I had herniated a cervical disk in my neck back in July. It pinched the C6 root nerve and the pain was unlike anything I have experienced. The only thing that alleviated it slightly was standing with my head against the wall and holding my arm up in the air. The pain ran from my left shoulder down to my thumb and forefinger. My doctor gave me Toradol to fight the inflammation and Dilaudid for the pain. I'm afraid of narcotics, so I didn't take the Dilaudid.

Fortunately, the pain went away. It lasted for about 4 months and now I just feel a dull pain in my bicep and aching in my hand. I have no feeling in my left thumb... just numbnesss and occasional tingling.

When I went to the doctor to talk about the pain I was experiencing, I said to her, "How do people with chronic pain deal with feeling like this long-term?" At the time, I had only been in pain for a week, and I felt like I was losing my mind. She told me that the brain's response to pain changes and it's not as intense and traumatic over time... that basically you get used to it. Is that true or is that just something she told me to make me feel better?

I have a good friend with Fibromyalgia and when I see her in pain, I don't believe that she has gotten used to it. I don't believe that it's less intense and traumatic because she has been dealing with it for years. Every time she gets a bad flare, I can see that she is in excruciating, mind-numbing pain and it breaks my heart. My cousin has Fibromyalgia too and is only able to get around with the help of a cane. She's only 38. I can see the grimace on her face every time she takes a step.

So, for those of you who suffer with chronic pain... Does the pain lessen with time or is it always just as bad as when it first started?

(((Hugs))) to everyone here. I was only in pain for 4 months. I can't imagine what kind of state I would be in if that pain hadn't gone away.