Has chronic pain ruined your life?

1. 60

   beagrsvposted 12 years ago

   Has chronic pain ruined your life?
   
   Who has let chronic pain take control of their lives? Would you like the solution that resides within us all? I beat it so can you!

   replyreport
2. 0

   jasper420posted 12 years ago

   Chronic pain has most defintly effected my life. I suffer from chronic migraines and devopled a sever addiction to pain killers. I have been sober now four years but I still I suffer. I have my good days and my bad days. Honestly speaking some times I feel like giving up but I know I will soon see better days and that keeps me going.

   replyreport
   1. 60

      OHNBarbaraposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I refuse to let chronic pain steal the quality of my life. I always remember that there is always someone out there who is dealing with worse health issues. That puts my pain in the proper perspective.

      replyreport
3. 80

   Mekenzieposted 12 years ago

   Ruined it NO way!  Caused me to research and find answers to inflammatory responses .. YES.  Taught me to develop interests in areas that I can achieve in when I have bad days .. YES! 
   Nothing can ruin your life unless you allow it to.  Your thought life is the key to staying in a good place emotionally.  Being thankful for the positive things in your life will turn your focus away from the pain to how you have been blessed.
   Albeit, it is easy to give in to feeling hopelessness .. but not impossible.
   In answer to your question - Yes, I would like to hear how you kept chronic pain from taking over your life.

   replyreport
4. 61

   relawsheposted 12 years ago

   I agree with Mekenzie, that it's your attitude and view of the circumstances that determine if something (like chronic pain) will ruin your life.  However, I think that always being positive and "overcoming" your disorder is much easier said than done. 
   Over the past 3 years, I have gained about 50 pounds from a medication I was on, and I think that, because of the sudden weight gain, that it's causing my back to hurt.  I have chronic lower back pain that I deal with everyday and I have to frequently & forcibly bend over and pop my back to relieve this pressure.  I also have to stretch my back several times a day just to not be in pain. 
   I'm hoping that by losing weight, that I'll be able to relieve some of this pain and that my back will be able to support my weight once again. 
   This is my hope that lets me not worry too much about my back pain.  And I'm also grateful that this is the only pain I have.

   replyreport
5. 83

   ii3rittlesposted 12 years ago

   Ruined my life? No, but it has effected it. Sometimes, for weeks, or months at a time I can leave the house because I can't be without ice or being able to lay down. It sucks, but my life isn't ruined, after all I am still living.

   replyreport
6. 93

   cat on a soapboxposted 12 years ago

   Chronic pain can be very debilitating, and it is a daily struggle to keep ones spirits up. My heart goes out to those with chronic headache and terminal conditions. I don't know if I could handle that! I have had nerve and joint pain in my hip and leg for 3 -4 years. I've had 2 hip replacements- the right and then the left. The second surgery did not go as well, and the femoral nerve pain was awful!  Not only did it make me feel depressed and tired from lack of sleep, I was frustrated because of  physical limitations and felt decrepit with my pitch and limp. Did it ruin my life? NO!  I still have bad days when I feel like crying, but I know there is light at the end of the tunnel. In time, with disciplined exercise and therapy, I will get there!

   replyreport
7. 69

   MazioCreateposted 12 years ago

   I suffered from chronic back pain for over 10 years.  I went to physiotherapistis, chiropractors, osteopaths and tried any number of other remedies along the way.   Some days it was all I could do to get out of bed and on other days I just stayed there.  Eventually I went to my doctor and had an MRI.  The orthopaedic surgeon strongly supported surgery to fuse discs in the lumbar region.  I was heading down the surgery path when a friend suggested I see a healer who practised a Chinese martial arts form of healing.  What did I have to lose?
   
   When I entered Paul's waiting room I was greeted by photos of some of Queensland's and Australia's sporting heros thanking him for his work.  So, 3 visits over three weeks and $120.00 later, I practically leapt off his table without pain.  It is now 12 years since I have been to Paul and I have only suffered a few twinges along the way.  Developing core strength, combined with regular stretching and massages has kept me from going "under the knife".

   replyreport
8. 62

   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   Ruined might be a little strong, but I do have chronic pain and it has changed so much.  I no longer like to be teased so my sense of humor has greatly diminished.  I  can't stand long enough to go through our big grocery store so my husband has to do the shopping.  The list is long and boring. 
   
   I hurt from head to toe like I have been beat up and some days it is better than others but I can't predict it so I am a little unreliable.  Thankfully I only take ibuprofen for the pain as I am very reluctant to take pain pills.

   replyreport
9. 78

   jacqui2011posted 12 years ago

   I don't suffer from chronic pain, but my partner does 24/7. It has affected him really badly. He was in a car crash four years ago and suffered trauma to his back and his neck. He was able to handle the pain with regular painkillers and injections. Now it is affecting his arms and hands because of the nerve damage. Recently he has blacked out several times and has no strength in his fingers, so can't even open a jar. He has been for MRI scans, x-rays and seen specialists, but there is nothing that he can do about it. He just has to suffer it. I feel so bad for him and he hardly ever complains, but I can see the pain etched in his face. I have cut my hours to part-time for the moment so that I can be around the house more. I would love to hear how you managed and what your solution was.

   replyreport
10. 91

    Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years ago

    I've suffered chronic pain for over 11 years, with not only pain in my neck, but migraines as well. Would I say it ruined my life? No, if anything it has allowed me to grow spiritually and shown me how strong I really am. As I have grown, I have come to be able to push the pain away with my mind. I have also found that the pain was a sign I needed to change my diet, and lose weight. So without the pain, I would have been on my way to a heart attack, in a way, the pain has saved my life.

    replyreport
11. 49

    Steven Deckerposted 9 years ago

    Ruined is a little too strong, but altered in a negative way fits for me. I was in a car wreck when I was 17 in which I dislocated my hip, fractured my femur, broke 7 ribs and punctured a lung. I was pain free for 2 years after the wreck. Since the age of 19 I've had moderate to severe pain in my thigh and hip every day. Some days I'm unable to do nearly anything. I've tried nerve pain medications, opiate pain meds, NSAIDs, steroids, facet injections and even surgery to remove a bone spur in my hip. I'm now 25 and in just as much pain as I was 6 years ago. The opiate pain meds help but only for a few hours after taking them. Pain didn't ruin my life. It did however take my money, time, friends, job and a lot of my aspirations. I find it hard to be optimistic anymore, considering I literally can't do anything I used to be able to do. My fiancé is one of the few things that I still have that I had before the pain, she's obviously stronger than me. I haven't given up, not gonna kill myself nor will I ever. Pain has put me in a corner several times and I've come out of it ok. I'm sorry to all of u out there living in chronic pain, it's awful and I wish u all could be healed completely. Until then, keep fighting

    replyreport