Chronic Pain Syndrome?

[octdevildog]

Hi, first time user on here and am so glad that there is a forum like this, found it by doing research on disability and the way the VA works. I have had lower back, knee, and neck problems for a few years and after seeing the ortho va doc he said that i have chronic pain syndrome. Do any of you currently have this problem?, how do you cope without pain pills (i'm not a fan of them would rather not, only take on those days when moving is next to impossible). Thanks for anyone that has some good info for me.

[Ladybug]

I have Chronic Fatigue/Fibro with knee prob's, shoulder prob's, herniated discs lower back which also affects the back to the right hip connection which is chronically pointing out and up. Gabapentin/neuorontin ("moron"tin I like to call it), Oxy, vicodin, don't really touch these things and end up creating more problems for me like headaches and migraines or adding to my difficulty in sleeping or adding daytime sleepiness to the mix or just generally making me feel nasty. Sometimes depression/anxiety can be secondary to chronic pain which can circle around and make pain worse. I found pool therapy, heat 15minutes (no longer than that) then ice pack 15 minutes(no longer than that) can actually help better than meds depending on the type of pain you are experiencing. Yoga type stretching, keeping water intake up, daily life maintenance consiting of regular meals (good foods not processed foods) B vitamins, magnesium (vitamins in 2-3 week sessions with break periods), etc... I have found when dealing with my chronic pain that doing the same therapy for too long wether it is physical therapy like, prescription medications, diet, etc. that the body starts fighting it and may even get worse. The best therapy I've had the most success with was leaving the country and changing my diet and excerise routine completely. I ate a primarily vegetarian fresh food only diet, got away from white flour, white sugar and pissed off white people. I walked every where versus taking the easy route. I had my big fat hamburger once or twice a month. I lost 20lbs and also stopped having the need for allergy medications and even my asthma reduced to almost non-existant. Even the bread I ate was a conscious choice because if you ask me nothing we eat should last two weeks like our preservative filled grocery stores like to sell us. I had a significant increase in my overall health and only had to take a pain med in rescue situations where I was really desperate and couldn't push myself through. I found the pain meds more effective but I still don't take them within 6-8 hours before bedtime. After returning stateside and allowing myself some fast food and chocolate cakes again I went back to my old eating habits, put back on the 20lbs, started having the pain all over again. I still try to find bread and fresh vegetables and substitute fish and chicken for red meats but once you start feeling bad those carb-craving moments make you eat bad creating a viscious cycle.

They won't watch your diet for you at the VA. I am a brisket loving Texan and it saddens me to say that diet is everything when it comes to controlling my pain and fatigue and that brisket time is few and far between. When I came back to America everyone looked fat, acting loud and disrespectful and it was quiet the culture shock for me. Having the weight back on makes me feel bad after feeling so good for the few months I was gone. I went from using a cane to walking up to several hours a day by changing my diet. It may not work for everyone and my family doesn't understand why I wont pig out on the pork any more but I know I feel a whole lot better when my body isn't trying to fight chronic pain and the crap I have been known to put into my mouth. Good by cinamin rolls hello better night sleep without drugs in my system. I spend a lot less money on the grocery bills because I eat smaller meals now.

Maybe it could work for you too. Taking white sugar out of your diet for a month can make a big difference including that which is in prepared foods, breads, etc. Try the whole grain breads and switch out anything with white flour ingredients. Use honey as a sweetner not aspertame, equal, sweetnlow stuff or diet sodas. Make sure your environment is clear of stressful people. It will all lessen the pain. You could even go a step further and have a homeopathic or chinese herbal medicine person take a look at your tongue. Problems in your body can reveal themselves in how your tongue looks. Many doctors are starting to take the more homeopathic route to treatment for chronic illnesses these days but it takes will power to change your diet.

Just my 2 cents....

[LarryJ]

I have Chronic Fatigue/Fibro with knee prob's, shoulder prob's, herniated discs lower back which also affects the back to the right hip connection which is chronically pointing out and up. Gabapentin/neuorontin ("moron"tin I like to call it), Oxy, vicodin, don't really touch these things and end up creating more problems for me like headaches and migraines or adding to my difficulty in sleeping or adding daytime sleepiness to the mix or just generally making me feel nasty. Sometimes depression/anxiety can be secondary to chronic pain which can circle around and make pain worse. I found pool therapy, heat 15minutes (no longer than that) then ice pack 15 minutes(no longer than that) can actually help better than meds depending on the type of pain you are experiencing. Yoga type stretching, keeping water intake up, daily life maintenance consiting of regular meals (good foods not processed foods) B vitamins, magnesium (vitamins in 2-3 week sessions with break periods), etc... I have found when dealing with my chronic pain that doing the same therapy for too long wether it is physical therapy like, prescription medications, diet, etc. that the body starts fighting it and may even get worse. The best therapy I've had the most success with was leaving the country and changing my diet and excerise routine completely. I ate a primarily vegetarian fresh food only diet, got away from white flour, white sugar and pissed off white people. I walked every where versus taking the easy route. I had my big fat hamburger once or twice a month. I lost 20lbs and also stopped having the need for allergy medications and even my asthma reduced to almost non-existant. Even the bread I ate was a conscious choice because if you ask me nothing we eat should last two weeks like our preservative filled grocery stores like to sell us. I had a significant increase in my overall health and only had to take a pain med in rescue situations where I was really desperate and couldn't push myself through. I found the pain meds more effective but I still don't take them within 6-8 hours before bedtime. After returning stateside and allowing myself some fast food and chocolate cakes again I went back to my old eating habits, put back on the 20lbs, started having the pain all over again. I still try to find bread and fresh vegetables and substitute fish and chicken for red meats but once you start feeling bad those carb-craving moments make you eat bad creating a viscious cycle.

They won't watch your diet for you at the VA. I am a brisket loving Texan and it saddens me to say that diet is everything when it comes to controlling my pain and fatigue and that brisket time is few and far between. When I came back to America everyone looked fat, acting loud and disrespectful and it was quiet the culture shock for me. Having the weight back on makes me feel bad after feeling so good for the few months I was gone. I went from using a cane to walking up to several hours a day by changing my diet. It may not work for everyone and my family doesn't understand why I wont pig out on the pork any more but I know I feel a whole lot better when my body isn't trying to fight chronic pain and the crap I have been known to put into my mouth. Good by cinamin rolls hello better night sleep without drugs in my system. I spend a lot less money on the grocery bills because I eat smaller meals now.

Maybe it could work for you too. Taking white sugar out of your diet for a month can make a big difference including that which is in prepared foods, breads, etc. Try the whole grain breads and switch out anything with white flour ingredients. Use honey as a sweetner not aspertame, equal, sweetnlow stuff or diet sodas. Make sure your environment is clear of stressful people. It will all lessen the pain. You could even go a step further and have a homeopathic or chinese herbal medicine person take a look at your tongue. Problems in your body can reveal themselves in how your tongue looks. Many doctors are starting to take the more homeopathic route to treatment for chronic illnesses these days but it takes will power to change your diet.

Just my 2 cents....

"........white sugar, white flour and pissed off white people.."

I love it! (and ain't it the truth)!

I was sitting outside WalMart waiting on my wife who was inside shopping....and I was "people watching"....just an old fart....sittin mindin my own bidness....and I swear EVERY ONE that walked into or out that place was at LEAST 40 pounds (more like a hundred pounds) overweight.

I wanted to just stop EVERY one of them and just ask them if they KNEW that they were FAT SLOBS.

Oh well.

[octdevildog]

yeah i have ptsd, and the pain does vary as i stated some days i can not even move other days theres still pain but its more of an annouance (sic). , i'm trying to have them do a new mri of my lower back, my upper back showed a bone spur on my neck that is too dangerous to operate on. its just that the pain cause me to avoid things i used to do and i can believe its a mental thing but i feel that there is something wrong with me.

[halos2]

Ladybug,

I will take your 2 cents worth. You are so right in your assumptions.

I have Chronic Fatigue/Fibro with knee prob's, shoulder prob's, herniated discs lower back which also affects the back to the right hip connection which is chronically pointing out and up. Gabapentin/neuorontin ("moron"tin I like to call it), Oxy, vicodin, don't really touch these things and end up creating more problems for me like headaches and migraines or adding to my difficulty in sleeping or adding daytime sleepiness to the mix or just generally making me feel nasty. Sometimes depression/anxiety can be secondary to chronic pain which can circle around and make pain worse. I found pool therapy, heat 15minutes (no longer than that) then ice pack 15 minutes(no longer than that) can actually help better than meds depending on the type of pain you are experiencing. Yoga type stretching, keeping water intake up, daily life maintenance consiting of regular meals (good foods not processed foods) B vitamins, magnesium (vitamins in 2-3 week sessions with break periods), etc... I have found when dealing with my chronic pain that doing the same therapy for too long wether it is physical therapy like, prescription medications, diet, etc. that the body starts fighting it and may even get worse. The best therapy I've had the most success with was leaving the country and changing my diet and excerise routine completely. I ate a primarily vegetarian fresh food only diet, got away from white flour, white sugar and pissed off white people. I walked every where versus taking the easy route. I had my big fat hamburger once or twice a month. I lost 20lbs and also stopped having the need for allergy medications and even my asthma reduced to almost non-existant. Even the bread I ate was a conscious choice because if you ask me nothing we eat should last two weeks like our preservative filled grocery stores like to sell us. I had a significant increase in my overall health and only had to take a pain med in rescue situations where I was really desperate and couldn't push myself through. I found the pain meds more effective but I still don't take them within 6-8 hours before bedtime. After returning stateside and allowing myself some fast food and chocolate cakes again I went back to my old eating habits, put back on the 20lbs, started having the pain all over again. I still try to find bread and fresh vegetables and substitute fish and chicken for red meats but once you start feeling bad those carb-craving moments make you eat bad creating a viscious cycle.

They won't watch your diet for you at the VA. I am a brisket loving Texan and it saddens me to say that diet is everything when it comes to controlling my pain and fatigue and that brisket time is few and far between. When I came back to America everyone looked fat, acting loud and disrespectful and it was quiet the culture shock for me. Having the weight back on makes me feel bad after feeling so good for the few months I was gone. I went from using a cane to walking up to several hours a day by changing my diet. It may not work for everyone and my family doesn't understand why I wont pig out on the pork any more but I know I feel a whole lot better when my body isn't trying to fight chronic pain and the crap I have been known to put into my mouth. Good by cinamin rolls hello better night sleep without drugs in my system. I spend a lot less money on the grocery bills because I eat smaller meals now.

Maybe it could work for you too. Taking white sugar out of your diet for a month can make a big difference including that which is in prepared foods, breads, etc. Try the whole grain breads and switch out anything with white flour ingredients. Use honey as a sweetner not aspertame, equal, sweetnlow stuff or diet sodas. Make sure your environment is clear of stressful people. It will all lessen the pain. You could even go a step further and have a homeopathic or chinese herbal medicine person take a look at your tongue. Problems in your body can reveal themselves in how your tongue looks. Many doctors are starting to take the more homeopathic route to treatment for chronic illnesses these days but it takes will power to change your diet.

Just my 2 cents....