What Do You For Your Pain?

[Bfitz12b]

Alright guys, it's been a little since I have posted anything. I recently was given a CT scan and it showed a malformation of my cerebellum, MRI showed nothing and another CT after showed malformation again.

My posting this is I have headaches 24/7 regardless of what I'm doing I always have them. On top of that I have severe back issues as most of us do and lately they have been taking me off my pain needs slowly. I do not mind if they want to slow me down or stop me but at the same time the VA has nothing in place to help fix the issues, one doctor told me surgery another wants me to do PT for the 3rd time.

What are ways you guys handle your pain? If you have degenerative discs, nerve damage, legs, hands, feet going numb. What do you do to help with the pain besides medicine? I'm 26 did 6 years as a combat engineer with 1 combat tour to Afghanistan, 2-3 months after coming home I fell apart my body hasn't been the same since. Looking for some advice, tips and just what you guys do to help through the days.


Fitz

 

[Deleted member 43454]

I am lucky I only get lower back pain after standing up for over a few hours.
And I get headaches from time to time as well I just take Ibuprofen.
Used to smoke a lot of weed but not anymore.

Not looking forward to getting old that's for sure.

 

[vikingr24]

I still take gabapentin for leg pain, and some back pain. It just takes the edge off. I have similar problems with sitting for a long time. Really painful but when I continue walking a bit, it lessens.

I meditate. Try to at least twice daily. Getting up and before sleep. When I have a bout of it, I remove myself from the situation and breath slowly from my stomach methodically. Gets oxygen to my brain. Also helps with dizziness caused by the med.

I firmly believe that meds are part of the problem often, not always, but often. Knowing when they are a problem, helps. And that knowing is the hard part. There are times when you just have to use them.

 

[CyclePath]

Well...I had been going to multiple physical therapists for years while active. They did chiro adjustments, dry needling w/ or w/o electric, and constant stretching and exercises. Just retired though on 01 Sep and I am trying to figure out what to do now. My claim is not yet complete and I just enrolled in TRICARE, so I have to figure it out. I do have a scrip for gabapentine and I need to fill it. I've also had a ton of steroid injections in my back/spine/knees & IT bands. Main thing for me is not to sit too long or do too much. Sucks though, good luck finding that balance.

 

[Grizzly]

I have been taking Tramadol and Gabapentin for my pain. The Tramadol works wonders and I have found something that allows me to get a real decent sleep. The downsided, I drive a company vehicle for work and it's against company policy for me to take this when I am on duty. So I'm f*cked on trying to live a somewhat pain-free life.

One thing I have noticed. Pain is a very big PTSD trigger for me. So this makes things 100% worse. I can rationalize it all away, but there are bad days I'm so miserable from pain and triggers that I wonder how bad I'd truly f*ck up my family if I were to just check out and be gone.

As @vikingr24 said. Meditation works wonders. It's a reset. It's 90% functional. You don't really need anything special to do it either.

 

[ken cromer]

I take gabapentin for pain, not fast acting like opioids but works over time. Doctor recently put me on prazosin which shows promise.

 

[Grizzly]

Prasosin is a HBP medicine which has been also determined to help with the effects of PTSD by blocking effects of adrenaline. The VA uses it help with preventing nightmares. I was on thi for a while but certain times I found it lowered my BP too much I would feel light headed. Interesting they are using it as a pain med now.

 

[CyclePath]

I also have prazosin for nightmares & trazodone for sleep - citalopram for depression and propranolol for anxiety... I have stopped taking all of them for now and gone back to whiskey & wine. Effing pills or alcohol - it's always one or the other. I think I like the later until it doesn't work anymore. Then it's back to pills. I'm screwed.

 

[Grizzly]

I also have prazosin for nightmares & trazodone for sleep - citalopram for depression and propranolol for anxiety... I have stopped taking all of them for now and gone back to whiskey & wine. Effing pills or alcohol - it's always one or the other. I think I like the later until it doesn't work anymore. Then it's back to pills. I'm screwed.

I'm kinda there with you. Which is the lesser of evils? At least booze can be experimented with and emit a certain level of satisfaction as well as caloric intake. My story anyway. Pills have affected my life and lifestyle far more drastically than beer ever did.

I have found that the best solution is cognitive skills in dealing with all this f*cking shit. It's not a foolproof method, but it's truly has the least side effects!

 

[vikingr24]

Prazosin and propranolol are blockers, one alpha the other beta. One will get a big (and painful) erection, the other will give you ED, or no erection. Nice roller coaster. Both work on adrenalin site receptors in the body and reduce PTSD symptoms like nightmares and high anxiety.

Not sure I would want to take both of these drugs at the same time. I took them separately and neither had any effect on PTSD. I think they are akin to using a sledge hammer for a headache. Damn doctors.

 

[combatgoldfish]

I'm on an alpha blocker for cpps. However, took a natural approach which gives me the same results. Also traded the SSRI's for cannabis. Feel better mentally, physically and even my bowl movements are better.

 

[vikingr24]

Now CGF, we are talkin' priorities. F*ck the bullet holes. Where's the shitter?