Injury pain or Flare-up?

ok, I'm confused... If pain is something I will always have to live with (cycling through flare-ups triggered by various activities) , how can I tell if I have actually injured myself?

Egads. I've always thought that pain had an explanation (old injury trauma, new injuries, over-exertions, over-uses, repetitive labors, hard work, etal) and believed that hard work would make me stronger... and that if I was strong enough, I'd be ok. I feel betrayed. I have injured myself on different occasions and figured that healing just takes longer and longer and some stuff is just hard to heal. I have a long history of living with pain... figured it was normal.

In my life I've had a number of head traumas (concussion), meningitis and encephalitis simultaneously <ouch!>, car wreck w/broken pelvis, other broken bones, and soft tissue injuries including torn rotator cuffs and other shredded tendon stuff. The shoulders (and neck) are a constant source of angst. I messed up both my feet dancing around on concrete carrying lots of weight whilst barefooted or flip-flopped 'cause I didn't want to mess up my "good shoes" <smacks hand to head>. The bottoms of my feet felt like they'd been smashed repeatedly with sledgehammers and branding irons. I dutifully rested, iced, compressed and elevated 'cause I really need to be back ON my feet. I stayed off my feet in order to heal and avoided weight-bearing activities and began to fear that I might have stress fractures due to the sharp pains. If I tried to hobble around and move slowly to "do a few things" very carefully, I'd pay dearly for every step I took later on. Finally got an x-ray (ok), a shot of cortisone in the heel of the "worse" foot and a prescription for an oral steroid that seems to be breaking up the pain cycle (I could barely walk for 3+weeks). Second time this year that a Doctor suggested fibro. <sigh> It does make sense though, looking back... I dunno. There's no insurance (canceled when DH got sick) and no way I'll be going to a string of specialists. I was given samples of Lyrica which I have decided not to take. I guess I'm gonna have to figure out how to manage.... Learn how to pace myself, etc. Now I know why I've always loved heat! There is a hot tub in my future, I just know it!

Post Edited (flyin'dreamer) : 10/2/2010 10:13:43 AM (GMT-6)

 Your feet sound like you have plantar faciitis.  We have quite a few members that have gotten that and I'm one of them.  When I would stand up, it felt like someone was driving a stake through my heels.  I started wearing Birkenstock shoes and, after a few months, the pain left and I haven't had that since....since 1994!  So, google that and if it sounds like what you have, you might invest in a pair of these shoes.  They aren't pretty but I didn't care.  I wanted to be able to walk without feeling nearly faint from the pain.

 

OH, NO!      I see I misinterpreted your first post!  I thought you were bicycling during a flare!     If you hang around here long enough, you will find that I mess up like this occasionally.  I'll just blame it on the fog, okay?    

 

Yes, start pacing yourself.  You do need to keep moving.  That is important.  Stretching exercises, walking, swimming, yoga, tai chai, things like are good.  If you can do more without causing more pain, then go for it!

 

I use ibuprofen with food, extra strength Tylenol, malic acid/magnesium supplements and vitamin D3 supplements to help with pain and fatigue.  There are links about the vitamins and supplements in Fibro 101 and how they work in the body.  These are not expensive...at least where I get mine.  They have buy one, get two free!  So, this could be affordable for you.  If you are taking other meds, you might speak with your pharmacist because they know all about medications and interactions, too, and that doesn't cost you any money either.  

 

Moist heat helps.  You can make a "Bed Buddy" by taking a tube sock, filling it 2/3's full of raw long grain rice and tying a knot at the end of it.  Pop it in the microwave and it gives off moist heat due to the moisture in the rice.

 

Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. 

 

Sherrine 

I've had the pain in the balls of my feet.  My doctor thought at first that it was gout but it didn't respond to medication but disappeared in a few months by itself.  It returned with the second foot and acted the same way.

 

The only thing I can tell you about injurt vs. fibro is it you do something like fall and it doesn't improve then see your doctor.  I fell a few months ago but was sore only for a few days.  If it had persisted...especially in the part I fell on, OR if the pain was unusually harsh, I would have been checked out.

 

Sherrine

Aaaah... that was one of the confusing things. I have no trouble at all stretching feet and calves. Without any particular effort, I can point my toes at a 45 degree angle toward my knees. During this last episode (fibro flare-up?) walking/standing had become excruciating. I felt better resting my feet entirely and horrible putting any weight on them at all. I feel better now after three weeks of rest and some steroids. It seems I must now be wearing shoes just to pad across a room! I am afraid my barefoot days are over (always found barefooted more comfortable and could scarcely abide any shoes).

I have a LOT to do. We've moved into a house stripped and wrecked by the previous owner. I'm living in a cardboard canyon (boxes stacked with worldly possessions) while trying to get the place fixed up and habitable. DH is in a wheelchair. I am a crew of one with a lot of work to be done. Now trying to figure out how to do it all w/o hurting myself and learn through trial and error how long, how much I can do before needing to rest... i.e. "pace myself" so I can continue to function on some reasonable level.

Please tell me it gets better and I will get this figured out!

Thanks all -)

Post Edited (flyin'dreamer) : 10/3/2010 5:57:23 AM (GMT-6)

Acheybody said...

You have, in my opinion, hit on the crux of our problem: you CAN'T believe your body anymore. Not nice, not fair, it just plain sucks! Somehow, our pain signals have gone hooey and until they figure it out, we're kind of stumbling in the dark

Nasty little crux that! And to think, I've always tried to be honest with myself. Now what do I do?? Do I now need to learn the fine art of self deception? sheesh!

Love the idea of bed buddies!

also, i love the Huggies sandals made by SAS... Birkenstocks were too hard for me, Huggies, just right! Big, wide, flat, lots of straps. The soles also conform to your feet over time like custom insoles. I am on my tenth pair.