Pain Management Community

Yes, just about all of us here can feel your pain and fully understand exactly what you mean. Everyone that has chronic pain has good days and bad days. On those bad days we just cannot do what we normally do. I know that there are times that I cannot even make it to a doctors appointment. The drive is close to 2 hours for me and I usually have to go it alone. If I am in a lot of pain -- driving is the LAST thing that I want to do. Our plans do get cancelled at times. Sometimes we even make ourselves complete whatever we had scheduled just so that we don't disrupt everyone else in our lives. We also end up suffering in silence so often!!!!! I do understand! Please know that you can vent on here anytime. You are not alone, there are many of us like you.
What have the doctors tried to reduce your pain? There are nerve pain medicines that are supposed to help with fibro - they are gabapentin and lyrica. Chronic pain also makes many of us depressed and depression meds actually do help the pain as they affect the types of the brain that tell us we have pain. Or that is the way that I understand it anyway. But I think those would be your first step before trying stronger pain meds. You even may need to take that step - you will need to discuss it with your doctor. Do you have a good rheumatologist?
I hope this has helped somewhat - I am sure others may have some more insight. I do not have fibro, but I do suffer chronic pain and depression.
Trudy

Hi Kay and Trudy;
I do feel your pain, although im not in your bodies but back pain can and is unrelentless. It no knows boundries or sexual preference. It doesn't care what race we
are. We are all attacked equaly how fair is that. I don't know
about you to i don't think our back pain ever takes a break.
The reason i say this si. You can mask the pain with pain
medications but then you have break through pain that also
hits you like a ton of bricks. They you girls to take drugs like
Cymbalta and Lyrica. With the Cymbalta don't ever stop it
cold turkey, it does have serious side effects that can be really tuff to get by. If you have ever thought about harming yourself you may not want to get a Cymbalta at home. Its know that it does cause suicidal thoughts and tendencies.
Even when you taking it corectly you may still have problems. It boils down to this We can never get enough information about Chronic Pain whether its caused by Fibro, DDD,or any other types of injury's its just plain hard to treat. And the other thing you may be sound asleep and all at once you get this severe back pain attack and it seems nothing thaat you have at home is going to work for you. What do you do. Take off for the ER or wake your husband up. I have had back so bad i couldn't get out of the fetal position because i knew if i move itwould rupcture a disc at any time.It pretty sad when you have a doctor and two nurses trying to get you into a postion so they can do trigger point injections. You know when you think about pain from any orgin it really doesn't matter where it comes from it can be very emotional for you and your loved ones. I feel bad for the ones that have been left by there families because one family member was in the treatment room and they over heard the doctor that your dependant on the narcotics to control your pain. You get hoome from the doctor and you loved one is on the phone telling every one that will listen that the doctor told her she was a DRUG ADDICT. And guess what your getting calls fromm relatives that you have not seen for years bitching you out for something that was take out of context, pretty bad huh, happens all the time. Then you are already very depressed
about the chronic severe pain youi have your family of do gooders trying to saveyour life. That can turn iinto a really horrible situation. Its very hard to deal with. These folks that are your relatives may have your doctor called leaving message that your a druggie and your selling your scripts on the street corner. Like I said it badk enough to have the severe pain and deal with the emotional distress that comes with it. Well good luck ladies and i pray you have a little less pain today. Thank You.

Greg Armstrong

Hi Kay and welcome to WebMD,

I encourage you to also post a discussion on our Fibromyalgia Exchange . You'll find a lot of people there who feel your pain.