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Chronic Pain

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  • #430373
    Helcat
    Participant

    Hi everyone!

    I’ve had a chronic pain condition for 8 years now. Since there are a few people here who have chronic pain issues. I thought I would share some of the things I have learned over the years. There is so much to cover, so I’ll write a little at a time. Some of it will already be known, but you never know when something will be helpful and every little helps. If anyone would like to share any advice that has helped them. It would be welcome too.

    I’ll start with the basics simply because the best place to start is the beginning.

    When I have a flare up I have a checklist in my head. Did I sleep well last night? Have I done any gentle exercise yet today? Have I done too much activity and need to rest? Have I eaten or drank anything recently? Did I eat or drink anything that upset my tummy? Am I stressed, angry or upset? For younger women, am I on my period? All of these things are known to increase pain sensitivity.

    Different people even experience pain worsening at different times of day. I experience stiffness in the morning and notice pain more intensely at night because I am starting to relax and shut down.

    Wishing everyone all the best! 🙏❤️

    #430400
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hiya. Thanks Helcat. A very apposite post for me as I am about to reset my chronic pain management regime. I just became old so have to dial down my activities. As my exercise physiologist says, stop “pushing through”. Very difficult when your default has been action woman. So instead of walking for two hours or doing my own regime in the local pool, based on the warm-ups of my favourite footy team, (all 18-28 yr old men) and hurting for two days, I  am now starting to dial it back. My sleep regime is ridiculous, again as it has been all my life to date, so I need to work on that. I wasn’t living in the fast lane, but I definitely need to slow right down and so have committed to walk around the block or half block every day, to begin, and then build from there. as long as it takes.

    #430470
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear H

    My flexibility  & fitness levels have really taken a nosedive over this long wet winter in conjunction with my dad slowing down, so as his carer I have to go at his speed. I am now doing qi gong which can be done inside in a small space and doing it thru youtube means dad can watch & join in if he feels like it.

    #430481
    Helcat
    Participant

    Hi H

    Thank you! I’m glad that you enjoyed the post.

    Well done on getting back into your pain management routine! It sounds very hard to dial back your activity when you are used to being a superwoman and doing it all. Slowing down and gradually building up activity in a more comfortable way is an excellent plan. I wish you lots of luck.

    I don’t know if you’ve heard there is a term for that. Graded exercise therapy, if anyone is interested in looking for more information about such a plan online.

    I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had difficulty with sleep for your whole life. It can be especially difficult sleeping when you have chronic pain issues. Do you have any plans for what you might try to help your sleep?

    Wishing you all the best! 🙏❤️

    #430482
    Helcat
    Participant

    Hi Roberta

    You have such a beautiful relationship with your father. I can’t help but admire it. I’m sorry to hear that your fitness and flexibility dipped over winter and with caring for your father. I’ve found qigong very helpful for chronic pain too! I wish you lots of luck with it.

    Wishing you all the best! 🙏❤️

    #430769
    Helcat
    Participant

    Hi Everyone!

    I’ve been thinking about what to write about next and today’s topic is muscle atrophy.

    For certain chronic pain conditions such as Fibromyalgia. There’s some rhetoric around that there’s no physical damage to the body. In theory, true but in actuality varies. A lot of people have muscle imbalances, which when addressed can help minimise pain.

    Inactivity leading to muscle atrophy, is another source of pain. Muscle atrophy occurs with as little as 2-3 weeks of inactivity. Muscle atrophy causes weakness, loss of mobility and is challenging to reverse. It takes a lot of time, effort and pain to rebuild strength and stamina bit by bit.

    This has really been drummed into me with my newborn son. Watching him build the strength to do basic things such as sitting is a process that takes a long time.

    This is why it’s important where possible to resume daily activities after a bout of illness as soon as possible.

    Wishing ya’ll all the best! ❤️🙏

     

    #431895
    Helcat
    Participant

    Hi Everyone

    Today I’m going to talk about the nervous system and the role in chronic pain. This can also be helpful for anxiety too. Some of you might already be well versed in this.

    So main parts I’ll be discussing today are the sympathetic nervous system (related to fight or flight) and the parasympathetic nervous system (related to relaxation).

    Stress, exercise, some regularly consumed medicines or intoxicants wearing off and lack of sleep are the main things that trigger the sympathetic nervous system and increase pain sensitivity.

    The parasympathetic nervous system which decreases pain sensitivity can be activated by a few different things. Stimulating the vagus nerve can be helpful. Things that can be helpful include massaging the base of the skull and neck, yawning repeatedly, shaking your whole body for a couple of minutes, singing, laughter, splashing cold water on your face. There is a ton of information out there for anyone interested.

    Breathing exercises are really helpful too, specifically diaphragm breathing. Also, an important factor in breathing exercises is to have a prolonged exhale for maximum effect.

    Everything has a balance and whilst exercise stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, after exercise, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated. So, it can be helpful to exercise regularly to allow your body to practise this balancing effect.

    Wishing everyone all the best! ❤️🙏

    #432072
    Helcat
    Participant

    Hi Everyone

    Today I’m going to talk about something that really helped me cope with pain.

    It hit me really hard when my lifestyle changed. One thing I really loved was hiking and for 6 months I couldn’t even walk. I’m one of those people who goes stir crazy if they don’t get a change in scenery. I felt trapped at home.

    Managing my expectations to fulfil a need was essential to find happiness.

    I played a video game that had a lot of hiking in it so I could enjoy the scenery and walk around. I enjoy sitting outside in the garden. Taking steps to manage pain and fatigue like, sitting down to rest regularly while walking, taking a painkiller beforehand, wearing supportive braces or using a TENS machine.

    One of my favourite things used to be spicy food. I stopped being able to eat it with my health issues. I decided to embark on a quest to find a new favourite food and to learn to enjoy a healthy diet. I find myself enjoying foods that don’t cause digestive problems. I can still enjoy things like roast chicken and veggies and soup.

    What makes us happy is very individual. But I hope if anyone has given up anything that they love due to health issues, a new way to find happiness can be found.

    Wishing ya’ll all the best! 🙏❤️

    #432464
    Helcat
    Participant

    Hi Everyone

    It took me a long time to get to grips with the idea that anxiety had an impact on my health and pain levels. Now, I suspect that many people with severe anxiety disorders live with pain that they may or may not be aware of (especially younger people).

    The amount of muscle tension that severe anxiety creates is huge and there are muscles everywhere including the spine which helps us to sense pain. Muscles tensed for prolonged periods become painful. Reduced blood flow to tense areas can cause pain.

    Anxiety and anger have the unfortunate side effect of increasing pain sensitivity. Conversely, pain has the effect of increasing anxiety and anger. It’s a bit of a chicken or the egg conundrum. When I start getting upset, I have to ask myself how much pain am I in right now? Are my pain levels increasing my anxiety? Is there anything that I can do to reduce my anxiety or pain level to help calm myself down?

    I realise that I haven’t discussed aids that help reduce pain yet.

    I would encourage any other health conditions to be well managed. Even seemingly innocuous conditions can have an impact on pain and anxiety.

    Medication is clearly a factor. I had some bad experiences with mental health medication. So I stayed away from painkillers that might cause addiction issues or alter my brain chemistry. l had to learn the hard way that medicines especially when taken regularly may have side effects. So managing side effects is important too. I do try and stick to the least amount of medication possible. There is evidence to show that painkillers not only reduce pain, they improve mood too.

    Heat therapy is a favourite of mine for managing pain. Heat relaxes muscles and increases circulation. I love my electric blanket, I try and use it at least once a day. Warm showers or baths can be helpful. I really find Epsom salt to be helpful. I’m really sensitive to cold in the environment so I use thermals for half of the year, even indoors. There are also heat packs which are quite good for painful areas.

    Ice can be helpful for injury and to reduce inflammation. When my back is inflamed and heat doesn’t work, it helps to throw an ice pack on it.

    TENS it’s an inexpensive nifty little machine that is worth trying. The idea is that it provides additional stimulation that confuses interpretation of pain signals. It’s easy to get used to it though so varying the settings is important. It’s recommended to use it during activity but it’s also worth trying while relaxing too. I found that getting TENS done during acupuncture much stronger than my machine at home.

    Massage can be very helpful. Self-massage is something that can be done at home every day. There are massage rollers for doing your back. My acupuncturist encourages massaging painful areas until medium sore (not too sore) to improve circulation.

    Braces. Useful for supporting weak painful areas. Best when used for short periods of time during the painful activity. Prolonged use can cause muscle weakness and increase pain.

    Cupping. I’m a fan of cupping. It reduces the massage time and effort.

    I’m going to have to come back to this list later.

    Wishing ya’ll all the best! ❤️🙏

    #433740
    Helcat
    Participant

    I learned something interesting yesterday.

    But first more aids.

    Figuring out a method of carrying things. Honestly, having a pram has been the best thing for me. I don’t know why they’re not used all of the time. Before I used a backpack because weight was distributed evenly. But there are other carriers with two wheels that people use.

    Massage oils and massage rollers/guns can be beneficial.

    Progressive muscle relaxation is an excellent method.

    Yoga and Qi Gong are excellent because they both focus in relaxation as well as exercise.

    Low impact exercise is great for people with health issues. Walking and cycling.

    Seeing a physiotherapist can be beneficial for working out muscle imbalances.

    Pelvic floor exercises are helpful for low back pain.

    Breathing exercises are an underutilised resource.

    Okay, now the interesting thing.

    Lactate can build and cause panic attacks. This occurs during at least 3 situations. Exercise, hyperventilation and breathing issues. Fascinating stuff. So the idea is that if you are feeling particularly anxious, ideally to focus on relaxing before doing exercise. Anxiety on top of exercise can be too much and increase anxiety sometimes.

    Fascinating stuff! I didn’t know this.

     

    #433779
    Tommy
    Participant

    Dear Helcat,

    That is the name “BLUE STUFF”. unfortunately it uses EMU oil from the animal. I do not know how much of a Buddhist you are? If you eat meat or not? Actually Blue Stuff set off the other products that use Emu oil for pain relief. It is a topical cream. Their original formula was the best. Anyway, now a days I use Aleve or Tylenol for the pain. Doesn’t seem to do to much. But the pain level is much lower now. Trying to stay active helps. Hope you are feeling better.

    #433791
    Helcat
    Participant

    Hi Tommy

    Haha thanks so much, didn’t realise that was the name. 😂 I will see if I can find it.

    Love and best wishes! ❤️🙏

    #433835
    Tommy
    Participant

    They do not sell Blue Stuff in stores. Only on line. If you search on line the look for Bluespring Blue Stuff emu therapy. Best wishes.

    #434555
    MERIATEN TASHERIT
    Participant

    I have chronic pain that feels like needles or being constantly imprinted on by a fiery substance, or akin to a light tribal tattoo being placed on my skin using a wooden pick. My skin always has some sort of sensation of something spicy, like some sort of elemental or energetic field manipulation. It has been occurring for more than 5 years.

    #434556
    MERIATEN TASHERIT
    Participant

    I also have chronic pain in my eyebrow bones due to a physical assault that occurred where I was knocked out unconscious for 10 minutes in a train station in Washington, DC.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 17 total)

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