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I absolutely HATE this question because it hurts everywhere. But that just isn't good enough for doctors, so your knee ? Yes. Your ankles? Yes. Like shit even my shins hurt sometimes.

What part of your neck hurts? All of it. The shoulders. The middle, the part connected to my head.

"Well what hurts the worse" ?????? Like I told you it depends on the day.

And to just end this rant , being told to go to the orthopedic is the WORST. Every doctor works on a completely different body part, so I would need a knee doctor, a neck doctor, a foot doctor, shoulder doctors.
And they of course aren't much help at all, because without the other 20 pain spots being taken into consideration it doesn't help.

I have had chronic leg pain since I was a child. It sometimes alternates between legs. It always flares during long periods of walking, standing or if the weather becomes cold. It simply started with no culpable cause and feels like an ache.I have gotten MRIs,x-trays and tons of blood work results with no answers to my condition. Sometimes I feel hopeless and wonder if I am the only one who’s experiences it.

This is sorta a rant and sorta trying to look for advice.

For the past month and a half i have had my shoulder pain increase And nerve pain horridly. I have an EMG and nerve conduction study on the 7th.

2 days ago i moved weird and really injured myself (idek how tbh) which ended up with me having a headache so bad and shoulder/arm pain that i went to the urgent care.

The nurse practitioner said I was doing everything that i needing to do. Taking my meds, doing my stretches, being careful of movements. EVERYTHING IM DOING IS CORRECT. and im still in horrible pain.

I feel guilty for my job because i love my job and they’re dependent on me. I haven’t been able to be my usual self because of this pain. I know i need to take care of myself but where is the balance?

I have to wait one more week to have these tests done. I have rheumatology appt Monday. I have work all in between this. Trying to juggle life and pain is slowly wearing me down. I just wanna go home and go to sleep. I feel like half a person.

I’m at work right now on break feeling like shit. Knowing no one else can cover my shift AND knowing i need the money. I can’t go home and rest. I can only keep going through.

The fucking prescription ibuprofen and Tylenol don’t touch the pain- but it wouldn’t for nerve pain anyways would it? The muscle relaxer only can do so much. The stretches physical therapy has me doing are nerve glides and makes me feel WORSE.

When will there be any kind of relief 😭

So what happens when one has too many red flagged on cures? And looks like we all do cause the red flag can occur if u get a rx by same doctor repeatedly. That dumbest red flag.

About cures or a ca drug monitoring program. If your doctor days you have lower back or lumbar pain. Your red flagged. Comment if u have back problems. Two if you do not go to a pharmacy or doc or hospital close to you. Re flagged. If you get the same meds from the same doctor you are flagged. Theres mote but these i find happen to most chronic pain clients. I go to a hospital that my insurance uses but not; n my city so guess i flagged. I got disc degenerative osteoarthritis so i flagged. If pharmacy does not have my meds i went to my doctors hospital years ago he in different county then so guess iam flagged. And hospital er i had to pay cash for my rx cause er does not do authorization to insurance so guess iam flagged. Every get your rx from another pharmacy directed by your pharmacist who can not get your meds? Me too. We flagged. We nder how many red flags we can get ?? I dont know. But looks like most of us are red flagged! Wonder what our prize is ?

And don’t you DARE tell us it’s the same as the prescription pain meds. That’s just medical gaslighting and we’re SICK of it.

Still having pain, legs numb and I feel dizzy. Anyone else have experience with this. I’ve called my doctor three times without response.

I am new to the chronic pain community so thank you for welcoming me.

I recently did “too much” - moved cities, long car rides, was trying to do pilates and now I am in so much pain I constantly am bursting into tears and feel so overwhelmed.

I had a spinal cord injury in December 2023 from a seizure and the pain I get scares me. I’ve been calling doctors office but the soonest they can get me in is November 6th which I know is only a weeks away but I literally can’t move. I can’t get out of bed. I feel so helpless.

What do you do in these situations?

How do you do this all alone?

I’m a single mom going through what feels like an impossible situation. I have so many things going on at once on top of pain every single day. I’d give anything in the whole world to have help. Being strong for my son is so hard. Not everyday feels like I’m climbing a cliff but today it does & what I’d give to have one other adult to lean on, just for a moment.

I’m worried they won’t be as effective. Anyone have any experience with this?

At this point I’m beginning to feel like maybe I’m just lying. My body hurts all the fucking time, my tendons and muscles slip off my bone every time I sit down, I can’t stand up without nearly seeing God, my stomach pain is so horrific it literally makes my vagina throb and contract, my legs go numb and my vision blur. The migraines are insane. But the connective tissue clinic denied my referral, my doctor doesn’t want to send a referral to rheumatologist because it’ll “take too long” but I need something. Everything wrong with me is either “just a pain response” or something untreatable that will never go away. I feel like maybe I’m just faking it, maybe at this point I do just want to be lazy like I’ve been called all my life so I made it all up and made myself believe it. Because nobody else seems to.

When your pain makes your body feel old, but they tell you in pain management that you are "too young to be on opioids for the rest of your life."

The one thing that actually helps me, and I think they are trying to take them away. Great!

So I am autistic, and I find myself having a lot of problems with explaining the pain that I have with my doctors. I think it’s caused some issues with my pain management doctor, who has essentially washed his hands of me after 2 appointments. My pcp is a lot more patient and understands that I have trouble describing things, and will ask further questions for clarification (I thought I was getting spells of dizziness, but after further questioning and explanation, turns out I just randomly get struck with spells of “fall asleep right this second” bouts of extreme fatigue for example). My pain doctor does take my pain seriously, but just doesn’t understand what I’m talking about (it feels like someone has ripped duct tape off of my lower back from the inside, and it feels like when you’re lying on your stomach and someone has pulled on your legs so hard they’re trying to pull your spine apart. Like I know these descriptions aren’t helpful, especially for a busy doctor who has like 10 minutes total to see me) and has referred me to a spine surgeon. I have an appointment with him next Thursday, and I really don’t want to mess it up by not being able to communicate what I’m going through effectively. Any advice? I’ve found that the pain scale that has descriptors (like a pain level of 6 means “think about my pain all of the time. I give up many activities because of my pain.” etc). Does anyone have any other sorts of infographics for concisely describing pain, or any advice?

Hi, I got a lumbar steroid shot on Monday because I have been in some pretty bad pain from my butt to my toes. Tingling, hot lava..well most of you know what I am talking about. I am not getting any relief from the injection and I did not get any type of direction on what to do afterwards. Should I try and walk more or do I sit? I can’t walk 5 feet without needing to sit due to this pain being so bad. Does anyone have any advice on how to help move the medicine along or just to get some relief? Sorry if I sound I uninformed, it’s the first time I had an injection and I’m pretty desperate for relief…how long did it take for you guys to feel better?

Hey guys, Ive been struggling with chronic pain for about 3 years and Ive been stuck at home a lot more recently due to it and I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions on what I can do to pass the time?

Im a massive gamer so thats what I majorly do but sometimes I can’t help but not play due pain getting worse sitting for long periods even with stretches, other than gaming and watching stuff idk what to do?

Im just looking for things to do that can be low cost and accessible as I can walk but only short distances and that wouldn’t be straining for someone with a bad back? My doctors don’t recommend me using wheelchairs as being my age (20) they want to stay as far away from using things like that so my body wont get used to it at such a young age and they think it’ll get better eventually where ill be able to walk or even run (at this point im losing hope its been 3 years and im getting closer and closer to my body giving out on me though)

Hey everyone,

I’m new to this group and hoping to get some advice or hear about similar experiences.

I had a septoplasty four months ago but didn’t get a turbinate reduction. Unfortunately, during the surgery, the surgeon perforated my septum, and now I have a medium to large septal perforation. Since then, my turbinates have become very, very swollen and extremely dry. My mucosa is also dry and crusty. I don’t feel any air sensation when I breathe—it’s like the air isn’t flowing properly. My nose feels very blocked, and I can’t breathe properly.

To make matters worse, I had a dependency on Afrin for more than a year and have developed rhinitis medicamentosa. My sleep has been terrible; I’m waking up with very strong headaches every morning. I’m desperate and don’t know what to do.

I’m considering a few options and would love your input:

•	Should I get a turbinate reduction on the side where the turbinate is bigger?
•	Should I wait longer to see if things improve?
•	Are there other solutions you would recommend?
•	Has anyone tried immunotherapy, and does it work?

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Sorry for the stupid ass title but it’s the best way I can describe it.

I’m 21F, I’ve had chronic pelvic pain with hip and back pain and stiffness for 2.5 years. I was diagnosed with endometriosis on my uterosacral ligaments as well as a previous diagnosis of a hypertonic pelvic floor, however this does not explain my joint pain and stiffness.

I have low-level pain most of the time, and started taking medication for insomnia as I couldn’t sleep. The only time I’m consistently pain-free is when I wake up in the morning. It’s bliss. And then as soon as I sit up in bed or lie in bed too long it starts :/.

I have a shit R hip, but I have flat feet and the podiatrist said my hip is being overworked so it could be that. But both hips are stiff, and my entire body cracks like a frickin glowstick

Is this all consistent with my diagnoses? I was thinking about EDS as I’m autistic and I know that has a high comorbidity rate … I was triple jointed as a toddler and was a dancer and now I’m as stiff as a board at 21. My aunt has fibromyalgia as well. Can anyone offer some opinion? Thanks

Hello all,

I am currently shopping for Medicare plans for my dad who has been dealing with chronic pain for the past 10+ years.

His goal is to get a pain pump in 2025 so I want to find a Medicare plan that will cover both the initial surgery and all of the necessary medication refills.

Does anyone know the names and doses of the most common medications when you refill the pain pump? I want to plug these into the Medicare.gov website to see what plans cover these medications at the most affordable rates. I know morphine is one of them of course but is there a specific name/dosage I should be looking at?

Any stories about dealing with Medicare plans covering a pain pump are also greatly appreciated!

Thank you ✨

I suffer from chronic pain and pregabalin helps a lot. However, there are days when I still can't stand it, and then only a combination of medication helps. I am afraid to talk to my doctor about it as many are afraid to write prescriptions these days, but I know from the past that this combination helps me in such difficult situations a lot. Do you have any experience or alternative suggestions?

Just need a little rant. Today I'm struggling with a cervicogenic headache, I am exhausted from lack of sleep due to pain, I feel nauseous. My mum, as she often does, suggested it's because I'm stressed, and it's probably due to tension. I wish it didn't annoy me so much, but I think I take it personally, because it implies my pain is self inflicted. It implies I could avoid this pain if I relaxed more, or meditated more etc. Why is it so hard to believe that some pain is physical, and I didn't make it happen, and I couldn't have avoided it. I don't agree that I'm stressed. I don't work, my husband supports me and our children, life is good, we had a holiday last week. Ok, maybe I did a bit much last week on holiday, but that's the time to do it, right? Maybe I caused a flare up by having fun with my family? But also, I have hyper mobility, and my neck sometimes likes to do weird things. Thanks for listening, so I can be calm when I see my mum later today.

I went to the hospital today. I turned to naproxen when my pain levels went through the roof a few months ago. I would only take 2 a day for a few days and then have a break. Recently my pain has been getting worse. I did have days when I took more than two. I have gotton very pale since using naproxen.

The nurse asked my if I'm normally this pale. Only in the last few months. I've been told to stop naproxen. The doctor said pain can make you worn out and run down. This was nice. I have been exhausted for months. I don't remember when I last slept well. He told me to increase my endone. This was a shock!! Especially how badly a lot of these doctors have treated me in the past. He said I could talk four a day. I was on three a day. He said if the pain is really bad I can take two in one go. I think he said I could take more if I needed to but I will avoid exceeding four a day. He told me to tell my doctor to refer me to orthopaedic surgeons again. I've been waiting all year to see them. I'm seeing a general surgeon next Thursday. I asked the doctor to write to my doctor as I was concerned about my doctor thinking I was abusing pain medication. Really it was stressed I need to stop all NSAIDs. In my mind I had been planning on taking aspro cream is if I had to stop naproxen. He explained they've were all same drugs.

I feel very grateful. I still feel a bit scared about the future.

He said I should get my doctor to refer me to a pain clinic.

Really I guess the doctor wants me to have surgery as do I.

Thank you for reading. I've been struggling with severe pain for a long time. ❤️

Hello…

I have atypical trigeminal neuralgia. I normally roll through my day at pain level 6, but when I get a flare I end up bed-bound. Sometimes the pain is so bad my body shuts down and I fall asleep from the pain.

Now, it’s not real sleep. I know this because when I awaken several hours later I don't feel rested and I still go to bed at my regular bedtime and sleep all night.

To me, it feels like passing out more than sleeping. Some of the physicians I’ve described this to would get concerned, not because of the pain level, but because I would describe my experience as “passing out.”

Maybe “shuts down?” I want to accurately portray to a person free of chronic pain what it feels like to be in so much pain you just… pass out.

Any help or opinion is appreciated. I'm a 25 yo male who had a bad fall about four years ago. During that fall I blacked out, received a TBI, fractured my elbow, and hurt my hip. Four years later and my hip is a constant 5-7 pain, deep in the front part between my hip and groin area. I've had MRIs and X-rays from the VA and mixed opinions on what's going on.

This is what is listed on my imaging:

1. Congruent pubic symphysis with mild arthropathy
2. Scattered rounded calcifications in lower pelvis, likely vascular
3. Osseous bump at the femoral head and neck junction
4. Isolated subchondral cyst in the superior right acetabulum

I've either been told I shouldn't be in this much pain (but I am) or there's nothing they can do for me. I'm in shambles. I can't live like this. I use a cane daily and a wheelchair if it's so bad I can't walk, which I avoid. I've has a steroid injection, PT, and chiropractor which all made it worse. Tens unit barely touched my hip pain, but helped other joint pain. HA injection helped for two months and made my pain manageable during that time. They won't even talk to me about pain meds or surgery bevause I'm "too young". Recent doctor put me back on gabapentin, which I tried before to no avail (still does nothing). Any opinions? Anything I should be asking for that might show whatever is wrong with my hip? I'm at my breaking point and I just can't live like this, I've been patient but it's been four years now of fighting over this. I have my appointment tomorrow and want to be prepared.

I'm in pain. Every. Single. Day. My pain keeps me up all night. I can't fucking focus. I'm always tired. And nobody fucking believes me. "Oh but you seem fine" "Other people have it worse" "You're too young to be in pain" I'm so fucking done. Everything hurts and I'm just so tired.

My partner doesn’t know how to comfort me when I’m distressed. I’ve been getting medical care for the first time since my pain started 4 years ago and my nerves are shot.

It’s hard to coordinate everything it’s so overwhelming and I work full time as well. I’m in so much pain and the emotional toll is exhausting. He just will not comfort me.

He waits to critique how I’m behaving and ask me to have empathy while in triggered. I’ve tried gentle parenting discussions about waiting until I’m not triggered to let me know how he feels about my feelings but he gets “triggered” when I cry.

I feel like I’m just a drain on his life and he’d be better off without me. I have no where to live but I think I’d be doing him a favor leaving.

It’s hard being broken and useless and having feelings about it.

I'm wondering if anyone has tried different muscle relaxers and noticed if one was better than the other or if it's mostly just all the same?

Trying to get some advice and make sure I have all my bases covered. I’ve been experiencing chronic hip / lower back pain on only one side for the past 3 months. I’ve been seeing a sports medicine physical therapist for the past 6 months for more maintenance purposes because I was training for a marathon. I was following a slow training plan, doing running stretches before and after every single run, taking rest days, rest weeks, icing, applying heat, getting massages, strength training, honestly following every single step from my physical therapist to prevent injury. Suddenly 5 days of rest after my longest run, I felt pain locally in my lower back / hip and stiffness while trying to go to sleep. That was was 3 months ago, and ever since I’ve had constant aches and flares up on that same spot after sitting too long, sleeping, or twisting my hip.

Since the horrible flare up 3 months ago, I’ve stopped running completely. For a month, I tried light strength training and low impact cardio thinking I needed to regain strength. I worked with my physical therapist on this for a month with no improvement. Then, I stopped biking and elliptical and all weights and only did light stretching and walks. That didn’t improve things much easier, I was experiencing occasional flare ups after walking. Now I’m just stretching everyday and keeping activity minimal and still not feeling relief.

I was referred to an orthopedic specialist after getting clear MRIs and X-rays of my hip and lumbar spine. The doctor wants me to try an anti-inflammatory and take some tests for ankylosing spondylitis because the pain I have is pretty constant. Doesn’t increase with any mechanical movement, I mainly feel flare ups the day after doing activity. I mainly want to know if anyone has gone through anything similar and was recommended going down other treatment paths or seeing other doctors. If the tests come back showing I have some inflammation, it sounds like I’ll be sent to a rheumatologist. If anyone has any thoughts on what other things to look into, that would be really helpful.

Forgot to mention but my primary care doctor put me on a muscle relaxer a month ago but it feels like it’s just masking the pain and not really doing much. I stopped taking it. I also know this is not nerve pain because the pain is always in the same place and doesn’t migrate or shoot into other parts of my body.

At my (30M) wit's end.

 I'm going to condense this down to short points for the sake of length. If you have any further questions please leave below. Also, please make some suggestions you think might help.

 I eat an extremely healthy diet. No gluten, no sugar, no alcohol and no dairy (besides Greek yogurt as I think my skin was worse without it. I don't smoke and I do not do drugs.

 I eat high protein foods like eggs, yogurt and chicken.

 I take glutamine as a supplement, collagen and I used to take creatine (it was great for workouts) but I noticed a huge increase in hair loss, so I've since stopped (this also contributes to my negative feelings). 

 I eat fermented food every day like kimchi and sauerkraut and yogurt. I've tried carnivore (it worked for about a month, animal-based, high fiber, etc). I live in Vietnam but hardly eat the native food for fear of breaking out.

 I sleep well (7-9 hours each night).

 I've had ultrasound, endoscopy, colonoscopy, bloods, hormones and stool test. They are all fine. The doctors have said I'm very, very healthy. My testosterone is apparently in the top 5% of natural males.

 I exercise 6 times a week with a mixture of weight training and muay thai.

 Despite this lifestyle, I have gut pain after practically anything I eat AND I have moderate to severe acne on my face, neck, back of head and back.

 NOTHING I do seems to work. I try and try and try my best. Physically, I feel great. I'm super strong and have tons of energy for workouts. Mentally I feel miserable almost all the time. I feel so insecure about my acne and am convinced it is a HUGE factor in preventing me from moving forward in life. I'm a good looking guy.

 I've already been on a course of tetracycline, minocycline and 2 rounds of Accutane as a kid. They all failed and I feel betrayed by doctors/medicine. 

 Where do I go from here? What do you do when you do ALL the right things but NOTHING is working?