Topic: anyone here live with chronic pain?

[fuzzybutt]

Ernie also suggests you get disability

also what my wife and shrink suggest. i guess i'm a bit reluctant because i see so many people that have no business being on disability. i likely will look into it.

[BobbyR]

I would take a three pronged approach:

Find a good pain management Doctor. Not a GP. It is a specility.

FInd a Phyical Medicine Specialist. The surgeons wanted to cut for my wrists, it turned out to be something else.

Go on disability depending on your State you may qualify for free Medical. 

Stay away from Chiropractors, they are great for some mild stuff, but you have damage. Stay away from Surgeons as much as possible. I know plenty of people who came out worse.

[fuzzybutt]

oh surgery was never a consideration for me, i'm in pain now but being in pain and possibly even more immobile than i am now scares the hell out of me.

[chrislib]

I have had recurring back pain and also a rib that likes to dislocate on it`s own from time to time (20+ years of owrking on cars...ugghhh). Anyway, I see a chiropractor when needed and she has a "TENS" machine (electrostimulation), I find that it works very well at relieving pain, esp spasming muscles. Looke here for some more info (there is a TON if info on the net about it) http://www.rehabpub.com/features/82004/3.asp . There are even personal sized TENS units that you can wear and be mobile. Hope the info can help.

[sparty]

Fuzzy,

What an interesting thread. I too live in chronic pain.  Dislocated rib in my back that goes out at least once a year, pain in my right ankle from three fractures and torn ligaments and severed nerves (plus an entrapped nerve), and finally a meniscus tear and MCL tear in my left knee.  I was actually at the Ortho today for the knee.  It locked up on me yesterday; some of the meniscus flipped and is causing an impingement.  I have lived with these injuries and the pain like a pebble in my shoe - it is a huge discomfort on a daily basis, but I try not to let it hold me back.  Some days the pain is just terrible, especially in the winter.  Today was one of the terrible days.  I just finished icing my knee.

Sparty

[ekim98]

I have had recurring back pain and also a rib that likes to dislocate on it`s own from time to time (20+ years of owrking on cars...ugghhh). Anyway, I see a chiropractor when needed and she has a "TENS" machine (electrostimulation), I find that it works very well at relieving pain, esp spasming muscles. Looke here for some more info (there is a TON if info on the net about it) http://www.rehabpub.com/features/82004/3.asp . There are even personal sized TENS units that you can wear and be mobile. Hope the info can help.

I have a small TENS unit I use if I get to bad. It does help keep you going, but after a while it almost make me feel numb in spots if it's on to long, then the pain seems like it starts moving around and I have to turn it off for a while. Nice device tho.

[clarkjh]

Fuzzy

Sorry to hear about your pain man.  I know the feeling all to well.  Protruding disk at S1 with no feeling, and I mean cut your leg off and not feel it on both the left from the mid caff down and just below the knee on the right.  That was 15 years ago, I took 2 years before most the the feeling came back to my legs.  Some times drugs are the answer, sometimes not.  Drugs don't work well with me, I'm currently on naprocen and pantiloc (spelling).  I find if you can find something to do to help take your mind off the pain it can sometimes help.  The biggest thing I would suggest is don't let it completely stop you.  Learn the limits, and triggers that will cause the pain spikes, slowly push the boundaries.  Also watch out for the little things, I went to unlock my office door on Tuesday this week and SPIKED my pain, hoping it's just a muscle spasm.

Sorry if this doesn't make much sense, try to loose a few pounds and work on the positive side of things.  Don't look at Disability as a bad step, it may be what you need to get the help to get you better.

Wishing you the best
James

[mrblasty]

I have similar injuries to what have been listed, including the floating rib, I suffered with that one for 18 months before I figured out what it was. I've been knocked unconscious two or three times, can't remember exactly and taken a few good knocks on the skull that left me stunned and groping for something to hold onto, I don't take any meds now, I Just suffer through, I started taking meds for the crazy headaches and for the back pain but they me unable to function, then I started smoking pot and although the pain wasn't gone, it brought it into a tolerable realm and allowed me to function.  Not everyone can smoke and perform mentally, I could unless the buds were exceptional, then it took about a half hour to get my head back.    

[Uncle Ernie]

Ernie also suggests you get disability

also what my wife and shrink suggest. i guess i'm a bit reluctant because i see so many people that have no business being on disability. i likely will look into it.

I know.  That's funny;  even when I had bolts sticking out of my leg that i had to clean several times a day, I STILL never got disabled thingie for my car.  I just figured I'd save the parking spots for people worse off than me.  Just get the disability.  Your wife already knows what a pain in the butt you are, so who are you trying to impress?

Yanno- since the Crippled Old Biker Bastards site looks like it ran out of steam, maybe we should come up with our own version.  At least a patch or something. 
I liked their walker with handlebars & headlight.

[Terry in Australia]

I had to laugh when I read that Ernie, when I busted my ankle (playing volley ball, believe it or not) I was on crutches for a couple of months, and one day I drove up to a hardware store and the only carpark available was a "handicapped" park.

I drove a really nice 1971 (Aussie) Ford Falcon musclecar then, 4V 351, manualised C6 box, locker diff etc, anyway, there were two little old ladies standing on the sidewalk looking at me with absolute disgust, "young punk parking his hot car in a handicapped spot" etc, then when I got out and crutched it past them with a "Good Morning, Ladies", they melted, and I heard one old duck say, "the poor young feller, and such a nice boy, too." Ha ha, perceptions, eh? Cheers, Terry.

[fuzzybutt]

i saw a late model goldwing last summer that had handicapped tags on it. guy had clips on the front side of the left side bag that held his 4 footed cane.

[bill440cars]

           There's a fellow here in the town I live in, who has a H-D with a modified sidecar. He was injured in an accident that left him without the use of his legs.   His bike is set up so that he can roll his wheelchair upon the sidecar by using a ramp in the rear. He then uses a lever to raise the ramp, secures his wheelchair, transfers over to the bike and rides off. I don't know him personally but I've been told about his situation and I see him heading up U.S. hwy 71 every morning, heading to work (rain or shine). Gotta give him credit for keep on.
       You know, I don't know if he deals with any pain now, but I'm sure that somewhere is this ordeal, he has dealt with some and I just mainly wanted to show how some others have to just keep on going, no matter what. I think a number of us, at one time or another, could use a reminder of that. Myself included.

                                      Later on, Bill

[BobbyR]

We have a real diversity of experiences here. I would suggest that you read this article and try to locate the best in the field in SC. I have always gotten the best recommendations on Doctors from Nurses. They get an up close look at the Doctors work. The worst referrals I got with a few exceptions was from Doctors. My Parents got great results from a pain specialist and I got great results from a physical medicine specialist.

[mgmuellner]

With a gastric bypass you'd likely be a new man in <1 year.  Someone close to me had it & is a completly different person.  Not only visually, but the effect on the emotions, physical pain/weakness, etc is pretty amazing.

[fuzzybutt]

my main problem is lack of health insurance. i am filing for disability soon and we'll see where things go after a few denials from them.

[Terry in Australia]

My wife says she lives with a chronic pain, but won't elaborate? 

[seaweb11]

No pain on Gabriola, course we had a good grow season last year

[fuzzybutt]

My wife says she lives with a chronic pain, but won't elaborate? 

thought my wife was the only one that said that

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

My wife says she lives with a chronic pain, but won't elaborate? 

thought my wife was the only one that said that

You mean that your wives live with my wife?! 

[Terry in Australia]

Does that constitute a "Coven"? 

[fuzzybutt]

well i wanted to wait till i knew what was going to happen. i've been seeing a different accupuncturist 3x a week and while i'm nowhere near 100% i AM doing more than i've been able to do since march 26th last year. i am going to the dss office on tuesday to get the process for disability started, i have no illusions that it will be a quick process though. i am blessed with a hard head and stubborness of a missouri mule however and i'll see the process through. meanwhile i'm doing gaskets on the 750k motor, painting the frame and relacing wheels as well. i'm working part time for a tax preparer as well, doing filing and answering phones.