How do you cope or deal with pain?

[Jumi]

Do you have any tricks that help you deal with pain?

 

[Aldrnari]

Physical, or emotional?

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Depends on the type of pain. My job is incredibly physical, so I have to do a lot of preventative care. My favorite is swimming. I swim laps in a very cold pool. The cold acts like a cold compress, keeps joints from being swollen and inflamed. It also forces me to exercise my weaker side because if you only swim hard with your dominant side you will hit a wall.

For emotional pain I do a lot of very simple, no frills attached meditation. Breaking the cycle of cyclical thinking, focus on breathing, relaxing muscles by group, positive guided imagery, that sort of thing.

 

[Jumi]

Physical, or emotional?

I'm thinking physical at the moment.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I'm thinking physical at the moment.

As an addendum I'd like to add that meditation can also help with physical pain too, because stress can make pain way worse and mitigating that stress can help bring the pain down to tolerable levels. It's not a cure-all but I've also found it very helpful when I've had an injury.

 

[Aldrnari]

Well I'm no doctor, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

For short term pain, Acetaminophen + Ibuprofen. If it persists, call a doc.

For chronic pain, placebos are the most effective for me. Meditation and mantras work great for immediate relief, but I use sigil magick (I know, heh) to help me ignore long term pain. Sigil magick is especially useful for me.

If marijuana is legal in your state, that can also help you manage chronic pain, though it can altar your moods with long term use, from my experiences.

I suggest using oxycodone, hydrocodone, Percocet, or other such related drugs ONLY if you have no choice, and you should get off those as soon as you can. Taking them long term will ruin your guts, and they are incredibly addictive.

 

[InChrist]

Depends on what type of pain. I usually use natural anti-inflammatory supplements. Ice in certain cases.

 

[Revoltingest]

Ibuprofen & hot chocolate.

 

[David1967]

I'm thinking physical at the moment.

Jumi, can you be more specific?

 

[ChristineM]

Depends on the pain, various physical pains require different approaches. I find yoga helps muscular pain. Or paracetamol for deeper mild pain. For more intense pain see your doctor.

Emotional pain... Take a dose of time every day, enough time will ease the pain, and may even cure it completely.

 

[Rival]

Whining and coffee and chocolate, for physical pain.

 

[Augustus]

It really depends on the type of pain and the cause: muscular, neuropathic, arthritic, acute, chronic, sharp, dull, etc.

What is beneficial for one might have no effect or even be counterproductive for another.

I spent a decade unsuccessfully trying to treat chronic pain I thought was muscular, but was actually neuropathic.

 

[bobhikes]

Do you have any tricks that help you deal with pain?

Fight through until I can't. Eventually the emotional and/or physical pain forces me to shutdown for awhile but I can go for quite awhile. Right now, I hate my job, have financial issues, and having personal problems plus I have a bad knee, mesh with scar tissue that constantly irritates me, a hernia and just for fun this weekend cleaning up after the storm I jammed a branch into my thigh(nicely black and blue and swore) and twisted my ankle on my good leg. Plus for good measure I have a headache today. Yet here I am at work doing my 8 hours.

 

[Nakosis]

Do you have any tricks that help you deal with pain?

Distraction.

There is only so much a person can be consciously aware of at any time.

So posting on RF, watching a movie, playing a game. Something interesting that can hold you attention.

When you're not doing anything you've nothing else to do but focus on the pain.

Kind of like if your foot hurts, hit yourself in the head with a bat. You'll forget that your foot is hurting.

 

[Jumi]

Jumi, can you be more specific?

It really depends on the type of pain and the cause: muscular, neuropathic, arthritic, acute, chronic, sharp, dull, etc.

I'm having various chronic and acute pains, both sharp and dull located across the body. Legs, torso, jaw, teeth. Probably neuropathic at least one the chronic ones, but I've not a diagnosis there. I've had shingles two times in a rather short time, possibly getting it just now for the third time, for me it's pain level is nothing much comparatively. I don't want to go too much into details, but lets just say that there are stomach issues that make taking pain medicine a gamble if it will help some place, but make things worse overall. I get a hangover from ibuprofen, which is about the only thing that works overall at this time. Aspirin doesn't work, acetaminophen does, but not enough and side effects are worse. Could get some heavier duty pain meds, but for various reasons I haven't. Doctors recent recommendation was 6 times 400mg ibuprofen and acetaminophen daily. Can't deal with those amounts to be honest.

In general I'm doing well, happy most of the time. Meditation does help some, I've used it successfully when there were fewer sources of pain and I've used it regularly to substitute anaesthetics at dentists over the years. Currently on sick leave, I'm doing the distraction thing, playing around with the computer, reading forums, studying(when able) and taking it easy. I was told not to do any physical exertion for a couple of days as it might cause bleeding and I'm taking it easy rest of the week.

A bit tired from lack of sleep so excuse me if my writing is worse than usual.

 

[Augustus]

Probably neuropathic at least one the chronic ones, but I've not a diagnosis there.

May or may not be of any relevance:

Fibromyalgia

Could get some heavier duty pain meds, but for various reasons I haven't.

For neuropathic you'd probably be looking at gabapentin at first or alternatively pregabalin.

I take pregabalin and tramadol, but it's not a panacea just takes the edge off the pain. They also have noticeable 'druggy' effects which may be a good or bad thing depending on the individual.

get a hangover from ibuprofen, which is about the only thing that works overall at this time.

That can inflame your stomach issues, unless you get a special 'gastric-friendly' type of ibuprofen. Same with aspirin as they are absorbed through the stomach/intestines.

I'm having various chronic and acute pains, both sharp and dull located across the body.

For dull pains I found moving about constantly to be most effective, probably the opposite for sharp pains though. Sorry no real suggestions other than what you already noted.

Hope you feel better soon, and happy birthday

 

[Jumi]

May or may not be of any relevance:

Fibromyalgia

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fibromyalgia/
Just asked my doctor about this, they're going to look into it. Thank you.

For neuropathic you'd probably be looking at gabapentin at first or alternatively pregabalin.

I take pregabalin and tramadol, but it's not a panacea just takes the edge off the pain. They also have noticeable 'druggy' effects which may be a good or bad thing depending on the individual.

I've had prescription for two of these, so I'm a bit familiar with them. Haven't taken them for the druggy effects you mention, hoping for some alternative.

That can inflame your stomach issues, unless you get a special 'gastric-friendly' type of ibuprofen. Same with aspirin as they are absorbed through the stomach/intestines.

For dull pains I found moving about constantly to be most effective, probably the opposite for sharp pains though. Sorry no real suggestions other than what you already noted.

I think there's a lot of things to think about in this thread.

Hope you feel better soon, and happy birthday

Thanks.

 

[ChristineM]

I'm having various chronic and acute pains, both sharp and dull located across the body. Legs, torso, jaw, teeth. Probably neuropathic at least one the chronic ones, but I've not a diagnosis there. I've had shingles two times in a rather short time, possibly getting it just now for the third time, for me it's pain level is nothing much comparatively. I don't want to go too much into details, but lets just say that there are stomach issues that make taking pain medicine a gamble if it will help some place, but make things worse overall. I get a hangover from ibuprofen, which is about the only thing that works overall at this time. Aspirin doesn't work, acetaminophen does, but not enough and side effects are worse. Could get some heavier duty pain meds, but for various reasons I haven't. Doctors recent recommendation was 6 times 400mg ibuprofen and acetaminophen daily. Can't deal with those amounts to be honest.

In general I'm doing well, happy most of the time. Meditation does help some, I've used it successfully when there were fewer sources of pain and I've used it regularly to substitute anaesthetics at dentists over the years. Currently on sick leave, I'm doing the distraction thing, playing around with the computer, reading forums, studying(when able) and taking it easy. I was told not to do any physical exertion for a couple of days as it might cause bleeding and I'm taking it easy rest of the week.

A bit tired from lack of sleep so excuse me if my writing is worse than usual.

If the pain gets too bad I've been told its ok to alternate ibuprofen and paracetamol/acetaminophen on a 2 hourly dose rather than 4. Different medications that work in different ways so O/D is not a problem. Check with your doctor first.

Re the stomach, omiprozole/prilosec/Losec can help counter meds that effect the stomach.

 

[David1967]

I'm having various chronic and acute pains, both sharp and dull located across the body. Legs, torso, jaw, teeth. Probably neuropathic at least one the chronic ones, but I've not a diagnosis there. I've had shingles two times in a rather short time, possibly getting it just now for the third time, for me it's pain level is nothing much comparatively. I don't want to go too much into details, but lets just say that there are stomach issues that make taking pain medicine a gamble if it will help some place, but make things worse overall. I get a hangover from ibuprofen, which is about the only thing that works overall at this time. Aspirin doesn't work, acetaminophen does, but not enough and side effects are worse. Could get some heavier duty pain meds, but for various reasons I haven't. Doctors recent recommendation was 6 times 400mg ibuprofen and acetaminophen daily. Can't deal with those amounts to be honest.

In general I'm doing well, happy most of the time. Meditation does help some, I've used it successfully when there were fewer sources of pain and I've used it regularly to substitute anaesthetics at dentists over the years. Currently on sick leave, I'm doing the distraction thing, playing around with the computer, reading forums, studying(when able) and taking it easy. I was told not to do any physical exertion for a couple of days as it might cause bleeding and I'm taking it easy rest of the week.

A bit tired from lack of sleep so excuse me if my writing is worse than usual.

Shingles are awful. Had them myself very recently. I can definitely sympathize with you on that. In my experience there is not much to do about it as far as medicine. I just try to keep busy with things to keep myself occupied and keep my mind of it. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it did help me. Hope you get to feeling better Jumi.

 

[Jumi]

Shingles are awful. Had them myself very recently. I can definitely sympathize with you on that. In my experience there is not much to do about it as far as medicine. I just try to keep busy with things to keep myself occupied and keep my mind of it. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it did help me. Hope you get to feeling better Jumi.

I've had them in two different places, I'm hoping the third one stops before it really begins. The first time was definitely the worse, the marks still not completely healed, second one didn't last more than a week and the marks are already gone so I'm expecting this one will go quickly.