had talked to me about vegan/plant-based options and nourishing our our bodies with plants, legumes, nuts, and seeds before, but I didn't want to hear it as I mindlessly munched on my meat, cheese, eggs, cake and ice cream while drinking tons of caffeine all day to "stay awake", then having a few beers, especially in summer, to "chill"...all the while, referring to all of that stuff as simply a way to "treat" myself, like a reward. I didn't realize I was making myself more ill with each of those supposed treats. My doctor never suggested such drastic measures, nor seemed to be concerned about my diet, even when I weighed in at 324 damn pounds, so why should I even entertain the idea? I figured I was just a "lucky" morbidly obese person who dodged the bullet of many ills I heard others suffer with. But I was more than ready to listen at that point, and feeling more desperate than ever, and figured what did I have to lose, other than a body organ, which would likely happen anyway if I kept making the choices I'd been making, apparently.

About a year or two before that particular shift happened, I had tried eliminating gluten at the recommendation of a registered dietitian and within just a week of not eating any, discovered how much better my body felt and functioned without it. Much less swelling in the ankles and feet, much less brain fog, and fewer pains. Hot damn! Then I switched to only local meat, only local dairy, and only local eggs, which automatically meant I consumed less of each as those options are more expensive. But even after about a year or so of making those choices, I still weighed over 300 lbs, still suffered from raging inflammation and pain, albeit not quite as bad as before, but something still felt really "off", so I jumped in head first after the ER visit and gave up all meat, dairy, eggs, gluten, caffeine, as many artificially made products as humanly possible, and alcohol overnight and have managed that for 3 years, so far, and feel better than I ever recall feeling, and shed 110 lbs. in the process. I also took other holistic measures towards dealing with the gall stones and have, so far, managed to keep my organ.

I still have various pains, and always will, as a body simply can't experience and live through all I have without many long term effects. But I have less severe pain and am able to sit with it a little better vs. feeling like I'm at constant war with it. Loving my way through it rather than remaining in fight mode helps big time, too. I also strongly feel that by no longer absorbing and digesting the energies of all those animals who suffer beyond comprehension, especially if factory farmed, prior to their flesh and/or their "product" making it to the dinner table seems to make a bigger difference than I ever imagined. In addition to learning how each and every thing I would ingest or apply to my body was actually affecting me. What an eye opener. We're being taught to love the toxicity and to keep demanding it. Unlearning and re-learning everything I thought I knew was very necessary. I had plenty of time to read and research since I could barely make it out of bed each day. Now I tend to easily overdo it as I'm not used to feeling this able to do things, so there's still a down side, even when feeling better.

Gentle movement via hula hoops, dancing, walking in nature, and a mini-trampoline, stretching multiple times a day, practicing breathing techniques multiple times a day, soaking in hot epsom salt baths a couple times a week, using castor oil and heating pads almost daily, along with other various oil blends, drinking herbal infusions that nourish my body, staying healthily hydrated throughout the day, paying close attention to food combining and timing, only eating things I feel can raise my vibrations vs. lowering them, making sure I have a plan for everywhere I go to ensure I have all the comfort items I need to safely navigate and/or exit a space, making my environment scent-free by learning to make my own hygiene, laundry, and cleaning supplies, leaving a job that damn near took me out as i tried to hold them accountable for multiple unethical happenings, relocating with the hubby to live in a space surrounded by nature vs a concrete jungle, and learning how to redirect my inner harsh talk were also very necessary in the process. It's an ongoing thing that I've learned will continue for as long as I exist. There seems to be no finish line to aspire to, that I've found, as each day and each breath is a whole new lesson within itself.

Chronic pain sucks, no matter how you look at it. It's time consuming, energy draining, nerve plucking, and infuriating...especially when you feel not listened to, much less understood. You'd think with all the so-called advances being made that relief would be much easier to come by when seeking help, but it seems most methods we're taught to seek tend to complicate matters even worse in ways we never imagined, or at least that's how I experienced it. Best wishes for much less pain and much less grief in trying to address it.
 
Wow @Tornadic Thoughts, you have been through a LOT! I've gotten to the point where I have trouble walking sometimes; it came on pretty suddenly, and I suspect there are several reasons for it. My stress level is very high, which I think may have triggered at least some of the pain.

I am transitioning to a vegan diet, stopped drinking soft drinks (pop/soda), and have been looking into some sort of exercise I can manage (I will be starting qi gong soon, and am thinking about joining a local gym so I can create a regular routine). It's hard, though, when there is so little motivation.

Thanks for sharing all you've been through!
 
I don't know how much this helps, but in my neuropsychology class, we learned that chronic pain, especially in PTSD individuals usually results from initially having some sort of pain or injury and as the body heals it forms a feedback loop of constant pain signals that actually re-encode the nerve fibers. So your body's experience becomes wired into your system. We didn't touch much on how to solve this, but the professor suggested forms of physical therapy, and whatever will "re-encode" the nerve fibers. I hope you find a doctor or psychologist of some sort that will take you seriously.
 
I have chronic pain from a number of injuries and genetics. Steel plates, pins and screws hold my leg together, spinal fracture, bone spurs, disc issue etc.

That pain led me down a dark path with prescrition drug abuse thanks in part to an obliging doctor who truly believed he was helping m as he knew the injuries/issues were "real" based on surgeons reports, associated xrays etc.

Because the "evidence" was there to backup and support the prescriptions, I always got whatever I wanted and that led to a very substantial problem.

I beat that a few years ago. The pain is still present and some days I think that stepping in front of a truck would be less painful, but I distract myself the best that I can, I wont even take a tylenol now. My tolerance for pain has become stronger since dropping the drugs. The narcotics interfer with and screw up the bodies natural pain killers.

If I can I will exercise. Whatever I can do. Usually I feel better after doing something because of the endorphin release. I'll listen to music, read or watch something on Netflix. Ive got a lot of really good movies on my playlist for when I'm not feeling all that great mentally or physically. I also love dark chocolate and I have a few bars put away for a treat on those days as well.
 
I'm there too. I have a great nautropath who has me on weeds n twigs and I recently discovered non -thc CBD oil that is helping amazingly. I also do the yoga/walking/massage/soaking in epsom salts thing on a regular basis. I just started an pain treatment from the old days -- 500 mgs of tylonal and 200 mgs of motrin 3 times a day. It seems to be working which is good because I'm on an opiate plan and I'm trying to prepare for when they are no longer available.
 
I'm there too. I have a great nautropath who has me on weeds n twigs and I recently discovered non -thc...

I wish I had a good homeopathic doctor. I need to get to a place where I can do those other things - exercise, etc...- that help, if that makes any sense. I'm going to start doing qi gong - with the hope that it not only helps me stretch just a bit but also just creates a better sense of well-being.
 
I just saw a thing tonight on Tai Chi as a treatment for fibro -- they said it works better than yoga....

Thanks @Freida. I took ta'i chi a long time ago and my therapist is a 5th degree black belt, so I really resonate with these types of practices. I'm going to start with qi gong, which has a lot fewer movements to learn and is supposed to be designed for balancing energy and establishing harmony.
 
I have not tried GABA. I did try GABApentin and it messed me up. Gave me noodle legs and finger eggs. I had to use 2 hands to turn a round knob. Could not put toothpaste on brush kept wobbling. However, it did calm my pain to the point i could melt into bed and sleep.

I started acupuncture and doctor told me to cut back on sugars and cold foods. My back and leg was very sore and heavy during the last session.

I know 5HTP helps mood. So GABA could help pain.

Hopefully more members can add to this inquiry:bookworm:
 
I am also a chronic pain sufferer, and lack motivation. Im always exhausted so everything seems overwhelming. I have suffered with pain for many years, but my doc had me on adderoll for several years treating a daytime sleep disorder. I had to go off this med a couple years ago and lost all energy and motivation. Im worse than I was before this med. The medication helped me push through the pain and get things done, now I would be unable to have a dr appt and an oil change on the same day. I come home and go straight to bed. The drs are not any help to me either. I fantasize about yoga or the gym or a walk, but don't do it.

No more pain meds for me either because of messing up dosages, so I depend on Aleve and IBprofin, which has caused severe stomach issues.

I hope you find some relief soon!
 
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