Question about chronic pain

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.

I have 3 torn disks in my lumbar region and some days it hurts way more than others. I think when it really flairs though it is much worse. I am always in pain of some kind with it but like right now I am in a really bad flair so the pain is thru the roof and has been for a couple of weeks now. when not in a flair you just learn to deal with it. but you never know when it will flair on you.

Sorry, but you don't really "get used to it." I think that is part of the old school of thought that told us the more pain we experience, the less it affects us. Modern science has proven otherwise. Actually, the opposite is true, the more you have pain, such as chronically, the chemicals that fight the pain in the body normally become depleted. It is then that you MUST take pain meds that simulate those pain fighting chemicals.

You can do imagery and meditation and all sorts of things to "make" more endorphins, but just because you have had pain for a long time, doesn't mean you don't feel it. (Disabled due to industrial accident, 20 years, 24/7 pain.)

Thanks for asking!

(((bebop)))

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Juliana said:
So, for those of you who suffer from 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.

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In my case....... it is just as bad as time goes on and it has even been worse at times. The three different medicines I take for RA, Bursitis, Fibro and few other ailments that come and go help me a lot and I believe I would be in a wheel chair by now if not for the meds.

I am 40 years old..... and have been dealing will all of this for 10 long painful years, even being put in the hospital a few times for my body became defunked by the flares.

We (all pain sufferers) take LIFE a day at a time... and do what when we can when our body allows us to and then we rest when our body denies us the right to move about freely.

it doesn't get better. i've had 11 surgeries on left breast reconstruction and frankly, i'm about to lose it with the pain. it's like nothing else. i can't describe it. it is 24/7.

i want this implant out but i can't get health insurance and i don't have $2500 laying around for the surgery. i'm brain-storming frantically, as i don't know if i can survive this. i'd like some pain free years. it's been 32 years.

i can take it out myself.......but i can't sew it up. David can't take it out. he's an ER doc and doesn't have surgery privileges (except ER( at the hosp. i've actually thought about taking it out and then showing up at a good ER for closure. i really cannot tell you the constant pain that i'm in. it's beyond anything that i can live with much longer.

i'm sorry, Juliana, to unleash all of this. but it is eating my lunch. the implant is being moved, by adhesions, to under my left arm. you can imagine how that feels.

i certainly pray that yours gets better with time. if i had been told the truth about reconstruction, i would have gone breastless and had tattooes put on my chest. *not of breasts........flowers and a greyhound)

no you don't get used to it you can only accept it, i have bad flare ups ,i don't like pain relief unless its really, really bad ,pain is what it is a real pain psych put my dysthymia down to pain ,can't say it has helped as i've been unable to return to the work i loved,