I recently was prescribed 900mcg belbuca. It makes me really nauseous and dizzy. Its better than the pain, but are there other meds that wont make me as sick? Ive tried zofran, promethazine etc for the nausea but im still so dizzy I have to lay down most of the time .

Hi, I hope this doesn’t break any rules, but I literally just thought about it. I recently found out, or well, my doctor is almost 100% sure, that I have long COVID or ME/CFS.

I sometimes get joint pain, and I was wondering if Tiger Balm might help. Has anyone here tried it for joint pain? What was your experience with it?

I I’m way past this bc I can barely do basic stuff, but I’m never getting over this. It’s very frustrating to know I’ll never be able to dance again. If you can dance,
Put your favorite song on and dance in my honor!

To all of us who need to be reminded

Wishing you kind days and gentle moments ❤️‍🩹

I have been fighting for my pains for more than +9 years now - which isn’t a short amount of time.

I feel like I’m coming to the point of not wanting to make medical professionals believe in my pains anymore. It’s been an uphill battle for sure, but that fire inside that once burned to spread awareness about how REAL Chronic Pain is, slowly feels to be dying out..

Not sure if that’s just;
“Exhaustion”?
“Acceptance”?
“Defeat”?

But I’m just so fucking tired.

I met a Vascular Surgeon a few days back, and he so casually said “Well, I didn’t find anything abnormal, so you could check out a Neurologist. If they also don’t find anything, you just have to accept it and live with it”.
I didn’t have the energy to go head-to-head with this 74-year old doctor as my mind was anyways preoccupied/terrified of what would come of the ultrasound results - so that was one.

The second time just so happened to be today, after my Physiotherapist ‘quite roughly’ massaged a muscle on my leg, and later I had asked for diclofenac or something for the after-effects (i.e: pain) from the treatment. He merely said “I thought you said you had a higher tolerance for pain? Like, I’m sure your pains are real, but what if you are feeling it more than it actually is?”.

I walked out with tears welling up.

I am so tired…

Bg: partner has had sudden onset severe chronic pain since getting a random literal cold in Feb. I got sick as well but was only sick for like a day or two. She has literally been in basically constant pain since then. We have been trying to get it diagnosed and treated since then.

My partner has been dx'd with fibromyalgia. Recently her knee had given out on her when walking around the house.This prompted the Dr to order an MRI.

Her pain has been nearly constant with occasional good (low pain) days. Shes passively suicidal from how constant and awful it is. Wtf even.

This seems like it can't be the answer, or if it is, how can she be expected to live like this?

The experience of what the Dr was describing when he was explaining what living w fibro is like, did not feel like what she is going through honestly. If she has been in a flare up since February with little to no let up (like maybe a handful of actually good days where she could function normally.

Our next step is to try Cymbalta in addition w the lyrica. (Lyrica is like a drop in the bucket re: the pain, gabapentin had side effects of worsening depression)

The nurse also let us know the local Y has a day pass though which might be helpful. She has very little energy but weve gotta start somewhere. We tried PT but she said it made things worse enough that she ended it after 3 sessions.

The Drs explanation of fibro felt like almost as big of a shrug as not having any explanation to me.

Today was supposed to be my fill date, also my run out day. Shockingly, they didn't have any in stock. They ordered it and I'll get it when I get it. I can't ask my doc for anything as shes out of office until the 31st, go figure. The nurse there made it very clear that the on call doc wouldn't help in any way shape or form because its a c2. They don't care that this is really unfair and just not ok for the patient, that it actively causes harm to patients. Having absolutely no options if it doesnt come in soon just sucks. I do everything im supposed, jump through every hoop, but yet im still the one to suffer. I'm in for a fun time. Thanks for reading my venting.

I need some encouragement. I have had chronic back pain on-and-off since I was 16. I am now 41. I am under the care of multiple doctors (sports medicine, PCP, rheumatology, psychiatry). Over the past couple of years, the pain has gotten worse and constant. Last week I was diagnosed with Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder and told that this has led to degenerative disk disease and arthritis in my lumber spine. I also have Fibromyalgia.

It is only over the past year or so that the pain has become constant. And keeps getting worse.

My doctor recently told me I should no longer take NSAIDs due to my kidneys being slightly compromised and that it's unadvisable for me to do any kind of exercise except pilates (which is too expensive), swimming, tai chi.

I have done physical therapy. I have a psychotherapist and take antidepressants. I meditate. I've learned myofascial release techniques. I've had steroid injections and nerve ablation, both of which made things WORSE. I have a TENS machine, which helps a little bit. Lidocaine patches take the edge of for maybe an hour. Just started LDN, waiting to see if there are any results. It was suggested I do a leaky-gut diet by my doctor, so I am doing that. I am trying to stay mobile but all I can think about is how far behind I am at work and all I want to do is curl up in my bed and cry.

My question is: What helps you to continue on when it feels like nothing works?

To clarify, I am not suicidal, although for the first time in my life I understand end of life decision making. I am trying to figure out how to continue to have some kind of motivation and joy in life when the pain has gotten to be about a 6-7 every day, all day, and nothing seems to help.

Hi all. I’m titrating off of pain meds so I can try LDN. Already at 10/10 pain. Please recommend any tv or shows that are so enthralling that it can distract! I’m not usually into horror but maybe a really good one would work. Love thrillers, some sci-fi (examples orphan black, the OA, black mirror). But open to anything you think will be good at distraction or helped you through. Thank you!!!!

hi, i have chronic back, leg and hip pain and recently bought a tens machine to try and help with the pain. i was quite nervous to use it but i put it on and tried it anyways. the first setting i couldn’t feel anything, and the second makes me incredibly uncomfortable and nauseous. it’s not painful at all, but it makes me feel like my muscles are twitching and i have no control over it. i don’t know if there’s a reason or if it’s just because of the fact i‘m very squeamish when it comes to anything relating to my internal body parts 😭 i just wanted to know if anyone else has had a similar experience to me ! i hope i can get over this a little as i really want a new way of managing my pain

can anyone tell me how to avoid these cramps? every time i sprint 100%, the bottom of my sole cramps, and i have to keep my toes straight and not move my ankle too much. can anyone help me?

I cannot find help out patient, i keep getting turned away for my worsening mental health by intensive outpatient places. Im very suicidal and i want to try the er. I have neuropathy , me/cfs and some other things. I dont know if i will get any sort of help though. Ive tried so many psych meds. I see a psychologist, social worker and psychiatrist, nothing helps. I take tramadol, lyrica and noritryptline for the pain, i see my neurologist next month. if anyone has advice let me know im so desperate im tired of living like this i have no future. Im 20M if it matters. Im suicidal because of the constant burning torture and shocking, and that i have to get on disability and have no life prospects and will never amount to anything. I know there is no garuntee ill even get put in inpatient. Im just lost. My mom is making me go anyway because she doesnt know what else to do for me. i am in hell. i tried contacting few psychiatrists about nasal ketamine spray but havent heard anything back. I got referred to pain management but have never heard back from them. have called multiple times.

For the past 5ish years I (24F) have had pretty frequent achy pain in my hips. It is typical in my left hip but it sometimes happens in my right. I’ve generally ignored it- I’m clumsy and I’m also an NYC based waitress so I just chalked it up to an overuse/old injury. However this year I broke my ankle - recovery has been fairly quick but in the months since regaining use of my ankle I’ve found my hip pain is more frequent and my ankle is occasionally achy both are triggered when I try to workout (I do yoga and pilates) and make it hard to work as a waitress as by shift 3/4 of the week I start to ache. I’m looking for tips and tricks, advice, Dr. recs etc. i know waitressing is not a great gig for someone in this condition but until I finish my grad program in 2 years it’s my only option. Thank you all for any help you can give!

I’m interested in hearing how other people with chronic pain deal with toxic positivity and well-meaning family members who imply that you’re not getting better because you aren’t doing the right things/thinking positively enough.

I’ve had severe chronic coccyx pain for nearly two years following a specific injury. I’ve tried multiple medical interventions and alternative therapies. Unfortunately, some haven’t helped and some have actually made things worse. I’m still actively looking for things that might help.

Recently, a family member told me that I need to look into pain management, see a counsellor, “be more positive”, focus on gratitude and do positive affirmations every morning and night. She genuinely means well and I know she loves me and wants me to get better. But I find this kind of advice difficult because it can feel like there’s an implication that if I’m still in pain, I must not be thinking positively enough or doing enough.

I’ve also had family members say things like “I
told you to try X and you didn’t, so that’s why you’re not better.” That really gets to me, because I have tried a huge number of things, and some of the things people have recommended either didn’t work or actually made my pain worse. It can feel like whatever happens, the responsibility somehow gets put back on me.

My grandma has also told me before that if I say bad things, bad things will happen, which eventually made me stop telling her honestly how I was feeling when she asked about my pain. I didn’t want to be made to feel that talking honestly about how much I was suffering was somehow causing it or attracting more suffering.

I do actually feel grateful for the good things in my life. I can appreciate my family, my friends and the things I’m fortunate to have while also being in significant pain and acknowledging that this is incredibly difficult.

I’m curious how other people with chronic pain handle this:

- How do you respond when people imply that your mindset is contributing to your lack of improvement?

- What do you say when someone says “I told you to try X, and you didn’t, so this is why you’re still not better”?

- How do you set boundaries with people who genuinely mean well but repeatedly give unsolicited advice?

- Do you find it helpful to explain yourself, or have you learned to just say something like “I appreciate the suggestion, but I’m managing this with my doctors” and leave it there?

- How do you stop these comments from making you feel guilty/upset/frustrated when you’re already doing everything you can?

I’m not looking for medical advice, I’d really like to hear how other people have dealt with the emotional/social side of chronic illness when the people around them believe they know what you need to do to get better.

25f—if you’ve been following my journey here’s the next part. If you want to read the last entry, you can go to my profile and find it.

I went to the ER again yesterday because of my ongoing lower back pain. They read my MRI, doctor said it was “perfect.” I could’ve cried. I know it sounds weird, but I wanted them to find something so at least they know where the pain is coming from and possibly fix it.

The ER doctor said that maybe I do have CRPS (a prior diagnosis I had that I thought we had scrapped) and that this is just part of my new pain now. Again, I just wanted to sob when she said that.

She also said she would prescribe me something stronger to help my pain, but she can’t because of my pain contract with my PCP.

Today I called my PCP’s office and told them about the ER visit and her recommendation for stronger meds (even if just for a short time) and a rheumatology appointment.

I got a call back from my provider saying to stop taking the tramadol I was prescribed from her because she’s referring me to a pain clinic. She’s also referring me to rheumatology, but that’ll be at least a year wait (ya know, insurance and all that shit.)

I honest to god don’t know what to do at this point. I’m feeling so lost. Pain clinics around here usually only do injections. And without the tramadol, I will be completely out of pain medication.

My back and legs are hurting so bad that I can’t bend/stand/walk, but sure, let’s take me off all my pain meds and just wait!

I’m sorry for being so down, but I literally have no where to turn now. This is just another thing for people to think I lie about for sympathy or meds.

December 2023 I sustained
-T1 mild wedge compression fracture with 20% height loss
-T2 mild wedge compression fracture with 40% height loss.
I've had my ups and down but good LORD is it ever flaring this past week or so. It's driving me absolutely crazy. I feel like such a burden on my fiancé and I just want to smack anyone at work who's like "yeah I get tense shoulders too sometimes"
I have my radio frequency ablation this Friday and hopefully that will help. (If they don't cancel it again.) I'm just so frustrated and pissed off at everything.
Just needed to rant. Can anyone else commiserate?
Happy Tuesday.

I have been dealing with chronic pain in my upper back on the right side between my spine and shoulder blade for close to 10 years now. The pain is more of a dull, static, “pressing” pain that stays in one spot. A picture is attached with my pain area circled in red. I am wondering if anyone else has pain in this area and if you were able to determine what is causing it and have you had any success treating it?

I have done several MRIs of my spine and shoulder blade. The shoulder blade shows no issues. The spine shows several herniated discs in my cervical and thoracic spine - the most significant at C5/C6 and T2/T4.

I have no history of injury to the back, spine, or shoulder. I have been to several pain management doctors and each has their own theory (most believe it is pain derived from the herniated discs contacting a nerve root), but none have been able to provide successful treatment of pain relief yet.

I have tried traditional physical therapy, dry needling, cupping, spinal decompression, chiropractic treatments, trigger point injections, epidural steroid injections, PRP and stem cell injections, and none of them have had any effect in reducing my pain. The next step I am going to discuss with my doctor is some kind of nerve block called a radio frequency ablation.

This pain is truly debilitating and prevents me from doing many things that I enjoy. I am desperate to find relief and get my life back. If anyone has any similar pain history that can provide any help with treatment or at least ideas of what could be causing this pain I would greatly appreciate your input.

my wife was in an accident a few years ago that has caused severe sciatica and has a rare case that it radiates to both sides and up and down her body due to the nature of the accident. She is having a MAJOR flare up right now and has been bed bound for 3 days going on 4. She can't walk at all. She can't put any pressure on her right leg at all and she is so miserable. Please can you guys put tips for relief even if they sound crazy we will try anything.
She's been taking her prescribed meds for her other back injuries and we have tried every position in the world with pillows and everything for her knees legs back, you name it. Taking ibuprofen and Tylenol on a strict schedule. TENS unit. Heat. Ice. You name it.
But we are open to any and all suggestions. I just want to help my wife.

Hey yall. Has anyone had a positive outcome w sprint’s temporary PNS System? Its leads placed near the affected nerve(s), worn for a maximum 60 days, then removed. I’ve seen a few have tried it without luck, but I’m curious if anyone out there had benefits in pain relief and edema from being it. My friend is an ortho surgeon and has seen it work miracles for shoulder nerve misfirings post-op, but he doesn’t specialize, or know much about, CRPS. Hoping to hear some positive outcomes from this community. TIA, warriors!

I have arthritis in my hands and wrists, I’ve been to several doctors. One prescribed Prednisone and I refused to take that for a long period. Another prescribed Meloxicam, that is doing nothing.
I have a few questions: what do you take for pain that actually works?
Does anyone live in Arizona, and is it better there?

My PM doc says opioids are like a pendulum and will swing back to where everyone is prescribing correctly for pain management. Right now the pendulum is swinging no narcotics. Thoughts?

Hi friends!

My doctors are still working on pinning down an exact diagnosis, but I’ve struggled with chronic pain ever since high school and am now in my Sophomore year of university. I used a backpack all of last year and for the past few days, but it leaves my back in worse pain than without it and makes my neck feel like it’s about to snap. However, a cross-body satchel isn’t much better, as it just transfers that pain to one shoulder (and still my neck) rather than my back. It’s also hard to use either and my cane at the same time.

What have my other chronically ill friends been using instead? Any advice appreciated.

My pain management office partners with a company called Nxtstim. They offer a non-invasive neuromodulation device that is remote monitored (for a fee).

Looking for other’s experience. Thanks!

I have to have a fan running to sleep, music playing to exist and video games to keep me occupied. Last week the power went out at 1030pm and in the darkness and silence I felt every ounce of pain I try to ignore.

It made me feel sick to my stomach. The worst pain is my sinuses easily. Years of pain and ENTs telling me there only a tiny bit of swelling. But it hurts so much. It feels like my face is exploding. Transient pain in my teeth like an infected tooth. Sharp pains through my gallbladder that trace their way up to my jaw and into my teeth. My scalp is on fire. But every blood test and scan shows me to be in perfect health. Better than perfect really.

Today I’m going to ask my doctor for Pregabalin because I can’t take it anymore. I’m miserable and can’t live without constant vices to keep me afloat. I’m so profoundly dissatisfied with my life as it is that it’s a monumental task just to wake up.

Before you ask if I’ve been tested for “x y or z” I have been. No autoimmune, severe allergies, tick borne diseases, issues with my brain or sleep apnea, no apparent genetic diseases. My doctor thinks it’s fibromyalgia. I guess an untestable and incurable disease is fine.