Have you ever just lived in constant pain?

[demtenjeep]

DAILY?

[LeftyFingerPop]

1. Yes.

Get it fixed, get aggressive. There is no need for you to suffer. If your doctor can't find it, find a doctor who will. :hug:

[dana_b]

2. yes

I have two herniated discs in my lower back with sciatic pain down both legs. It sucks badly. I'm on temporary disability right now.

[midnight armadillo]

7. I feel 1/2 your pain

Literally, one herniated disc here and sciatica down one leg only. It hurts, but it is healing, slooooooowly. I'm hoping my mri the other day will shed some light as to what's going on.

[dana_b]

19. good luck! I hope it

heals soon. Have you had much treatment?

I've had my problems for almost 6 years now and have about exhausted all of the conservative treatments. It's time to consider surgery since mine is not getting that much better.

[midnight armadillo]

36. No treatment yet

I had PT for my lower back a number of years ago and thought I had used up my once-per-part-per-lifetime PT coverage with my motherfucking HMO...but due to a plan change at work I got re-issued a membership ID which mysteriously reset the coverage. So I will be going to PT at some point. I have an appt. with a neurosurgeon who specializes in sports med in a few weeks. The guy is quite well known and I have high hopes.

My biggest problem is that the left leg is very weak and the back half and the foot goes numb with too much exertion. That hasn't improved at all, and I am in a state of anxiety that I'll do something to re-injure the disc.

[grilled onions]

20. WE Need A Herniated Disc "Fan" Club!!

I have not found any doctors that will touch mine since I have other arthritis spinal issues but the pain is bad. I have not slept in a bed since last year. We had to have a ramp built. I feel much older then my 59 years!!!

[JCMach1]

27. 2 disc problems in the last 3 year... lower back and neck last year

for details see #26... it gets worse!

[demtenjeep]

3. I have this permanent grimace on my face

and pain lines for sure

[XemaSab]

4. Oh yes

Oh yes.

[emilyg]

5. Yes.

[lizziegrace]

6. every single day

Trigeminal Neuralgia, rotator cuff tear and fibromyalgia. Some days I wish the sun wouldn't come up.

[WillParkinson]

8. Yep...

Sadly my job depends on my feet so I have no choice but to go see a doctor today.

[proud patriot]

9. Yes since I was 21 and hurt my back working w/ SMH adults

mostly it's tolerable and just a background noise .. some days are worse ...

It'll go out every now and again and I'll have to take a week or 2 off work .

I'm a preschool teacher now that size person I can work with consistantly w/o
injury .

Recently been experiencing rotary cuff stuff in my shoulder (constant)

I hope your pain gets better . Try to stay away from medication as much as possible .

[Arugula Latte]

50. I'm sorry about your back. I'm just curious, though --

SMH -- What does that stand for?

[soleiri]

10. Yes

Some days are worse than others. Which makes me really damn glad to have the good days.

[Brickbat]

11. Yes, but it's better now. I can't imagine what some people must go through.

I hope things improve for you.

[DevonRex]

12. Yes.

Dr. House pain every minute of every day.

[Tikki]

13. Yes and now...

When I have another steroid injection it will help, somewhat...but, I'll live with the pain as
long as I can before the next shot.


Tikki...

[pitohui]

14. yes for abt 2 decades, i don't know what is going on but good luck w. it

i wish i knew what to say

[Mopar151]

15. Used to

Makes somewhat of a comeback now and then. Does not make me a better person.

[foxfeet]

16. Yes.

It's on-and-off now, but when it was constant, it colored my entire experience of the world. It also helped me to be more understanding about other folks who suffer chronic pain. I wish you the best for a pain-free future.

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

17. I have since 31/12/2009

when my husband Markus and I were in an auto accident on the Autobahn and hit by a semi truck. Markus died two days later on his 33rd birthday. My left arm is still mangled and I wear a brace on it that does no good. I'm in a back brace and waiting to figure out if I need surgery or not. Pain is my constant companion.

[Old Troop]

18. For more than 18 months I had excruciating pain in my jaw. Docs kept

saying it was a sinus infection. It turned out to be lymphoma which was stage 4 when they finally diagnosed it. I should have been far more aggressive in having it checked out.

[WCGreen]

21. Yes, hourly...

I have a compression fracture in my upper back.

A repaired hip that is very painful.

A blown disc.

And the pain that comes from pockets of infection festering between my lungs and the rib cage.

Oh yea, I forgot the pulled muscles from coughing.

I take two vicadins a day and that kind of mutes it a little.

[Skittles]

22. no, and I cannot begin to imagine what it's like

I'm quite the weenie even with just a bit of muscle pain

[jotsy]

23. In a couple of ways.

Toothaches, seized back, and my latest dilemma, now in its fifteenth month. Something sent my stomach kaplooy mid March last year. Digestive track just...shut down. No insurance. Found a naturopath after nearly two weeks of trying lots of over the counter remedies without success, was put on a high fiber diet, some probiotics and vegetable supplements. No meat, no dairy, no processed food and lots of water. It has gotten better, but never completely gone back to working the way it used to. I eat the wrong stuff and I pay the price. During the worst of this, sleep was the only time I wasn't uncomfortable. I've also had abdominal surgery 3 times. Two C-sections and an ectopic pregnancy. Pain I know.

Just found your subsequent thread, sounds like something of a mystery tweaking your tummy, which is why I went into some details of my own, in case the symptoms are familiar to you.

[Duer 157099]

24. Yes; be aware that chronic pain can result in high blood pressure

It's a stress response. So get the pain treated somehow, but in the meantime, keep an eye on your BP.

[OmahaBlueDog]

25. I don't, but Mrs. OBD has Plantar Fascitis (sp?), and walking anywhere hurts like hell for her.

Let me add one of my major problems with certain insurance providers. Let's say you have a slipped disk, and it will cost $50,000 to repair surgically. However, they figure that they can get you a lifetime supply of Oxycontin for $10,000. Guess which option they'll approve?

[FionaMcG]

47. Heel cups. I went through 4 years of hell with it, then finally got

an appointment with the best sports medicine doctor in LA. I yelled at him when he handed me a set of heel cups, but damn, he was right. Instant relief.

Also, I switched shoes. Now for most of the days of the week I wear nothing but top quality molded soul shoes like Think! Bluefly, birkenstock and Dansk clogs. They actually do come in fashionable styles. then every now and then I let myself wear the strappy ass high heeled sandals or girly shoes, and everything is fine.

NO MORE cheap shoes. Buy the best kind of support you can afford. If you cannot afford great shoes, use the heel cups. It's worth it.

[JCMach1]

26. Started last August with a bulging disc in my neck... As if that wasn't bad enough,

I popped a .9cm kidney stone out about 4 weeks later which got stuck... Had to wait 10 weeks and then had two procedures and stinting. Serious, grinding, horrible pain every day from two different sources.

As if that wasn't bad enough... caught a plantar wart from the hospital stay (8 days) and only just killed it in April.

I hate hate hate ureter stinting.

[Kali]

35. OMG

you passed that whole???
I had a tiny one and it was the worst pain I ever felt including childbirth. OOOOWWWWWW

[JCMach1]

40. Nightmare scenario... doctor did the stinting, went back in and couldn't find it

all his probing had caused the uric acid stone to drop to my bladder. I have continuous bladder trouble (and I thought at the time) pain from the stinting as it healed... Anyway, 3 months later (I was taking zyloric the whole time) I am standing at the urinal and I hear and see a brief KLINK on the side and watch in
slow motion as my misery goes down the drain.

The asswipe doctor missed the stone completely in the two procedures and had knocked it down to the bladder. It had finally eroded enough... almost like a piece of ice... and had finally lined-up precisely (it was long and tubular like a piece of melted ice) that it finally just was flushed out.

:(

If it was in the US, can you say malpractice lawsuit!!!?

[kimi]

28. Not anymore. But at one time, yes.

Neurological problems with an autoimmune disorder. Long recovery, but much better now after much therapy, physical and occupational, and some remarkable blood products.

I feel badly for you. It's an awful way to live, and I hope it gets better for you soon, and for all of those who live with pain daily. There's no way to truly describe it if you haven't lived it. Take care.

[elocs]

29. No. Even tonight I was lying in bed I thought to myself & realized that I am 57

and nothing on me hurts at all. That's a good feeling and it's nice to be aware of it. Sometimes we do not appreciate being painless until we are in pain.

[Twillig]

34. We also lose sight of the word "Constant"

Sure there's been the broken bones and the pulled muscles and the aches and the bad knee cartilage that nagged me at every step.

But when I wasn't stepping I didn't feel the pain in the knee and it eventually got better. I'm not free of it, but there's no pain anymore.

People in temporary pain should always try to remember it.

Imagine it being ever-present.

If you dare.

I can't.

[elocs]

37. Psychologically, why would anyone ever want to imagine being in ever-present pain.

Not being in pain is so often taken as being a normal condition that we tend not to appreciate not being in pain unless we are on the heels of just having been in one kind of pain or another.

Temporary pain is a part of life as we learn not to do something that causes us pain. That can range all the way from the pain of a toddler touching a hot stove (I was told that "hot" was one of the first words I learned) to moving a certain way or doing a certain activity as an adult.

All pain is subjective. One person's agony in another's bad pain. Twelve years ago when I ruptured a disk I realized I had never before known what true and constant pain was. I was always used to being able to do something to almost immediately alleviate the pain so it was hard when no matter what I did or what position I took there was intense pain (not all "constant" pain need be "intense" pain). Even years later I can remember when I was in constant pain, but I cannot actually imagine it again.

Forgetfulness of pain is often a human blessing because otherwise how many women would go through childbirth a second time?

I don't delude myself that I will not ever feel great or constant pain again, but when it happens I will not have to try and remember what it was like not to be in pain because I had that awareness in the moment when I was pain free.

[Redstone]

57. Thank you.

Redstone

[Akoto]

30. Sure, for the past several years.

I have chronic pelvic pain syndrome, probably rooted in chronic spasm of the pelvic floor muscles. Not a fun experience for a young guy. Have had to quit work and spend most of my time at home, near bed.

[tandot]

31. I herniated 2 disks in my lower back at the beginning of my pregnancy

and they really couldn't treat it. Physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractor, limited pain meds...nothing helped. The most I could walk was 10 feet before I broke down crying. Even laying down didn't alleviate it. I had the most horrific pain for the remaining 8 month of my pregnancy and 2 more month until I had surgery. I have been mostly pain free since then.

[Digit]

32. Yes, for almost two years now

I have a narcotic prescription which is timed release to take the worst of it away.

The pain is difficult to live with and wears you down.

[Lilith Velkor]

33. Had a backache for 18 years until my boob reduction

I didn't even notice how much pain I was in until it suddenly wasn't there anymore.

[BarenakedLady]

38. Yes, but it's nothing major

I broke my toe around New Year's this year slipping down a flight of stairs. At the time, I was more focused on the massive bruise on my ass that lasted for a month or so. Ha! The toe (my little one) never healed correctly. It is still swollen and sore daily. Some days are worse than others and if I smack it on something, I am certainly aware of it for the next few days even more.

Eventhough I work retail and am on my feet 40 hours a week, it's really not a big deal comparably to what others have to deal with.

[ChoralScholar]

39. About three weeks ago I had a broken tooth get infected...

I hurt for several days solid - the worst pain I ever had.

[revolution breeze]

41. Yes!

I have had Rheumatoid arthritis since I was 14.

[brendan120678]

42. Sort of...

I've got pretty severe scoliosis, so my back and especially my hips frequently are in pain.
It's been afflicting me for so long, however, that I can usually just put up with it, and and half the time I can even ignore it.

In addition to that, I have Neurofibromatosis, and a few tumors are wrapped around my spinal column, causing a little bit of pressure. Due to their location, however, they are too dangerous to remove as it may cause permanent spinal cord damage.

I know that there are many people who are far worse off than I am, however. So I don't complain. Much.

[Deep13]

43. Yes, I had some severe dental problems. nt

[rurallib]

44. Well - long temporary pain

eventually I was able to get a couple problems fixed. Carpal tunnel and a badly arthritic knee.
I now have a hip pain but my medical coverage is the type known as 'shitty.' So I am hoping I can wait until Medicare kicks in. And I hope it is still there..........

[Zorra]

45. Yeh. From the day Bu*h was appointed to the WH until the day he left. nt

[FionaMcG]

46. Yes, for 32 years, I have never known a day without pain.

You just get used to it after a while.

Various constant manifestations of sciatica and arthritis in pretty much every joint and injury site on my lil body.

Vidodin was invented by the gods.

[applegrove]

48. Yes but not lately.

[csziggy]

49. Yes - worst was rotator cuff injury

A horse reared and tried to tear my arm off. Only one of the tendons was still fully intact. I had an old injury that had torn the muscle loose from the scapula. I could not lift my elbow, since the bicep muscle was completely detached. I could not lay flat and had to sleep in a recliner for over a year.

No insurance, so the doctor tried therapy and injections to avoid surgery. Part of what fooled him was I still had plenty of strength, just could not lift the arm at all.

When he finally scheduled surgery eight months after the injury, he planned for a ninety minute operation. It took that long to catalog the extent of the damage. Five more hours and they completely reconstructed the shoulder. Six months of therapy and the shoulder was basically functional. Another several months got nearly all my strength back

I now have no significant pain and 99% full use. But I am not longer allowed to train horses - if it gets even a slight injury to the joint now, the surgeon has said he cannot put it back together again. There is just too much scar tissue.

Now my big problem are my knees. They've taken the cartilage out of both knees. I can walk but the next day the inflammation is horrendous. It is a matter of time until it is so bad I have to get replacements, but the doctor is not ready yet. I am. It is getting bad enough that when the pressure changes, my knees swell and ache. This week, with the storm in the Gulf, my right knee has been swollen and sore.

I keep Vicodin and antiinflamation meds around, but I hate taking them since they make me too groggy. So I live with the pain. There are worse alternatives.

[Robeson]

51. Yes, and I'm very sorry if you are too...

...I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

[stray cat]

52. Yes and it made me much more sensitive to others who do

[Rising Phoenix]

53. yes

[TBreeze]

54. Yes

I try to keep a positive outlook regardless, but some days are much harder than others.

[GoneOffShore]

55. Yes I have -

But then someone gave me some "electric herbal tea".

[Redstone]

56. For thirty-eight years as of May 10th. Next question?

Redstone

[Pithlet]

58. Swollen painful joints for several months now. Going to see a Rheumatolgist soon.

My orthopedist thinks it's Rheumatoid Arthritis. Just came on suddenly, hurts like the dickens. Just typing has become difficult, it started in my hands.

[one_voice]

59. yes....

every minute of everyday. Some days a little better than others, some days it's an effort just to get out of bed.

Neuromuscular disorder..short version..way over acting pain receptors...everything feels like pain..touch, clothing, showers etc. The best way I can describe is think about the worst burn you've ever had...imagine that feeling from the surface of your body inward. Then there's a bunch of problems resulting from that. Came from a really bad fall.

I'm sorry you have to deal with it everyday. It sucks. Sometimes it helps to talk to others that have to live through pain as well. :hug:

[XemaSab]

60. Don't break your tailbone

x(

[bridgit]

61. Constant Pain

Due to health insurance being so over the moon, my husband and I could not afford. We lost him in the hospital last month. I know he was pain for at least 6 months or more but you still have to work.. You work hard all your life to being in pain for the last few months of it. It just boggles the mind and the heart. I know he was not the only one.

[auntAgonist]

62. .

:hug:

I think of you often Brigit. I hope you're doing alright.


:hug:

aA
kesha

[Redstone]

64. Bridgit, please accept my condolences for your loss; I didn't know

about it because I haven't been here much lately.

Be strong and do well, my friend.

Redstone

[hunter]

63. &%$%#^** ! ! !

!&^%&^%$#%$#

:grr:

Currently hunter is imaging himself to be a mirror universe Spock...



"I do not desire the Captaincy. I am much more content with my scientific duties. And I am frankly content to be a lesser target."

[lazarus]

65. every minute

Psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia, with ankylosing spondilosis and a bit of sciatica thrown in.

The kidney stone I had was excruciating, but that was just a few days. Every day the pain is a constant background, colouring everything. Pain meds don't help. To be strong enough to treat the pain, I'd be loopy. Vicodin doesn't touch it. Lor-tab did a nice job, but I'm a complete space cadet when I drink that.