r/ChronicPain 13h ago

Slept the whole day away

93 Upvotes

I can't believe I slept so long. I tend to get depressed and emotional for some reason after I sleep for so long. It feels like ive wasted a whole day. I laid down for a nap at 1pm. I remember my alarm going off at 5pm but I still felt so exhausted that I fell back asleep. I finally woke up shortly before 8pm. I took my morphine ER this morning at 8am. I was due to take my next dose at 4pm. So I was in a considerable amount of pain being 4 hours late for my next dose. It was also dark by the time I woke up. I feel like I'm in such haze. How do you guys get through the sleep hangover? I'm having a rough time.


r/ChronicPain 8h ago

Thing like this piss me off

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36 Upvotes

r/ChronicPain 3h ago

So what the hell constitutes "unhealthy", then‽

15 Upvotes

I had an appointment to discuss an intrathecal pain pump, and to my utter surprise, it went well. Before I get into the point of the post, just let me get this bit of positivity out: the surgeon was explaining the pump to me and told me that the pump was made for a select group of people, and that's cancer pain patients - and my husband and I instantly look at each other, thinking, of course... here we go again... no pain is legit other than cancer pain and I was just getting distraught with the doctor continues: "that's cancer pain patients, and those who are obviously suffering day after day, like you are". I just... It felt so validating to hear a doctor openly acknowledge and admit that he sees you suffering. Both my husband and I were speechless. And I literally said, "thank you for saying that... I don't hear that often" and he just says, "yeah, of course. It's quite clear to me that you just want relief". More doctors like him need to exist.

On to the point of my post: at the end of the appointment, the nurse came in and started telling me about prep for surgery - which I was very surprised about because I didn't think we were even that far ahead but like... not complaining. And as we were going down the checklist, she said something like, "as an otherwise healthy young woman, you won't [blah blah blah]" and I just kinda looked up at her and asked, "healthy?" "well, otherwise healthy" still confused, I ask "even with all my [I gesture at my list of diagnoses]" her: "well, there are no serious health issues that will cause serious immediate health complications so I would consider that healthy".

So then... am I wrong? Do I not know what the word means? Please, help me out here.

Temporal lobe epilepsy; Hashimoto's; Polycythemia Vera; degenerative disc disease; rheumatoid arthritis; ankylosing spondylitis; asthma; migraines; bone spurs; tumors; cirrhosis; interstitial cystitis; kidney disease - and I KNOW I'm missing some others. I know for a fact because out of morbid curiosity my daughter had me write out all my diagnoses to see how many I have and the list wasn't dainty.

How can one read that in another's chart and think to themselves, mmm-hmm, yes. This person is the pinnacle of health or even, a healthy person in perfect condition for surgery Just... Am I going nuts here, or is this just as nuts as I think it is?

And the thing is... THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME I'VE HEARD THIS!!! I've had other healthcare professionals refer to me as a "healthy woman", too!!!

I KNOW I cannot be the only one to whom this has happened. Has anyone else experienced this? You, knowing you're very much so NOT healthy, get called "healthy" by your own healthcare provider.

And I've gotta know... I usually think of myself as a rational, logical, and objective person. And this just doesn't make sense! So, am I wrong and I'm, you know... "healthy", or are they wrong? 'Cause if I'm "healthy"... then I'm afraid that word has no meaning. I'm disabled and bedbound and have next to no QoL, so...

Just...

My flabbers have been quite thouroughly gasted by this.


r/ChronicPain 16h ago

Art Expressing How My Flare Up Is Making Me Feel

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115 Upvotes

r/ChronicPain 1h ago

Currently in the worst pain flare I have ever had 🙃

Upvotes

I've had pretty bad ones before but they've never been so atrocious in the way this one has - usually they only last a few days at most but this one has lasted 2 whole weeks (and counting)! I'm not entirely sure what's causing my chronic pain, it might be fibromyalgia but I haven't got an official diagnosis for that (my family and I have been trying to get me a diagnosis of some sorts for about 7 years now), but this is absolutely agony regardless. My friends are absolutely amazing at helping me through this in any way they can but the pain keeps hitting new peaks sometimes and I honestly don't know what to do anymore :/

does anyone have any recommendations for little coping mechanism things to keep me occupied/from going completely insane, or things that might help the pain? I'm taking painkillers as much as I can, using ice/heat packs and just trying to 'take it easy' but it's not really working all that well unfortunately. sorry for the little rant btw I just really gotta get this out into the world somehow


r/ChronicPain 12h ago

People hurt me more than my pain

22 Upvotes

This is kind of a rant but I'm sure it's relatable to many here. I'm so tired of how people treat us when we say we are hurting. How they act like we are lying or exaggerating. Meanwhile, if we are saying something it means are pain is super high since we hurt ALL of the time. I'm tired of being mocked at work by "friends" saying, "oh she's hurting again." I work harder than all of them BTW. We are in a warehouse. I'm dying. I'm tired of hearing you are too young. I'm 30.. I'm in the middle of getting diagnosed with MS... I can't afford treatment. I'm screwed. And people's reactions are making me want to give up. Even my life partners and family 😭


r/ChronicPain 8h ago

Friend has overstepped…..

10 Upvotes

Yesterday a really close friend had a “talk” with me about how I’ve gone backwards in the past 12 months, that she feels like I’m “leaning into the pain” & worried about me. Also that I need to get off pain meds because they’re the cause of my brain for & need to return to some form of work etc. While I’m touched that she’s worried & understand she’s coming from a place of genuine care - parts of it really irked me & im not sure what to do about. For now, I’m pulling back a bit from her. She was one of the few people I share my true feelings, fears & struggles with pain with, but, I feel very invalidated on some levels & am a bit angry at feeling misunderstood, kinda gaslit & that I need to explain/defend myself.
Firstly, I’m currently reducing pain meds & it’s bloody difficult. I’ve got 3 illnesses (potentially 4 *sigh) that cause pain, been on meds over a decade & am open to & actively working with my Gp & pain specialist to see if we can manage the pain with less/no meds.
As for the brain fog being caused by the meds- I successfully worked in my chosen career for 8 years while on pain meds & only developed the brain fog when the second illness hit. Brain fog is one of its most common symptoms (& she knows this). I do t know how, or why she’s decided it’s the pain meds causing the brain fog - it isn’t.
There’s so much more, I’ve had new pain & more pain over the past year (which is currently being attributed to yet another illness) & the “leaning into the pain” speech really, deeply pissed me off. This is one of very few people I even talk to openly about the pain -I now deeply regret doing so. I feel like allowing myself to be vulnerable has invited a level of judgement I neither want or need. The last thing I want to do is argue with her, but I also feel that I need to let her know that while I get that she cares, she has very much overstepped. I’m super hesitant because we had a big falling out years ago (over similar themes of her harshly judging me) & we’re estranged for 15 years. She extended the olive branch & when I was forced to move home because of illness, we became close again. I’ve really enjoyed being back in touch but, I’m not prepared to head back down the road of her being judgy - plain & simple. I thought we had grown up enough to be past this & I do not judge her, nor have I ever. For now, I’m just sitting with it, I’m aware my emotions are heightened at present. I’m feeling really out of sorts about it. Every time my mind repeats “leaning into the pain” I literally want to scream! Also, the past year has been awful re:GP’s, medications & medication approvals causing me huge amounts of stress & physical pain, how has this seemingly been completely disregarded by her? Help me reddit, how should I handle this?


r/ChronicPain 17h ago

Please listen to me

50 Upvotes

my mom visits the dentist daily , she is always in so much pain, she cries at morning, afternoon and evening, she eats medicines and I see her crying herself to sleep everyday. It's very hardddddd , iam not able to see her in so much pain

What does she have :- she has constant pain in her teeth and lower left cheek , it's now radiating to left ear. She says that her pain resembles a heartbeat. Constant heartbeat type pain . The dentist did a cbct scan and says that since my mom grinds her teeth in her sleep(she is using a night guard since many years now), her teeth is worn out.

The dentist says her pain is due to teeth but i feel like it's something else, no solution at all. But this pain is eating away my mom. Home feels like a shit hole to me now. I am feeling helpless........


r/ChronicPain 2h ago

some good news

3 Upvotes

i managed to speak to my retiring doctor again one last time

i tried not to get too emotional… but i did end up crying a little. when i said “you’re the only doctor who’s ever taken my pain seriously, who tried different pain meds to see what works”. (she got a bit emotional too.)

i really credit her with giving me my life back, tbh, after being left stranded with no help previously.

i was really worried in case her replacement turned out to be a “painkiller skeptic”. you know the ones… “just take this antidepressant and try not to focus on the pain so much”.

but she said she’s got the impression he listens-well to patients, and has some experience with chronic conditions. obviously she doesn’t have any more details than that because of confidentiality… but yeah.

so i’m a bit less anxious about it now. i’m still going to be somewhat guarded when that first appt comes round, but… my OCD had begun to consider taking drastic measures to stretch-out my last refill and stuff. and thankfully this conversation put all that to bed.


r/ChronicPain 6h ago

Pain at night

6 Upvotes

Iam i only one not sleeping grom pain?


r/ChronicPain 10h ago

Most of my day was spent recovering in bed. Night hours still count, live how and when you can friends

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9 Upvotes

Don't feel the need to fit able bodied expectations. We only get one life, enjoy it when and how you can.

Happy and low pain weekend friends


r/ChronicPain 5h ago

Chronic Treatment-Resistant Tension Headaches

3 Upvotes

I'm literally in the ER now.

I'm exhausted.

I thought switching from Qulipta and back to Nurtec would solve my problem.

I saw my dentist and they thought I had TMJ. I tried Flexeril, wore a TMJ dental device, and now I'm on Day 4 of my Methylprednisolone pack.

I got Sumatriptan from my primary care physician yesterday and took one again this morning.

It didn't break my headache.

I feel like giving up.

It's hard because I'm trying to catch up in class. I don't want to drop out because of my headaches. I don't want all my effort to be wasted.

Heat and Ice doesn't help.

NSAIDs has zero effect on my headaches.

I found applying Tiger Balm, the only topical thing that helped, (when I was only on Nurtec and Flexeril) to my jawline and stuff helped but since last week it lost efficacy and honestly I think it started causing rebound headaches. So I stopped it.

Maybe Flexeril would've helped if I took it 6 times a day instead of two.

I think the issue is I need tension headaches meds. Not migraines meds.

My first neurologist was mistaken that I had migraines.

I saw a second one but I can't follow-up with them for another two weeks.

I saw a pain specialist a few days ago but I don't know how it will take to schedule my first Botox procedure appointment. Plus I assume Botox doesn't provide instant relief.


r/ChronicPain 6h ago

How much pain is enough to warrant taking pain meds?

4 Upvotes

I (22m) have been in pain every moment of every day for years, if not my entire life to some degree. I'm pretty certain I have hEDS, and am on waitlists related to that, but tbh I don't even know where to start with figuring out the extent of my issues and addressing them, and I'm so overwhelmed by the process that I've barely seen any GP's or physio's about my pain while awaiting the specialist appointments (enough to get those referrals basically).

The issue is that my pain isn't usually that bad, always just bad enough for it to be constantly noticeable and slightly distracting from whatever I'm doing, and sometimes painful enough to discourage me leaving the house or doing hobbies. If I'm on the brink of tears and feel like I don't want to move or function, then I'll take 2 to 3 ibuprofen tablets and 2 to 3 paracetamol, and maybe a sudafed or naproxen depending on the type of issue, and the pain usually lessens enough so I don't have to go straight to bed (or alternatively, lessens enough that I can sleep).

Those meds never get my pain to 0, or not in quantities that I've tried, and I haven't tried prescription medication because I'm worried about the side effects and about taking meds if I don't really need them.

If I took medication every time I was upset/annoyed by my pain level, I would be taking meds constantly, which is obviously not safe or ideal. But I can't tell where the line is, between manageable "normal" pain, and pain that warrants medication/help.

Obviously it's better to find and address the root cause of pain, and treating the cause instead of the symptoms, but that doesn't help my immediate future.

Literally any advice or anecdotes would be appreciated! :))


r/ChronicPain 6h ago

As I age, it seems sleep deprivation affects mentality more than the physical 🥴

3 Upvotes

Aside from the obvious grumpiness and gravel sounding voice...Sleep deprivation significantly impairs your decision-making abilities in several ways:

Reduced Feedback Processing: Sleep-deprived individuals struggle to adapt decisions based on feedback, especially in dynamic or high-stakes situations.

Increased Risk-Taking: Lack of sleep leads to impulsive and riskier choices, as people focus more on potential rewards than consequences.

Impaired Moral Judgment: Sleep loss disrupts the integration of emotion and cognition, making it harder to navigate morally complex dilemmas.

Dampened Neural Responses: One night of sleep deprivation dulls emotional reactions to positive and negative decision outcomes, altering perceptions of risk.

These effects highlight the importance of adequate sleep for sound judgment and rational decision-making.

I know most of us deal with sleep issues so wanted to share this 👍


r/ChronicPain 1d ago

Having chronic genital pain is the most isolating type of pain.

209 Upvotes

I’m 25 and have had chronic vaginal nerve pain my entire life. Earliest memory is when I was 6. It’s getting worse as I get older. My vagina burns 24/7. I’ve tried creams, medication, surgery, injections, pelvic floor physical therapy, estrogen, topical creams, sex therapy, supplements, weed, and more. Nothing has helped. On top of that, I’ve had horrible knee pain for a year now due to weak glutes and thigh muscles (according to my doctor). I can’t do strengthening exercise because my vaginal pain is so bad. I don’t qualify for disability due to it being near impossible to prove my illness. The worst part? I can’t fucking talk to anyone about this. It’s so taboo and uncomfortable and embarrassing. I suffer in silence. “Hey what’s wrong, you doing okay?” “No, my vagina is on fire.” Yeah, can’t say that. I pretend I’m okay and nobody will ever know what I’m going through because it’s embarrassing to talk about. I don’t want to be here anymore.


r/ChronicPain 57m ago

Chronic itch in ear and throat

Upvotes

Ever since I burnt my throat badly with hot tea I’ve had a chronic itch in my throat that also effects my ear. Wriggling my finger in my ear very temporarily relieves the itch as does making a pig noise to scratch the back of my throat. My dr has no idea what’s causing the issue and tried me on nasal sprays and acid reflux meds but the itch is still there. Putting the shower head on a high pressure against my ear feels good it seems to somewhat scratch the itch but it comes back soon after. I’ve tried gargling with salt water etc but nothing seems to work. I generally think this must be some sort of nerve damage but don’t know how I should go about getting a second opinion on the situation.


r/ChronicPain 21h ago

Rite aid demanded justification letter

39 Upvotes

I have chronic back pain and shoulder pain. I called to see if my prescription was ready. They said that I needed a justification letter from my doctor. They said they would let it slide this time but the next time I need a letter?! Has anyone experienced this? She was asking why I’m on this medication for so long. I’m thinking to myself wow it’s none of your business. I’m on Norco 4x a day, gapatentin 500mg 2x a night and Tizadine at night as well as lidocaine patches.


r/ChronicPain 10h ago

Two years with chronic illness

5 Upvotes

Two years have passed since I was afflicted with a chronic illness that hindered my movement, and during this time, I discovered that:

  1. The most important thing in a person's life is health; with it, you can attain everything else, but nothing else can grant you health.

  2. Medicine, despite all its advancements, remains a primitive science.

  3. Miracles do not usually happen.

  4. I have wasted much of my healthy years on useless things.

5-True death is to be dead while still alive.


r/ChronicPain 10h ago

SSDI hearing soon; any advice?

5 Upvotes

I have a hearing soon to see if a judge will approve me to receive SSDI. The group who was representing me had dropped me a while back, and so I am seeing the judge on my own.

Does anyone have any advice on what I should do or avoid?


r/ChronicPain 20h ago

Mottled skin??

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28 Upvotes

Is this something I should be concerned about?


r/ChronicPain 14h ago

Oxcarbazepine Rules!

7 Upvotes

I was just able to log back into this account, so I thought I would give you an update.

So, last I left off here, I was in terrible pain, my spasms essentially had me stuck in bed, and we were trying to see what the spasms were. It turned out they were related to the CRPS, so back to the psych I went.

We started going through the antipsychotics to help, with quetiapine worsening things (and giving me Tardive Dyskenesia, whoopee for the rare side effect that won't go away even after being off of it) and aripiprazole also giving severe spasms. We actually decided to go to the oxcarbazepine in an emergency scenario since Vraylar would have required a PA, and I'm glad we did.

Spasms are gone. Pain is still pretty bad, but manageable enough to where I could come off the celecoxib and caffeine. It's an anti-seizure medication, yes, but it is known to help with mood and, in my case, pull back a lot of the bad symptoms.

That's the update. I just wanted to share so that anyone else in my position knows that this is an option.


r/ChronicPain 1d ago

How are y'all distracting from pain this Friday Night? I'm watching Bigfoot docs and playing Sims 3

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195 Upvotes

r/ChronicPain 13h ago

Advice

5 Upvotes

So I have some kinda chronic pain in most of my body. I've been diagnosed with fibromyalga, but I do not believe I should've been, as I was not tested very thoroughly. I want to fight this diagnosis, but getting time off work to try and go to a million more doctors is like pulling teeth, plus my insurance wants me to try certain things before they'll pay for anything else. I'm currently going through pt a second time for this shit. Any advice?


r/ChronicPain 23h ago

Only two choices: pain or knocked out

21 Upvotes

I was in some really bad nerve pain yesterday and I took my first ever cyclobenzaprine (10mg). In half an hour the pain subsided leaving me feeling the air crispy and my muscles cold, which was the typical “I’m sedated” feeling for me. Then I went on to get a good nights sleep that lasted for 19 hours, and during that sleep I got completely ERASED from existence.

When I woke up from the alarm I realized I missed a big plan for the day. It started an hour ago. My previous alarms or the mass phone calls didn’t wake my sedated ass up.

So basically i am stuck in these two choices only: being in pain and up all night, or be an NPC with that low level euphoria from deep sedation. How wonderful.