I’ve tried 15 different things. But none help. Can’t stand it anymore…
What type of pain do you mean? I don’t take painkillers too often, but say for bad headache I would use codeine, menstrual cramps I use heat etc so it sort of depends on the source of pain for me anyway.
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Wasting my retirement savings on books and trying a zillion things.
So far success has been from eating no grains, limiting my processed food intake, and supplementing with vitamins. I like physical activity, as tolerated. Some days are better than others.
Some medications can make people nutrient-deprived, so I limit my Rx to as few as possible. Down to 2, one I cannot give up (insulin).
I like the functional medicine approach: get to the root cause of the ailment(s), not masking symptoms with drugs ---- that always have side effects for me.
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I have aches and pain from a broken foot and from aging. I take small naps in the afternoon. I am retired, so I can do that.
Two tylenol tablets is as much as I ever use. There is a small bottle of Oxycodone on my shelf from an operation that I do not use. A heating pad is good. A warm shower. Make sure and pet my dog, that does wonders.
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Thank you all for your replies!
I have 7 things wrong with my back, including kyphosis and scoliosis. My diet is very low carb, high fiber. I’ve tried so very many things - hot showers, TENS unit, Massage, Lidocaine patches (otc), hot pads, cold packs, Aspercreme, tylenol, vibrating heated massage pad on chair, ibu, aspirin, cold showers, Diclofenac cream and on & on. Bs’s in excellent control according to my Doc. Hgb A1C 4.7.
Just had hubby press so hard on back it made me scream. But omg, pain much better!
I have a couple diseases that cause chronic pain. I’ve tried everything on your list too. 
I don’t have great advice. When the pain is real bad, the best I can do is either distract (which is what many of the things on your list really do), or go to my mental happy place. When I can’t beat the pain, and it’s simply unbearable, I accept that it’s happening and try to distance myself from it instead of letting myself curl in a ball and just cry. Not that doesn’t still happen, but sometimes I can be quite zen and get through it without tears or despair.
When it’s real bad, I’ve gone to the ER. I don’t know what they give me, probably something too strong for me to take all the time but it helps.
There are a number of things I do. First and foremost I try to exercise. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but exercise is the first rule of having RA. my second approach is heat, and third I do use medications. Talk to your doctor about DMARDs and other antiinflammatory medications.
I have chronic pain in my right leg from old blood clots that never dissolved. My pain levels can go from none at all to very bad in an instant. My pain is constantly waxing and waning. The only thing that makes my pain better is to do absolutely nothing and rest my leg on the couch. If I do physical activity, I have to take pain meds. I have long acting meds and short acting meds. They only work to a point. If I keep on over-using the leg, then I will eventually need to rest even with the pain meds. I hate pain meds. But without them I’m in misery. There really is no one pill can fix all answer. Even the strongest pain meds available will eventually not work as well. I can go pain free if I triple up on my pain meds. But that is not an answer to the problem.
I have one suggestion for you. I have tried this supplement and it has helped me. It is called Kratom. It is a non-narcotic natural plant supplement that can give you pain relief. You can do a google search on it and read all about it. I use the Red Bali strain from kwik Kratom. It has worked well enough for some people to come off of their prescription painkillers all together. I have also tried Poppy seed tea, and while it worked a little bit too well, I do not recommend it. I almost overdosed as you don’t know how much medicine you’re getting when you use this method. I just keep it as an option just in case I am ever cut off of my pain meds. Pain sucks. I know what you’re going through. Hang in there.
I have also tried medical marijuana. It took my pain away for 24 hours. To the point of not feeling anything. I could have broken my leg and would have not felt it. The same thing happened when I tried the poppy seed tea. I wanted a vacation from the pain when I tried the tea and was pain free for almost 2 days. It worked well, but I know that if I continue to use this method, tolerance would creep up on me and it would no longer work. So, I stopped using this method. The only problem with the tea and the marijuana edibles is that they both left me too high to function. I can’t live my life like that. Especially when you’re on insulin and managing other diseases. If you’re too high to function, it can become very dangerous. It is legal here in CA to take marijuana for pain. I still have some edibles in the fridge just in case I need them. I wish there was a magic pill we can all take and be pain free, or that the OTC pills would work. I can’t take NSAID’s because I’m on blood thinners, but even 200 mgs of Aleve only worked for 30 minutes at a time. Any how, hang in there. You will find some relief if you keep on searching.
@blizzard2014 - thank you so much. Very helpful info! My PCP will not rx pain meds. My quality of life is in the drain.
Pot is illegal in my state. Hate smoking it - hurts my lungs. Edible was great - but only available to me one time.
Have you tried Gabapentin yet? It is used for seizures and other ailments and comes in 100 and 300mg. My GP recommended it. Takes a few days to kick in, but I found it helps with my back pain a lot. I have had back surgery on my L4- L5 disc and now they are fixed together with a titanium cage. So when its cold or I work in the yard too much its sore. Ask your doctor about it. It does raise my BS though as a Type 1 I have to mindful to that.
Hope this helps.
@Kim54
Yes, Gabapentin was a godsend for me, combined with Duloxetine. Unfortunately I developed a serious allergy to the Gabapentin-huge welt like blisters.
I do all those things too. I have had 3 car accidents. the last I was hit as a pedestrian, have fibromyalagia, migraines and other issues. Lately it has been worse, with bad hip pain. It’s getting warmer and I feel a bit better now but I’m using the heating pad etc. more. I have to take the heavy duty painkillers too sometimes. I’m thinking about Quell, but I have to find out if it’s ok with my pump and dexcom. I emailed them and they were not sure- they said ask your doctor etc. A natural painkiller that somtimes helps me is arnica but not for severe pain or spasms etc. I’m the opposite in that hard massage etc. makes me much worse. My last pt last spring I think she pressed on me so much I went into a terrible spasm for days, on pain killers for days so I never went back, lol. I have tried a lot of the nerve type drugs for my pain and they didn’t work for me with the exception of elavil and that messed up my whole metabolism- I wish I had never taken it at all. Gabapentin etc. just makes me very dopey and crazy with almost no pain relief.
I do yoga and walk. I find yoga helps every pain go away. old rib injuries and back pain. i believe the stretching and poses help my circulation, metabolism, muscles, joints, it is extremely powerful! if i don’t go for 2-3 days I notice a difference in how my body feels. I also find walking help me feel better and lowers my blood sugar so does yoga. hope you feel better.
it’s a couple years old, but we had a live interview w the CEO and founder of Neurometrix, the company that makes Quell. he’s showing us how their Sensus product (for neuropathy) works
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Mee, I go through 2-3 heating pads per year. Entire front of my body has burns from it. But no Doctor has ever asked or commented on it. Docs won’t rx pain meds either. My greatest humiliation was today 4-16-17 when my latest Grandchild turned one y.o. yesterday. He pulled me outside. I sat on porch in too much pain to follow him. Had to CRAWL in house in view of 18 guests directly across the street. I was SO UTTERLY humiliated!!
But oh I so love that little boy! I’d crawl anywhere for him!! (Just rather not do it in public)!
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That really sucks. I don’t see how doctors can get away with not treating chronic pain. They keep on touting in the news media how America is over-treating pain, when the complete opposite is going on right now. I was lucky in that I finally found a decent pain management doctor (for now) as I know one day I will be thrown off my meds again. The other pain doctor wanted to implant a spinal cord stimulator in me despite me being on blood thinners and being a high risk for surgery. I have managed to stay on a very low dose of narcotic pain meds. I usually take no more than 60 mgs of Norco/Methadone equivalent per day. Some days I can get by on 4 pills. Then there are days like today and yesterday when I had to take 3 Norco’s at one time just to feel some relief. My pain is bad today like someone is squeezing my leg in a vice. I am maxed out on my meds and still hurting, but I will not take more meds. I will take a double shot of Nyquil and knock out for 12 hours. I prefer being unconscious to being in pain. Even laying here with my leg elevated is not helping. Then tomorrow magically I can be almost pain free. My leg just acts up whenever it wants to. All because the vein behind my knee is partially blocked with blood clots and scar tissue. Any how, you need a better doctor. What state do you live in? I know some states are almost backwards when it comes to pain management. It sucks and the stupid pill addicts are making it worse for us. Hang in there. You will find a good doctor soon.
Low dose naltrexone is being touted as the new miracle drug for a lot of things, including pain management. Might be worth a shot.
Medical marijuana/cannabinoids doesn’t have the physical dependence-forming properties of opiates (a big part of why some people prefer it), so if that worked for you, might be worth investigating further. Also, you can get products only containing cannabinoids vs THC (the two active ingredients in MJ) and experiment as to what works for the pain. Something without THC might help pain without getting you high (depends on what part was helping). Also, dosing can be super tricky with edibles—those things can be VERY strong. Some people may only need a very very small amount.
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Yeah. I ate 7 grams of edible and I was high for over 24 hours straight. I went to bed high and woke up high. I need to get some vape pens and vape just small doses for a few hours at a time. I have some edibles here, I just use small amounts and they don’t leave me incapacitated. I have mixed High CBD and some with high THC. I have also tried to straight up CBD and it is ok, but not that great. I guess it works for some people.
Thanks Marie, I’m going to ask my endo in couple of weeks. I’ve been having more palpitations lately and I wonder if it could affect that too.