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Advice for living a life with pain?

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Chronic Pain
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Posted 11/14/2011 8:20 AM (GMT 0)
I have lived with pain for all of my 19 years of life. I moved out of state for college to get my LMT license. I admit I made the transition waaay too quickly. I am the third generation of chronic pain inflicted people. For us it is more abdomen pain and severe cramping and spasming episodes. My family members tell me to just keep on going in life. And because I have been raised to have such a high pain tolerance, I am broken But I learned, after a horrible E.R. trip, I need a different way of living life. I have been seeing an energy worker because my body is only receptive to healing touch and aromatherapy now. She told me that I need to stop laughing when I feel hurt and just cry to help lessen my body's pain tolerance. This freaks me out, tbh. I understand what she means by this, but I know my anxiety is getting the best of me.
And because of my anxiety, I haven't been going out of my apartment except for school, health related appointments, or getting groceries. I do have roommates but they are in their thirties and fourties. And when I had a bad fall last week from the spasms, I realized I couldn't ask for help. I felt like I as too much of a bother.

I guess my question is: How do you live with pain issues with people who haven't dealt with your issues since you were born/diagnosed?
Posted 11/14/2011 5:13 PM (GMT 0)
You didn't mention if you'd been seen by a Specialists...have you maybe considered
going to see a specialists...and are you a woman if so then get seen by a OB/GYN
and explain the cramping get maybe an ultra sound done of your abdomen area...
Hope you can get a low pain day soon...Keep us posted...at 19 you should still be on your
parents medical plan look into that....
Posted 11/14/2011 6:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, sorry to hear of all your troubles, but you already have done something, you have gotten on this forum where each and every one of us suffer in some way.  Thats one good step.  If you wish to give a little more information, I am sure someone out there can help you.

As for asking for help, I am more than 12 years into this cp disease, and I still have problems asking for help, nobody want to.  But I have learned to rearrange my life around my pain and not let it rule me.  It did take some time, but it can be done.

Good luck, and take care,

Kathy/nini

Posted 11/14/2011 8:16 PM (GMT 0)
I have endometriosis in my lower right quadrant of my abdomen. I'm taking Loestrin Fe for it and going to pelvic floor physical therapy. I also had fascia constricting my cecum which currently has been my major challenge in life at the moment to slowly get it to open and close properly to digest my food. A whole lot of my time is spent rubbing my abdomen clockwise to try to relieve the pain. And it looks like I can't have any allums, gluten, or lactose.

As for my issue with asking for help, I don't see it as a sign of weakness, I see it as a bother to other people. I've had boyfriends and friends tell me that they can't handle the phone calls or emails saying that I was in the ER yet again. And my family is very over protective of me and I've spent my teens pretty much as a hermit in my room taking online classes.
The only time I was allowed to live life like a teen was during my summers but even then I was staying with my grandparents who live next to a hospital and was going to summer classes at UC Berkeley. My pain level would go down to a four to five from the usual seven to eight. But is was always small victories, I would still get the cramps.
The roommate who is on the same floor as I is an ex paratrooper working at a hardware store and is dealing with candida. He understands the discomfort I'm experiencing, but not the pain. And when I had my bad fall last week, he slept through me throwing things to try to wake him up. And my other roommate thought it was the cat making the noise. We did have a talk about it and they want me to have my phone with me at all times.
Posted 11/14/2011 9:09 PM (GMT 0)
Mesmeret, I'm glad you posted more on you, sorry about the endometriosis, others here also suffer with
that can be of helpful info for you, maybe seek out support groups in your area...don't ever think that
asking for help is a weakness it's not and carrying a cell phone would be a good idea t-mobile has
low costs phones with prepaid plans and they are not monthly fees...
Look and see if you can find a whole foods store that way you can find foods for you that
are lactose, gluten and allums free...they do have an online site "Whole Foods" it's
a great place to shop for those items...wal-mart is also selling gluten free products now
just not a whole lot....I will wish that you get more small victories...and more low pain
days...others will come by with better advise for you ...I would also say keep hope in finding a boyfriend
it is possible....many well wishes.........
Posted 11/15/2011 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
All I can offer, with full empathy towards you, is to never give up hope. Life is worth living, even for we that live with chronic pain. Don't let the pain take away your love for living.

David in SC
Posted 11/15/2011 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Mesmeret. I never heard of an "energy worker" before. Sounds interesting.

" it looks like I can't have any allums, gluten, or lactose. "
Have you had any validated testing, biopsy from endoscopy, that shows a reason for gluten intolerance (like celiac)? I have wheat intolerance, not yet true allergy, not gluten intolerance. It can be confusing. Wheat intolerance makes me nauseous when I eat bread, but I'm fine with oatmeal.

I understand the lactose intolerance. That's pretty common. I hope you tolerate the milk proteins. I do well with lactose-free milk, also tolerate one brand of yogurt.

Alliums? Onions and garlic? I can't take these either. It's the sulfite in them I don't tolerate. I hope you are keeping a food journal/log/diary. My allergist got me to do this and it's helped enormously in figuring out my food intolerances.

Best wishes. I hope you'll keep posting. There's lots more food intolerance talk on the allergy forum, also the GERD forum.
Posted 11/15/2011 5:14 PM (GMT 0)
I have been living with chronic pain now for over 22 years. I have learned, sadly, that most people simply don't want to hear about it, including my spouse. Maybe it's because they simply cannot relate to it. I have a sister that could never be bothered with my complaints, until she injured her back at work and was out of work because of lower back pain for 10 months. She even told me how sorry she was, how she never realized how much chronic pain can impact your life. I would NEVER wish it on anyone, never, but it was interesting to see how she changed her attitude.
I have 3 sons, 3 daughters in law, 4 small grandsons, friends, 2 sisters and yet I have always felt extremely alone when it comes to pain. That is probably what led me to this website. I usually hang at the Fibro forum because that is what I was diagnosed with 22 years ago, but I have also had lower back pain for as many years.
I hope you can find some answers and please know that we all understand and empathize with you.
Miriam
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