Physical Pain

RossFixxxed

Hi Guys,

Firstly let me say i've been to the GP about this and the advice is 'get used to it'. Which is fine, mostly.

Story is I've had a lot of surgery over the years, fun! It has meant I'm in physical pain a lot and will be on an ongoing basis. Now generally I'm ok, I can get on with my day and be a man about it. It's the times when I'm very tired and stressed it can, obviously, cause these things to get worse.

I don't want to go down the painkillers route because they're madly addictive, same for sleepers. I've tried the 'funny stuff' route a good few times but that's not great on an ongoing basis, and frankly impossible to come by these days.

Is there some alternative that would help me out. Meditation is great but sometimes it's not possible (it really can be THAT painful).

Anyone in a similar situation and found a happy middle ground?

Thanks for taking the time to read!
Ross

Carrigart Exile

if the pain is unbearable, i'd take a painkiller.

Caoimhín

RossFixxxed wrote: »

Anyone in a similar situation and found a happy middle ground?

Thanks for taking the time to read!
Ross

Yeah, its a ****e place to be really.
The only advice I can offer you is that if you use the painkillers as little as possible you shouldn't develop a problem with them. I know that's easier said than done but maybe there is some form of pain relief out there for you that is not an opiate/addictive?
As for the stress thing, (i know this can aggravate the problem) going down the road of taking a pain killer to deal with the stress and tiredness is not one you want to travel.
I don't know how physically active you are but exercise certainly helps me. That and other ways of relaxing.

Hope this is of some help Ross.

Nevyn

Talk to your gp about massage treatments and acupuncture.

CathyMoran

I suffer from pain daily also due to surgery. I only take pain killers when I really have to, and even then only at night. During the day I try and think of other things - easier said than done. I hope that you find peace from your pain.

Grawns

MY OH had a year of hell with his back and we tried everything, physio, osteo, chiro, acupuncture, spinologist ( total quack!). Anyway we got a recommendation for an Irish guy in Rathmines who specializes in asian therapies and he was wonderful! He's as fixed now as he could be without surgery and is no longer downing soplpedine by the dozen. Since he's been pain free he's become very committed to exercise as a therapy too. ( Major mountain bike habit). Pm me and I'll send you the details.

littlefriend

You should have a bit of a read in the long term illness forum [go to sci/biology & medicine].

All of the stuff I mention here is based in or around Dublin - sorry if you aren't from there. I don't know about anywhere else in the country.

Also you might want to have a chat to this guy - although he does seem to specialise in unexplained illnesses whereas you say your pain is due to numerous operations.
http://www.drummartinclinic.ie/unexplained-illnesses.html

I have ongoing problems with my back so I have been trying to find someone to fix it or at least lessen the pain of it a bit. I haven't found anything that doesn't involve heavy, heavy painkillers that makes any difference to me.

Your use of the word 'sleepers' leads me to believe you have spent quite a while using them. I totally get where you are coming from about wanting to stay off painkillers. I read that book 'The High Society' a few weeks ago and it TOTALLY freaked me out about all of the stuff I have been prescribed and taken over the past couple of years.

My Dr now has me taking 'amitriptyline' at night and I do find that they help me to fall asleep and that I don't wake up so much during the night. The main thing about them, according to my Dr, is that they are not addictive so thats good. I don't know about you, but if I can't sleep on a particular night my back/neck etc hurt me a LOT more the following day, which then leads to another sleepless night etc etc.

A couple of weeks ago I went to a pain management consultant and had nerve block injections. I wouldn't really recommend doing that to anyone as it was a horrible, horrible experience and has made no difference to me in terms of pain at all. There are some pain management clinics that teach you how to deal with pain and offer Reiki, acupuncture and other stuff like that but I don't know names or details of them. You could ask your Dr to find out for you??

I have had some relief after going to this guy
http://balance-health-clarity.com/
and also here www.bolhealing.com

Other than that I'd say try to get yourself as fit as you are able to and take plenty of stuff like fish oils in your diet. I find if the rest of me feels good then I can cope better.

biko

Perhaps yoga or alternative remedies will help.
Best of luck, pain is a bitch (used to have lower back pain but a chiro fixed that)

bored and tired

Ive just started to come through 2 years off hell so i know exactly where your coming from, With me i found accupuncture combined with chinese cupping worked brilliantly. I have regular massages to work out the knots in my shoulder back and neck.

I was reffered to a pain specialist and a clinic for rehabilitation, ask your gp if there is something aroud your area that you could go too, i found just talking to people who were in the same boat as me took a load of stress off my shoulders not feeling so alone, and useless.

Swimming is meant to be very good according to my consultant, but as i had to explain to him it wasnt for me as after 2 lengths i wasnt able to dress myself afterwards!!, Im hoping to be strong enough to start back again this summer, as before i had accident i was doing 35 lengths 2-3 times a week,

I try not to take too much meds, i started developing stomach problems and felt stomach ulcers in my 20's was not where i wanted to head too. However i find that now im getting a bit stronger if i take a lower dose every day than it stays in my system so i dont end up yo-yoing. taking more when im in agony and less when i feel better but in the end having less good days than bad, The best advice i was given though was to avoid things that agrivated my back while doing as much exercise and stretches that i could to build up strength to protect my back, plus getting some off those feel good hormones racing around the old circulation system.
Also has anyone tried the Wii sports tennis game, i sware its a great low impact exercise for back and shoulder.

Grawns

[QUOTE
I have had some relief after going to this guy
http://balance-health-clarity.com/
QUOTE]

Snap! That's who I was going to recommend. I even sent my Dad as he was moaning about his hip and attending the chiro every day or two and Shane fixed him too. Now I've never been myself and am a total sceptic but whatever he does works.

Calibos

Grawns wrote: »

MY OH had a year of hell with his back and we tried everything, physio, osteo, chiro, acupuncture, spinologist ( total quack!). Anyway we got a recommendation for an Irish guy in Rathmines who specializes in asian therapies and he was wonderful! He's as fixed now as he could be without surgery and is no longer downing soplpedine by the dozen. Since he's been pain free he's become very committed to exercise as a therapy too. ( Major mountain bike habit). Pm me and I'll send you the details.

Some would say, all but the first practitioner on your list were quacks as well as most of whats mentioned on the following posts.

I bet the Chiro is bulling it that he wasn't the guy you tried after 2 years and then he would have gotten the credit instead of the Asian therapies guy when the back pain cleared up on its own. How many Bengal tigers had to sacrefice their balls for the Ancient Chinese back pain remedy? Its such an irony that the environmental types are also those most likely to love the oul chinese remedies made of body parts of endangered species

Reminds me of Homeopathic Cold cures. Typical cold clears up all by itself after about 2 weeks. One has to laugh when people rave about their homeopathic cold remedy that cleared up their cold for them after.........2 weeks.

petethebrick

Yeah, Id agree with trying alternative, in particular asian therapies. Have helped me out a lot in the past with different complaints. Hope u find something that helps anyhow^^

Lil' Smiler

Speaking as a therapist... treatments like massage,reiki etc, everything like that affects differently to them. Some people respond to massage brilliantly, whilst some don't. it's advisable to try a range of treatments but you have to give them time. 1 trip to a physio or chiro or whoever isn't enough to see if it will help your condition.

Grawns

Calibos wrote: »

Some would say, all but the first practitioner on your list were quacks as well as most of whats mentioned on the following posts.

I bet the Chiro is bulling it that he wasn't the guy you tried after 2 years and then he would have gotten the credit instead of the Asian therapies guy when the back pain cleared up on its own. How many Bengal tigers had to sacrefice their balls for the Ancient Chinese back pain remedy? Its such an irony that the environmental types are also those most likely to love the oul chinese remedies made of body parts of endangered species

Reminds me of Homeopathic Cold cures. Typical cold clears up all by itself after about 2 weeks. One has to laugh when people rave about their homeopathic cold remedy that cleared up their cold for them after.........2 weeks.

Aaaah whatever! he didn't take any pills or potions, it was massage, acupuncture and exercise instructions. And I only said the spinologist was a total quack! He was some kind of dodgy faith healer. Praying and stuff! Anyways the "asian therapy guy" said I will fix you up in 5 sessions and presto he did. ( to be fair it took 7 but he hasn't needed to see him since, and that was more then 4 months ago).That's a guarentee none of the others would give. and you can guess the money that was spent over a year looking for help!

milod

My tuppence worth, as I suffer some joint pain after a couple of accidents:

Massage
Acupuncture or Chiropractic 'needling'
Swimming
Visit the Pain clinic in Beaumont- I haven't been that bad myself fortunately, but my friend who had surgery on his vertebrae swears by them. There's more available than just painkillers and it's good to know you can get an occasional injection directly to the site of the pain when it gets really bad...

RossFixxxed

Wow, great responses, too many people to thank. Much appreciated everyone, I'm going to follow up every aspect you have recommended (except accupuncture for now, never worked for me to be honest).

Once again, you guys are absolutely rocking! Talk to you soon. Hopefully I can help someone here out as much as you have!

Ross

old boy

its not easy, i am in your position since 1999, there are times when you need to take painkillers, times when you dont, after a while you will know whick pain you need the killers for, it is a long hard road, do not expect much help from the docs, the scripts yes, but thats about it, best of luck

JOM34

One of my old coaches used to ask this question:

What's pain boys??????...................Weakness leaving the body!!!! (????)

econ08

RossFixxxed wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Firstly let me say i've been to the GP about this and the advice is 'get used to it'. Which is fine, mostly.

Story is I've had a lot of surgery over the years, fun! It has meant I'm in physical pain a lot and will be on an ongoing basis. Now generally I'm ok, I can get on with my day and be a man about it. It's the times when I'm very tired and stressed it can, obviously, cause these things to get worse.

I don't want to go down the painkillers route because they're madly addictive, same for sleepers. I've tried the 'funny stuff' route a good few times but that's not great on an ongoing basis, and frankly impossible to come by these days.

Is there some alternative that would help me out. Meditation is great but sometimes it's not possible (it really can be THAT painful).

Anyone in a similar situation and found a happy middle ground?

Thanks for taking the time to read!
Ross

There is a cognitative behavioural psychotherapy programme for coping with chronic pain which has shown good benefits. This doesn't mean there is anything mentally wrong with you. The psychologist would just help you develop ways for coping with the inevitable pain. There is a chapter on it in the Adult Handbook of Clinical Psychology, Carr & McNulty, 2006. You'd have to see a clinical psychologist for this. I know the Clanwilliam Insititute delivers this service in Dublin.