Chronic Pain

thank you very much, betty...

Harley
If you cannot get some support by your family hon, just come on back and let the rest of us who understand the pain your in to help you.

I've found that online support from others in pain has become a daily support system and I don't even need to leave the house.
Car rides are a trigger for me, as it is for others as well, by the time I get dresed, ready and head to a support group or a therapist, I'm in too much pain to gain or even be able to speak with someone, so It's pretty useless to try support systems outside my home. There's alot of people here at the chronic pain connection who really care and they are an amazing amout of support & also give somone like me a purpose to reach back and try to support them too.

You take care of yourself and please know that we do care and are here for you when you call on us.
Betty

I can't tell you how much it helps that I found this group! The days are hard for me because, like yourself, going out is hard. Sometimes I try to get out and go to school, but sitting in class is so hard sometimes. How can someone pay attention to physics (or another science for that matter) when everything hurts. Just sitting in the chair hurts. It's good to have friends that can understand where I'm comming from.

As for now, the pain has been really bad today. My family just doesn't understand, or even want to it seems. I'm sitting here with tears running down my face and trying to amuse myself with finding a new home. It's not a positive place to be here. I'm looking to maybe move to Hawaii - Kaui preferably - but, anything that gets me out of here will do just fine. Hopefully I can get approved for a loan, I just applied online at LendingTree. I haven't signed anything, so I just want to see what they'll offer. Anybody know of a good real estate agent who can help? lol..

I'm so happy to have friends who understand..

Harley

Glad your feeling good about coming here.
Sorry for the family issues, I do know how difficult and how much worse the pain is when you live is a stressed environment. Hope you can make it out on your own.

Hawaii sounds really nice. Was just there last September! the weather was amazing on my pain relief. wish we could move right now. To many obligations here, so it will be a while.

When your in a high amount of pain, your not able to concentrate on anything but the pain, it's actually a symptom of high chronic pain, it will interupt your ability to think or learn, so until you get some type of pain control going, I'm sure that school is nearly impossible and actully a waste of time until your pain comes down.
I hope you can get some relief soon. What type of help are you getting? if any?

Betty

Hey, Betty..

I'm just seeing a regular doctor, who, I just found out, the insurance has not been paying. I was talking to a real estate agent yesterday about finding a place on one of the islands, but after basically being cornered by the office manager, I couldn't even pick up the phone when she called.. I'm at a dead end.. and the insurance will not pay for a pain clinic...

Harley

Sounds like a vicious cycle.
So if they won't pay for a pain doc, they are not paying for your regular doc, what is it they plan to pay for?????
Are they one of those insurances that only pay for major medical?
Gosh, that is just a miserable situation, I wish so badly I could somehow help you. I think you need some kind of break here to find a doctor that they will pay for.
Do they have a preferred provider list you have to work with?? I used to have a crappy insurance that you had to find a doctor on their list and I swear, none of them were any help with anything.
Back when I originally injured my back and fractured the disk, I had this insurance and every doctor I saw, refused to even take an x-ray, as they could not find a valid reason so that the insurance would pay and it did not help any that I had been down for weeks in pain, even though that sounded pretty valid to me. I had a really bad fall on the ice and another on a wet floor at work within a month period, so I'm sure this is when I fractured the discs in my spine, but they would not run any tests, so I did not find out for years later. It's just crap.

I just hope you can get some decent help soon
Betty

Harley.
I too, wish there were something I could do. Finding a good pain doc is difficult enough, but with insurance companies throwing monkey wrenches in everywhere... Are you a veteran, by any chance? I know it is none of my business, but I am just trying to help you brain storm. I too have had a hard time finding anything that works for any length of time, too. Relief for a little while, then it's always back to the drawing board. I am getting a trial for an intrathecal catheter on the 28th of this month. Has anyone considered that.
What the hell are people in pain supposed to do? I can send you positive thoughts and pray. Sharing knowledge could lead to something. Necessity is, after all, the mother of invention.
I once had a pain underneath my shoulder blade. They did, shoulder surgery, rehab, e-stim, massage, and so on. It all helped for a while, but what finally fixed it was carpal tunnel surgery...go figure. but it is all connected.
Anyway, sorry I can't be much help, but I am thinking about you and I am sure I speak for all of us when I say, we do understand, and we sure do care,too.
Linda

Hi everyone! harley...wow! we have a lot in common.

I'm 28yrs old and I've been in pain for the past (almost) 8 years. I've gone to doctor after doctor, took pill after pills, and done test after test. I still have no answers as to what's wrong with me. honestly, I can't take anymore bad news.

I have low back pain and peripheral neuropathy (burning, semi shooting pain) from my mid back covering both legs...some buring in my arms...and it never stops...and no one can tell em what is wrong with me. I can totally relate. I just keep taking time to cry when I need to, rest when I need to, smile, play, and get on with it when I need to. It is a very tough thing. Especially since I am convinced that this is my life...forever...I will always be in pain. OK....can't we work on how much pain???? At least I know I am not alone

Sorry, it's taken a bit to get back, I just needed to ignore life for awhile. I'm feeling a bit better, emotionally, anyways. I'll likely call that real estate agent back so I can find a place in Hawaii. Hey, can't be better, you might as well be as comfy as possible, right? Thank you all so much for your support! I was seriously considering either just cramming a mess of pills down my throat or going out and getting arrested (I'd get medical treatment in jail - for free! Go figure..), but I didn't. I hugged my doggie and basically slept it off..

To answer the questions about my insurance: No, they assume that everyone is "ok" with seeing a doctor once every quarter. When I signed up, I already told them I had severe asthma, that itself requires a visit to a general doctor and a pulmonologist at least once a month. That's just life as an asthmatic, and when I signed up, I was told that it was ok to do so. I guess it isn't..

For "BlackDove", I know how frustrating it is to go through all the tests and still have no answers. I've had xrays, catscans, and even several endoscopies, and still nothing shows up! I'm at the point where I'll have to go to medical school myself before any doctors figure this out. With my grades, it's possible.. lol.

I send my thanks, love, and support to everyone!

Harley
PS: I'm not a veteran.. but, I don't see that making a difference anyhow because it seems that our government doesn't like to take care of our heros anyways..

Hello Black dove
It's a pleasure to meet you and I'm very happy you found us.
I'm really sorry for all your pain, the two (Harley) of you are way to young to have to deal with so much pain, this does not mean I don't think you both deserve to be treated as any of us. I've found that the younger the patient, the more trouble they seem to get to finally find a doctor to help create a treatment plan and treat their pain. I hope you both can find someone to get you both some decent treatment for your pain and they figure out what is causeing your pain too.
They could not find the cause of my pain through x-ray and I was so afraid that they'd not figure it out and how I was going to get treatment for the very real pain I had, that could not be measured or detected through any test they gave me. I was fortunate and they found that I had two fractured disk, one bulging and some arthritic changes in my spinal views from the CT Scan, boy I was thankful that they finally had something to explain the pain, so we could get onto some treatment options.

I really hope you both are able to get some treatment and you both get back to school, work or what ever else your working toward.

Nice to have you both, your welcome to join us over in the off Topic area in "The Daily Grind" we have a support thread over there, that we all stop by daily or when ever we can to discuss and share our pain.

Take Care
Betty

^^^

They're actually leaning more and more towards Lupus with me. I can check off 9 out of 10 symptoms that can't be explained with anything else. As per my doctor, "you get a diagnosis of Lupus after a process of elimination.".. So, I guess they're still 'eliminating' (wish they'd eliminate my bills while they're at it.. lol)...

But, I agree with you Betty. Not to discount you're pain and everything else that everyone here is going through. BlackDove and I are at the ages where we should be out partying our little butts off at a club, meeting people, and doing the reckless things that young people do. LOL. I'm watching all my friends grow up, get married, and have families. I'm sitting here on a Saturday night, about to go to sleep at 11p, and everyone else is out and about. Makes me kind of sad.. ..

Harley

Harley

I believe your frustration and feelings of resentment are warented. After all, you both should be out meeting folks and having a good time, just like the rest of the young people your age.
When I think about your ages, it makes me consider the posibility of my own son having to live with the pain & fatigue that I live with and it breaks my heart to think of it. He turned 21 yesterday and he & a large group of his friends & girl friends are in Las Vegas today. You two young people should be doing things like this. I wish I could eliminate your pain for you, its just not fair and I guess your learning very young, just how unfair this world is and I'm really very sorry.

I have a good friend with Lupus & FM, she has suffered terribly for many years, just in the past year, she's been able to finally get ahold of her pain & control her lupus also with dietary changes, supplements and of course through pharmaceutical intervention also. So I know it's possible, she's even been able to create a thriving home buisness and is really doing well. But she's also been suffering for about 12 years and she & her doctor have both worked very hard to get her to this point.

We are all subject to a completely new & different state of challenges and I have refused to give up thus far. I I'm going to continue searching for new ways to try and control what I can, and except the pain that I cannot control yet. We're all so different so many different things work for each one of us, we just must find the key.

You take care of yourself, I'm glad your coming back to visit. Here's the link to our daily grind thread and your welcome to join us.
http://forums.healthcentral.com/discussion/chronic-pain...f/1361017/m/25310781

Talk to you soon
Betty

Thank you all for your kind words. You all hit the nail on the head. It is really hard to be this young....and feel so old. I do my best to look at the blessings in my life, the biggest being my fabulous husband. He is the best man i know.

I have to say....the pain is crappy, but I think the thing that really gets me is not having a name for it. Other than peripheral neuropathy....the why would be good. Thank you all for the support.

As you all know.. no one understands unless they have experienced chronic pain. I recently discovered that I am unexpectantly pregnant. My first thoughts were not very positive...and when I mentioned to loved ones and family members that this was going to be hard, they said, "Why?". They know I am in pain everyday...they just forget or they don't have a clue how challenging it is. I think that is one thing that I can't change and should learn to accept. That is a hard thing to do. Talk to you all soon! Sending positive vibes and prayers your way!

CONGRATS ON THE PREGNANCY!!!

You're so lucky to have such a wonderful person in your life! I understand how hard it's going to be to go through making a baby.. and if you need someone to talk to, we're here! if you have a myspace, I'm on that, too! (this goes for any and everyone who wants to add me!)..

It hurts so bad when you're in pain and don't have a name for it. It's confusing. When someone asks you what's wrong and you can't tell them, you get these looks of disbelief - like you're just making it up. I hate that! As bad as having Lupus could be, it's still better to know exactly that's what's causing all this. It doesn't take the pain away, but it sure takes the confusion out of the picture. I get blood tests back all the time that have VERY different readings than from what they were the time before. Nothing quite like having a test come back one day saying that you need to be on dialisis and then having it come back as "normal" 2 days later.

Congrats again on the upcomming baby!

BlackDove
Congrats on your new baby. I'm sure it's going to be a more difficult pregnancy, but I would walk through hell fire to have my boys. They are and continue to be the single most important situation that the lord allowed me to participate in his creation. It's just a ownderful experience. I love being a mother. I really hope your pregnancy goes well and as much as it chages your body, who knows, maybe it will adjust things a little differenly in the positive way. What ever it does, your going to love it. I will add you to my prayer booklet and hope that the lord give you rest & comfort in the coming months.
It'll be more difficult, but you will receive the greatest gift God has to offer anyone on earth.

Take Care Hon, we're all here for you
Betty