Back Pain

My back is trashed. I'm trying to get comfortable sitting on my couch with pauley but every position hurts. I've taken 2 tramadol since I woke up at 1130am. At about 5pm she decided to take an Adderall and have a half hour nap. So I took 2 hydroxyzine and laid down on my bed. I wasn't able to sleep but I meditated for 2 hours. Then she turned my light on and I was just like hissssssssssss. I was enjoying the dark quiet. I'm usually scared of the dark but it helps me meditate.

#BackPain #Meditation #MentalHealth

So I've been taking my sumatriptan when I get a migraine but I forgot that taking it more than once every 3 days can cause rebound migraine. So that's what I'm dealing with right now. I took one yesterday and the day before. Pauley reminded me not to take one. So I took a tramadol and 2 hydroxyzine. It will hopefully help me relax.

My back feels like I got kicked. I know I say that often but it's accurate. Luckily sitting on my couch helps. I'm sitting with Pauley and I've got my headphones on. There was some gingerbread and pumpkin spice flavored coffee left over from last night so I reheated it and added some vanilla cappuccino powder, caramel syrup and oat milk. It's quite yummy.#Migraine #BackPain #coffeeadventures

Chronic pain, a persistent and often misunderstood condition, affects millions worldwide. Unlike acute pain, which is temporary, chronic pain endures for months or even years, significantly impacting a person’s quality of life. This persistent discomfort can impair a person's ability to work, socialize, and maintain relationships.

In my practice, I often work with people who struggle with chronic migraines. I also work with a significant number of people who struggle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), as well. The invisible nature of chronic pain often leads to misconceptions, exacerbating feelings of isolation and frustration for those affected. Beyond the physical toll, people can experience anxiety, depression, struggles within relationships -- chronic pain can impact the day-to-day and sexual functioning of relationships -- and an overall diminished quality of life.

The Emotional Impact

Living with chronic pain can have a significant impact on your emotional wellbeing. For example, you may experience feelings of frustration, anger, anxiety, or depression as you struggle to cope with persistent discomfort, as well as the threat of the next occurrence.

It is also common for relationships to suffer as partners may struggle to fully understand the extent of your chronic pain. Many have been told things such as, "Your migraine is just a headache," or, "It's all in your head," or even, "You would stop getting them if you really wanted to," and so on. These kinds of comments can leave people feeling ashamed, misunderstood, angry, and alone as they continue to struggle.

Common Myths Associated With Chronic Pain

If Your Pain is Invisible, You Must Be Fine

Chronic pain often lurks beneath the surface, invisible to the naked eye. You may appear fine externally, but internally, you’re battling constant discomfort. This disconnect between appearance and reality can lead to harmful misconceptions and judgments. People might assume that you can’t suffer that much if you don’t look like you’re in pain. These kinds of assumptions not only come from people out in the world, but often even from close family members.

If You Can Function, It Must Not Be Bad

Another pervasive myth is that if you can work or attend events, your pain can’t be severe. However, people with chronic pain often push through immense discomfort to maintain some semblance of normalcy. Every activity requires careful consideration, knowing there's a risk of the pain coming on or getting worse. The ability to function doesn’t negate the constant presence of pain. For the most part, people with chronic pain have essentially learned to function in spite of their pain.

The Idea that Chronic Pain is Only Physical

Chronic pain’s impact goes beyond the physical. It affects your mental health, intimate relationships, sex life, social relationships, and overall quality of life. It is important for people who struggle with chronic pain to not only receive support in these areas, but also that their supports are able to understand the ripple effect of chronic pain beyond the physical.

Chronic Pain is Medical Only

This is a myth that doesn't get enough attention. While some elements of migraines and certain other types of chronic pain can have medical bases, chronic pain is often caused and exacerbated by body responses to emotional struggles. For example, the impacts of old traumas carried with you over time, or recent or ongoing traumas can all have a significant impact on the mind and body. Anxiety, depression, and stress can also cause the body to physiologically respond with debilitating migraines, GI symptoms, back pain, and more. Unless there is a clearly identified medical basis for one's chronic pain, chronic pain has often shown to be interconnected between medical and mental health.

Living With and Working Through Chronic Pain

One of the things that people struggle with the most with chronic migraines is that they never know when the next migraine is going to strike. This goes to show that even the pain-free days can often hold the most anxiety, while the painful days are the most physically debilitating. Either way, it is all emotionally and physically exhausting and draining for people who struggle with chronic pain.

Much of what I do in my practice for chronic migraines and pain is help people work through the emotional side of the struggle -- both the emotional impacts of dealing with chronic pain, as well as what may be exacerbating it on a deeper level. I have seen people whose chronic pain has mostly (and even fully) subsided after working through deeper carried traumas. When the body can release stored tensions, anxieties, and the impact of painful experiences, it can lighten the weight of chronic pain with it.

#MentalHealth #ChronicPain #Headache #Migraine #Anxiety #Depression #Stress #IrritableBowelSyndromeIBS

The theme was scrambled eggs. I made double cheese for pauley and for myself I made cheesy garlic ranch sausage scrambled eggs. I diced up a cheddar brat, added some shredded cheese, and when it was done cooking I added some ranch dressing and garlic Parmesan seasoning. Gosh gee it was really good. And pauley said her eggs were really yummy. Now she's washing dishes while I sit cuz umm... I had to stand for about 20 minutes. And my back pain spiked to 8. Whoops. She was kinda upset with me for making dinner and getting hurt. I think maybe we should get tray tables so I can sit in the kitchen and make dinner. But she gave me a whole Norco and 2 aspirin. We're getting a refill on Monday.

I've been having really uncomfortable hot flashes for months. I know it's man-o-pause but it sucks. I was hoping going back on testosterone would help. It's been almost 2 months and I'm still having trouble. But my voice is changing again. I've got squeaky boy voice. And my facial hair is growing faster. But not how I want. I was hoping for a mustache. Or a goatee.

I really need to get a BBQ grill lighter. I've got a few small jar candles that smell amazing but I can't light them. One of them is mahogany and leather and coffee scent. I cannot put into words how much I love that candle.

My mom has my daughter today so she won't answer my call or text me back. It's been awhile since we last talked. My phone said the last time we talked was December 31st. She was kinda awful and I hung up on her. I've texted her a few times this week but she said she is busy. I know I should cut ties and be done with my family cuz they don't accept me. But I still care about them.

I'm craving a cookie with my coffee.

2 years ago I thought maybe with the back surgery, I would be done with the bad pain and trouble walking and standing. I thought gosh can I please finally be healthy... Now I'm dealing with new back problems from my tailbone to the first vertebrae under my skull. And my eyes are so broken. So much is going on with my eyes. I have an appointment with one of the providers tomorrow to discuss the X-ray results. Then I have an appointment with my neurologist next week. Then I have an appointment next month with my neuro-ophthalmologist . And my BHH nurse is freaking out about my HR being too high and she wants me to go see my cardiologist. And I'm having trouble scheduling my appointment with the new Endo. And I gotta find a pain management clinic soon. I'm really sick of being broken. Whatever I did to piss off the gods...

#thegodsmustbemad #BackPain #FemoralAcetabularImpingement #spinalbonespurs

I went to the dollar store before my appointment. I got monster rehab strawberry lemonade, a bag of butter flavored puff corn, and a little bag of dill pickle flavored cashews.

I only sat in the waiting room for 2 minutes. We took my vitals and it wasn't good. I've gained weight. And my heart rate and pulse were really high. She checked my HR probably 5 times. She wants me to make an appointment with my cardiologist. She thinks the losartan is not good enough. I'm so used to my HR being high. But apparently the last reading was 139/98.

I shared my puff corn with Pauley. I get a bag every 3 months when I have my injection appointment. It's a reward for being a proactive rockstar with my mental health. It's a really nice treat.

Now she's taking a nap while I sit on the couch. I'm listening to music on my headphones. I feel pretty ok. I know my mental health will be fine by tonight. I took a 100mg tramadol and a sumatriptan and 2 aspirin before I left for my appointment. My back hurts a little but not as bad as earlier.

I talked with my nurse about how pauley needs to join the psych office program for people without insurance.

The puff corn is sugar free so I don't feel so guilty for eating the whole bag. They're so yummy!

#Psychmeds #BackPain

I'm starting to get a migraine again. My tummy really hurts. And my scalp is so itchy. I keep scratching my head and removing big scabs and scales. I'm pretty sure it's bleeding. My anxiety is high.

In other news I just ordered 3 new flavors of coffee. Blueberry crumble, gingerbread, and pumpkin spice. They'll go perfectly with the caramel butterscotch syrup. I just made a pot of butterscotch caramel coffee and it smells sooooooo good. I'm gonna mix it with white chocolate toffee flavored cappuccino powder, caramel syrup and oat milk. It's gonna be awesome!#ChronicPain #BackPain #Migraine #coffeeadventures