Pain and older adults

Welcome Gojo to the CP forum and HW. I am sorry to hear your in such a place but have no fear that most of us here have been there as well. With CP we tend to move in and out of periods of depression and we live with the steps of grief far longer than those who have lost someone other than themselves. You are moving in the right direction by realizing not everyone, actually very few understands the complexities of living this life filled with pain and everything we must do to make it actually living.

Here you can find others who understand and know that a reported level of 8 is likely more than 10 because we tend to downplay the numbers.

We have spent countless posts discussing how we do live in this life we have been given an its interesting reading. You can use the search option at the top of the page and enter the criteria and all the old thread's will come up. We ask that you don't post to them since they will move to the top of the forum but if you have questions bring them back here.

All of us who seem to do OK with this life of pain have a few common threads and I would say top of the list is a good Pain management Dr and one whose not afraid to treat you aggressively and humanely. Vitally important you have a good team of Dr's who are team players with you at the helm. A primary is not a good idea for treating you for pain issues, its like calling a plumber for a electrical short. Mind you there's bad PM drs as well and finding one who is more concerned with your quality of life and not quantity is priceless. He needs to not be opiate or Dea phobic.

Second on the list is hit and miss but finding every little thing that helps to relieve even a small amount of pain and putting together a routine of sorts of things that work to knock out even a single number on the pain scales and using them, heat/cold,pillow propping, doing things around the house different, knowing the limits of comfort, injections, creams,massage, therapy, hydrotherapy (awesome thing) recliner sleeping or new bed, and diversion therapy one of my favorites. Find a hobby and when the pain and depression get overwhelming go at it full out! Some are avid readers, some needlepoint, music and headphones and loud is good, gardening and building things, we all have something and we throw ourselves into it and lose ourselves pushing the thoughts away.

It's hard but with diligence can work wonders. Get to know your pain and put it into perspective defining it not allowing it to define you. Pain is a entity unto you not you or who you are. Don't give it the power to overcome that which you are.

We meet here for encouragement and support and sometimes we just help others by seeking help for ourselves. This forum we call home is therapy in itself, a place to scream of the injustice and unfairness of being forced to live this life to like minded people who really do get it. We share experiences and manage to laugh and cry together and then go back to the real world and play all's well with us. At the end of the day we realize that there are many blessings because there are many worse than ourselves and we see them here.

Stick around and get to know us better and through our experiences maybe find some new ways to help yourself.

Welcome to the forum Gojo. My first reaction is...You're on Neurontin??????? That's one of the meds my psychiatrist said was a big NO-NO for me, being a 'depression patient'. It can worsen it.

Have you had a bone density test? Do you take calcium supplements?

I have found that searching the scriptures for anything referring to pain, depression, anxiety, etc. has been a huge help to me. Also, anything that makes me laugh. Laughter is, after all, a 'good medicine'.

The older I get, the more frustrated I find myself getting. Berating myself, saying things like, "C'mon, you should know how to do this by now!" The reality is, life is overwhelming. Period.

You are concerned about your pets. What steps have you taken to ensure their future in the event that you can no longer care for them? Sometimes, facing what makes us fearful in a productive way makes those fears disappear.

What about books on tape? You could lie down and 'read' a book! Maybe have it play while you spend a few minutes on the sun porch, doing a little crafting.

We might be far from each other, and not able to give 'real' hugs, but we are not alone! Glad you found us! ((((((((Gojo)))))))).

Welcome. You're not alone in the age group or the loneliness or the pain level. I'm alone, stuck on the couch with a little iPad because of not being able to walk with my broken ankle.

Ditto to what the others have said. I'd get rid of the neuron tin too! I started, years ago, with tramadol as my pain medicine. It's not a strong opioid, but it raises your serotonin level, which makes you feel happy and not need so much other stuff. I didn't get much relief from the extended release (ER) form. I'd rather have an occasional extra one of those than Vicodin or Percocet.

I love my pain doc. He's an anesthesiologist, so he can do all the nerve ablations, but he also works with me and my allergies and intolerances to get my meds just right. When my surgeon wasn't prescribing what I needed in between my surgeries he's even given me what I needed with just a phone call. Getting the right pain doc, for you, is key.

I'm not sure what your doc means by "cold" ablation. I've had the nerves heated (burned). I am sensitive to chemicals, so I won't go that route. Of course, you do get the test injections, don't you?

Best wishes from another senior.