be pain free

Ive had artritis since I was 13 and Ialso slipped 2 discs in my back that cause the worst pain down my legs, so 1 day without pain would be great.

I just hated my job. I’ve quit and am moving on to brighter pastures. I supposed deep down I always knew it. I just had financial goals that I wanted to achieve but in reality the pain was not worth it.

I’m going to mark this as done because for the most part my Myofascial Pain Syndrome is gone. Sometimes it will start to hurt when I’m stressing out but I can get it to go away soon after. I’m in control now!

So yesterday I go in for what will be my first in a series of Diagnostic Epidural Injections for my back.. oh my the varying sensations of pain lol. It started out great for the first 4-6 hours after the procedure but that started going away quickly and this morning wow. I thought these things were supposed to make me feel better… hopefully this MD can find the source of it all and make me feel whole again!

Again I realise that sometimes the cure is more trouble and pain than the symptoms…

I read the book The Mindbody Prescription by John Sarno, M.D. and my TMJ is completely gone. My Myofascial Pain Syndrome is still fighting me though. I don’t let it take control. As soon as I start feeling some twinges of pain I say these phrases: “There is no need for physical pain!” “No clenching, no tension, no pain!” Then I sit quietly and think about what is stressing me out to cause the pain to come back. I can’t believe it’s that easy but it really works.

So I’m not feeling as good as I was six months ago. I still kept getting the massages but now I’ve moved on to trigger point massage (more like really hard pushing, no rubbing) from a physical therapist. I wish insurance paid for it, I would go more often (it’s $50, the massage was $45). Though, I think the knots are fighting back and that’s part of the reason it hurts more. Also, I’m not as diligent with the tennis ball and I haven’t done yoga in awhile. slaps self I need to get with it.

I’m hoping that one day Ill wake up and not need to take my pain meds… to one day be able to bend down and not have the thought of having another disc rupture/slip again.. I applaud anyone that can meet or exceed their personal goals for pain management. Having chronic pain affects all aspects of your life down to the smallest detail.. its the driving factor behind some of your decision making and its a daily part of your life that can be so hard to get away from.. Sometimes the cures ^{(surgery/medication)} can be just as hurtful and destructive as the original problem, and sometimes they can cause problems of their own.

I think that one of the biggest keys to winning or atleast positively maintaining your pain management war is to build a support group^{(Friends and Family)} around you that will be understanding and caring about your deliema, even though they might not understand it fully….

I’m getting a massage once a week and it seems to be really helping, along with still using the tennis ball. I also started doing some really easy yoga.

I haven’t felt this good in a long time. Hopefully it lasts!

I’ve been to an osteopath before and ancupuncturist but I’ve always feared chiropractors. I broke down and made an appointment since I couldn’t take the pain anymore. She cracked a few things and the pressure eased somewhat. She also showed me the first of a series of excercises that I will be doing to strengthen my back muscles.

While I’m happy to do the excercises, I can’t help but continue to look for the cause of this pain. I’ve bought a new mattress, I’ve changed my bed, I’ve moved apartments…now I’m considering replacing my chair at work. The fact is that I just need to be a bit more patient; follow through with the excercises before I replace another piece of furniture.

...you forget what it felt like before the pain. I started getting this back pain a week after moving into my last place. It wasn’t so bad when it first started but it became progressively worse. I think this last move has done me. It is so much worse climbing down 3 flights of stairs with heavy furniture than it is climbing up.

It’s been over six months so I’m finally going to a chiropractor and perhaps even getting another massage. The strange thing is that I’ve had this pain before 8 years ago (though not as bad) but it eventually went away. Last time I knew exactly what the trigger was but I didn’t know why it lasted almost a year.

I suspect the first move may have been the trigger. As for why it has stuck around, there is too many causes of stress to pinpoint the exact one. I have removed some and I hope that things will improve in the next month. I’m determined to find out what it’s like to live without pain again.