Living In Pain And The Toll It Takes On The Mind

[Deleted member 541]

@hodge I was sent to PT maybe 12 yrs ago for pain in my lower back. The therapist got me on table and she kept pressing on my lower back and moving her hands up my back. Like a massage. I kept telling her it hurt, but she kept saying I was hard as a rock and she needed to loosen my back. That little episode of PT ended in me having to have epidural injections in my back because of the pain. I am very suspicious of PT therapist these days.

My Dr sent me to PT 2 weeks ago. I was there for 2 hours. Went for neck, back and the dizziness from when I fell 2 months ago. After looking at my charts, I was told that there wasn't much she could go for my back, if anything. I didn't go back. I'm not wasting my time.

PT can be brutal if a person hasn't been active for awhile. I think the only reason I'm still functioning is because I have a physical job that keeps me moving. Although it's killing me too, because it's physical and I'm in so much pain. I get home from work and littlerly grab ice packs, and the heat packs and collapse.

I hope that you can find some kind of relief. I would suggest that you do some gentle stretching though. You need to get the muscles around that area to stretch. I do stretching, and it does help... I also do lower back exercises which also help....

 

[ladee]

I have to fill out those papers every time I see my pain doc.
Last time I a
drew a bigger butt and flabby arms! I have to do the paperwork but I don't have to be bored doing it!

 

[Deleted member 541]

@ladee I was seriously thinking of just circling the entire little figures, then writing in what doesn't hurt....

 

[ladee]

Ha..that would be great.
When I had to do all the intake paperwork..on the question....are there any planned pregnancies..I wrote..HELL NO in huge letters.
He laughed When he read it.

 

[hodge]

Why not, @She Cat? Sounds like that would be easier.

Thanks so much for sharing your PT experience. I have another friend IRL who also warned me about PT. I still have rib pain and am not going back yet. I'm thinking of just telling them what I want to do and have them monitor me and let me know when to push through the pain and when not to. This is still pretty new to me (having physical pain all the time) and I don't want to do anything that will make it worse. I do love the elliptical, though. But it just doesn't feel right doing it when I have this rib pain. And wrist pain.

 

[Deleted member 541]

@hodge yeah, it would have been easier, but I didn't want to come off as snarky with my first appointment. When I hand in the papers to talk to him/her in person, I will say it then. It's a stupid little exercise, but I suppose they have to have documentation from me saying what my pain is....

 

[hodge]

Yeah, I had to write on that little picture when I first went to PT. I'm glad to provide them with the documentation! They're supposed to go from that on what to help me with. As usual, I went on there with total trust and now it's waning. They don't know my body better than I do, but I was hoping they would. I am just desperate to exercise again, but do not yet have a good solid sense of what I should do and shouldn't do. Except for situps. I know I can't do those anymore.

Oh, and hey, we're old ladies -- we have earned the right to be snarky!

 

[Deleted member 541]

@hodge.... look up stretches/videos for sciatica. I did, and then you do only what you can, never over doing. You build up from the beginning.

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

This may sound crazy, but I've found the crazier it sounds, at times, the more helpful it's been. lol Have you tried wrapping cabbage leaves around some of the painful parts? It worked to relieve the pain for my husband's gout and helped me with some painful knee, foot, elbow issues. It's only 49 cents a pound in our neck of the woods.

I roll and crush the leaves with a rolling pin to release the juices in each leaf, then keep them in place with ace bandages. I also use a lot of castor oil mixed with frankincense - or - magnesium chloride gel with coconut oil and frankincense after my hot epsom salt baths. I massage it into all the places that hurt and wrap up under the warm covers, and sometimes with a heating pad. Castor oil packs are what is most recommended, but I skip all that and just apply it directly to my skin and wear an old flannel shirt over it.

I know the diet thing has already been mentioned a couple times, but I have to share that in the last 4-6 weeks, I've been cooking for my 76 yr old mom who is now home bound from severe osteoarthritic pain (among other things), and eliminating all gluten and all sodas has greatly lessened her pain, helped her shed 12 pounds so far, and her blood pressure is the best it's been in years, according to the doc.

She would patiently listen to me explain how incredibly helpful cutting out gluten, caffeine/sodas, dairy, meat, etc. was in eliminating pain for my own body previously, and she saw the 110 lbs drop off of me within a year's time, but she'd always say she was simply too old to change, but having me prepare gluten-free vegan vittles and delivering it to her long enough for her to actually feel the difference has finally convinced her I may be onto something. She's even recently started some PT, which she was never up for before.

You may have already tried all of the above and not experienced any relief, and if so, I sincerely apologize for mentioning it, yet again. I'm still blown away by how much gluten, meat, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, and eggs added to my overall mental, physical, and spiritual suffering through the years and I just want to share it with everyone, excitedly, but many peeps get annoyed with me rather quickly. It feels weird as f*** to have to repeatedly apologize for discovering something so incredibly healthful and helpful, as I naively assumed many would be anxious to celebrate and partake in such discoveries. Boy, did I learn differently. lol

I also used to think it was a bunch of malarkey until I lived it, but had to be catapulted into it via a medical emergency, as I'm not one to casually enter into such drastic changes. And I still wasn't convinced I wouldn't die without eating what I'd been told my whole life was very necessary, but here I am, still living and stuff, still learning how incredibly ass backwards everything we've been taught really is, and still miserable, often, but not nearly as severely as before. Hoping this can be helpful in some way for some one some where out there. Gentle hugs from afar.

 

[Deleted member 541]

@Tornadic Thoughts I know that changing my diet would probably help. Like your mother changing my diet is a hassle to me. Lazy, don't have the energy after work to cook and $$ can be an issue at times. I'm not being snarky either, but if you're willing to come cook for me, I'll gladly take you up on the offer!!!!!:) If I could have someone else do the cooking, yes, I'd eat it....

I admit, I'm a carb junkie. Love breads and crackers. Chocolate is a food group too, right????? Another downfall. I've never drank soda, but do enjoy a creamer laden coffee. Again bad choice.

Maybe the pain isn't bad enough for me to make changes... I'm just not that consistent and like I said, don't have the energy because of the pain..... IDK!!! Maybe just excuses.... but thank you!!!!

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

As soon as I figure out how to use one of those fancy drone delivery thingies and have one gifted to me, I'll hook you up!! lol The plates are too heavy to use my preferred old school carrier pigeon method to get them to ya'. :)

 

[Deleted member 541]

@Tornadic Thoughts I'll send a drone, you do the cooking!!!!!!! Thanks for the giggle, I appreciated it.