so what do you do to combat the depression and hopelessness you feel because you deal with pain all the time...... Pain can be unrelenting..... it sucks! I find that Pain Medication does not really get rid of the pain. It just improves my "tolerance" to the pain......
The doctor always asks me....... Well Mrs Collins..... what is your pain number on a scale of one to ten??....... I always laugh and say that it is a 15....... My doctor hates knowing that....... last month when I was there we started a new pain medication regiment that has greatly improved my tolerance to the daily bone pain which is still a 15 when I do something a joint doesn't like! ..... When I went to see him the other day and he asked me what my pain level was I said a 15........ he was shocked as he thought the new pain regiment had begun working....... I looked at him and laughed! Again he gave me the look ...... I told him that he needed to ask me the real question.......... What is my tolerance to my bone pain today?...... that is really the question...... and he would have gotten a response he may have liked! With the new pain medication regiment I am now a 4-6 in Tolerating the pain........and that is a tremendous improvement from a couple of months ago when I was ready to look for a way out.
Quality of life is an important issue to me........ I have lived with Degenerative Bone Issues since childhood........ when younger I lived on Motrin...... how I miss Motrin which ruined my tummy...... Motrin helped me get through the day when I was younger as there was never a time my bones did not hurt. As I got older and the joints degenerated to the point of needing replacements that could not be done...... the pain has become at times unbearable....and I have learned a lot in my years of dealing with constant pain.....
I want to share a list of tools I have found and used in my lifetime of combatting bone pain. My favorite weapons are Laughter and Music......I have learned a lot about herbs...... Lavender (edible not ornamental) is a natural anti anxiety medication...... Arnica.... for pain..... Mints.... for tummy....... Ginger and Cummin...... don't know why adding them to a tub soak works but it does....... Swimming or walking in a warm indoor pool brings me the most relief of all..... OMG..... in the pool..... I don't want to come out! Hot tubs work well for those who can climb in and out without a cherry picker..... hot tubs with soaking herbs..... also if you can get in and out.....squat down and up..... I cannot anymore....... Before we moved to Modesto I had a custom Japanese soaking tub in my master bath.... I would soak for hours to help with the pain...... my husband would find me in a candle lit bathroom with soft jazz or classical guitar music..... sound asleep! ......
Don't let pain isolate you! If you have no family find a support group. Go t a pool that provides Aquatic therapies..... you will find a lot of people in the same situation as yourself......
I am an old hippie that does make and use edibles which I swear by...... they work...... 1 cookie or cup of tea before bed and it is nightly night for at least 4 hours and that is a lot when otherwise you only power nap...... I have friends that get 8 to 10 hours of sleep with a cup of Lavender Tea and a cookie or candy..... I am sure big pharma doesn't want anyone knowing this as then we might not buy their PILLS.......
Acupuncture and Massage help.
Gentle Stretching and Walking help as lack of movement locks me up........I also use to color.....but now can't hold the pencils but it was easy to loose myself in a coloring project. I do listen to books on tape as my eyes are bad..... even with glasses lol.....
So what am I missing in my fight against pain...../???? I would love to hear of more Ideas........
I do hope that some of my ideas help you......we are all "Pain Pals" here ..... lol..... I remember in my youth having Pen pals.....lol