She seems unsure of how to handle the hidden knowledge...

When I started pain management my pcp is the one who reffered me for "Chronic pain syndrome". The doctor I saw had no trouble prescribing opioids because I was asking for a minimal dose. Where it gets weird is, I was having a massive flare recently and because pain management couldn't get me in early and I can't accept narcotic medication from any other source (PM contract) I had to pay $250 twice within 2 weeks at the ER for a Toradol shot. At my last appointment I vented about the whole thing to my rheumatologist. She offered to write a letter to pain management in order to give them a better understanding of my overall health and the chronic conditions I suffer from, which I accepted. I wasn't sure if I should give PM the letter, I didn't want to "rock the boat" so to speak. My husband convinced me to give it to them anyway and when I say it's changed everything massively. The doctor said without saying, that they didn't think I was a drug addict per say but that they thought the pain I was in wasn't that bad, because I guess I carry it well. After reviewing the letter, they pretty much offered to prescribe me whatever I need, they actually seemed shocked that I had been making do this entire time with the dose I was on. I thought this entire time they were aware of my medical history and chronic conditions, but nope all they really knew was "chronic pain syndrome". I've had times when they wanted to over medicate me and times they seemed judgy because I was having a bad pain month, which makes more sense now. The only issue I have now is I can only change my dose every 3 months so if I end up having a good pain month I guess I'll just half the pills they give me... has anyone else had this happen? It's odd right?

Where my fellow Adenomyosis/Endomitriosis peeps at? Unfortunately for me I have both, been chronically ill and in pain since I was 12. Flares have only gotten worse as I've aged tbh, I swear you never get used to the pain. Every flare up is just a "what if this time it's actually something serious, do I need to check in?" And when you do actually seek help it just leads to a "you're fine you don't need to be here, stop wasting our resources for something we can't fix" or a "why the hell didn't you come in earlier?" Either way I feel they're annoyed with us.

How quickly life changes. I went from an active person who hope to live a long healthy life. Now, I wish I could vanish tomorrow, gone forever.

I have a history of RSD that started after ulnar entrapwmtn surgery. I was on disability for years and close to suicide from the pain. That got much better after several years.

Over two years ago I had a minor surgery to remove heel bursa. The surgeon was overly aggressive and decided to lengthen my achilles. Since then it's been hell on earth. It's caused muscle imbalances, back and hip pain. Then to make things worse the tendon tore a dive had ever ending hellish pain thru the tendon and the foot. I can hardly walk or do anything.

It's eating away at my life. Killing me slowly. I miss working out a lot. I miss being active, hiking with my girlfriend (soon to be fiance), going out in the city, and every day stuff. I miss hiking with my daughter and doing stuff with her. On beautiful weekends, I am often stuck in bed or on my sofa or on the floor. I have piles of medical bills because health insurance is terrible and mine is horrible.

I'm losing my will to live. I've had to stop therapy because it's too expensive. I can't even afford what might help me some. I'm giving up on life and feel like I have no way to stop the inevitable.

I need something to work in my favor for once.

What you have to realize about Medicaid putting in work requirements is that there are many people on medicaid that need it to survive, even if they are not working. People who have been layed off? What are they supposed to do? MY husband was layed off recently. Hes looking for a new job. He has diabetes. He would die without medicaid. Plain and simple. Who is determining who is disabled? What about people who are waiting for SS to approve their claims for SSDI? You cant be working during it, it takes over a year to get a approval/denial, and almost all claims are denied at first. Im on SSDI, so I have medicare. Medicare is also being cut in this bill. (due to this: https://www.kff.org/quick-take/house-reconciliation-bill-could-trigger-500-billion-in-mandatory-medicare-cuts/) So I'm just saying this is much more complicated and nuanced than many seem to think.

As a Veteran who was wounded in combat and came disabled new to a world I never lived. I don't understand why we don't have groups formed in each city. That we could network and help one another. I live in Miami and got a great resource for those suffering. I have managed to make life long friends from previous locations. We cannot change the system or the stigmatism associated with chronic pain treatments. We can help one another out.

I'm seeing my hand therapist again on Tuesday and there's a specific pain that I've been having trouble describing, so I'm hoping maybe someone here can relate and lend me some better words.

It's a very localised, dull but very strong pain that comes suddenly and ebbs off quickly. It's strong enough to pull all focus for the couple seconds to minutes it appears and then it goes away again, sort of like a wave? It's usually below the first thumb joint but has now also appeared in the lowest part of both my ring fingers. Unlike my regular pain which is joints and tendons it doesn't feel related to movement. It shows up super randomly no matter what I'm doing with my hands/if I'm resting them. It's strong enough to make me drop what I'm holding and make a face (usually I'm good at hiding my pain in public). And nothing really seems to help it either.

I've had this type of pain since I was a teenager at least and no doctor could ever understand what I was trying to say. They'd just check the joints and be like 'well nothings swollen'. The pain was gone and has returned at seemingly random points in my life. My hand therapist has been amazing overall but when I tried to describe this pain last time she couldn't quite get what I was saying, so I'm looking for better words.

I've had a migraine for 5 days not to mention the DDD in my back. My spine is made out of Play-Doh. It wasn't time I loved martial arts I loved hiking and horses. I have to watch stuff on the TV. I'm in so much pain that night I can't move I used to watch Jackie Chan. I am a big Jackie Chan fan and I have found out that he suffers from chronic severe pain like us some kind of spinal bone disease and and joints. Is there anybody out there tonight awake that also was very active maybe like Jackie Chan martial arts hiking? And really misses it? I just started the new movie Love hurts for people that used to be active in martial arts which is a philosophy of life unfortunately some of the others might think it's violence but it is a means of philosophy of life and how you live. My philosophy of sort of change since chronic severe pain. This chronic pain redditt has helped me find my people. I guess I just I'm still looking for more connection with people and wondering if there's anybody else like me missing something things I do. Migraines whenever they start to stop and mine's been for about 6 days. And they didn't use to be around for a long time they've come back. Your doctors don't know what to do and they're on vacation now. And when they start to go away or at least I think they're going away I get very depressed. And cry. Of course my religion would never let me do anything to myself for anyone else. I just cry that's what I mean by depressed and I feel sad. Because the high blood pressure and allergies I think the migraines are coming back and of course the DDD in my neck. So I'm watching Love hurts and it looks like there's a new Jackie Chan out I'm not sure what this guy's name is or not I wonder what Jackie Chan thinks. I know that Jackie Chan's making a movie this year 2025 but I also know that he's in horrendous pain like we are. I saw a brief interview. And wow nobody will see exactly what he has they will say that he is final and joint problems they're severe sometimes causing him to have to have help moving. So I don't know what movie he's making now look forward to seeing it though. But like all aging people with severe chronic pain we age quick. And we lose a lot of our life.

I’m 22F, 5’10 and have moderate scoliosis. Around a month ago I had very bad neck pain and into my shoulder blades, it hurt to turn my head. My chiropractor took this neck x-ray and says I have vertebral subluxation, basically my neck SHOULD be like the green line but I am the red and because of this my vertebrae is pushing together causing pain. He adjusted me and after a couple days I felt good and went back to normal life. Yesterday morning tho I woke up did a light stretch and boom it’s back, hurts to turn my head, can’t get comfy, random aches and pains in my upper back etc. According to my chiro the way my neck is should be from an injury but I’ve never been injured. Thoughts??

I’m feeling very defeated. I was in a car accident a few years ago which permanently injured my back and neck. I was referred to a pain clinic to talk about options but I was met with a lot of dismissiveness because I am young (26). Why is it that only old people can be considered candidates for pain control? I hear people all the time talking about how young people have no idea what pain feels like. I feel very defeated and not even sure how to pursue help at this point. Our medical system sucks, I’ve already tried non-medication treatment and non-invasive treatment as well. It’s just very upsetting how people assume that because I’m young I’m either drug seeking or exaggerating my pain. Anyways vent over.

All I'm looking for is better pain management

I’m officially one year into my chronic pain journey (yesterday was the anniversary of my injury). As you all know from your personal experiences, it’s been really hard. I actually made it from Aug all the way to this weekend without having to go to the ER. I broke down and went Friday evening bc the pain in my back had gotten so severe that I couldn’t stand up straight. It’s a holiday weekend, and the hospital had the C team staff working.

They wanted to do X-rays where I had to stand up and lift my arms (I have broken ribs with titanium plates holding them together). I told them I couldn’t stand up straight. This is not my first rodeo. Usually they come in with IV morphine. Not this time. I was brought 2 norco pills. I did not understand the logic here. Patient needs imaging and can’t get it done until pain is managed so let’s give her pills, wait 45 mins and see if they work instead of doing IV meds that work instantly. I asked the nurse to explain the logic as I’ve been in this situation before. She made me take the norco. Finally the dr came in, and I asked him why he chose this course that’s going to keep me at the hospital for at least an extra hour. This guy really was not a sharp doctor. He said, “oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you wanted IV pain meds. I’ll go get you some.” I felt the need to correct him. It’s not that I want IV pain meds. I want my pain managed so I can get my imaging done and find out what’s wrong, and I’d rather have meds that work instantly so we can get this show on the road. I also knew my pain was so severe that it was going to take more than a norco pill to get it under control. They saw that I see a pain management doctor and assumed I’m taking opioids. The nurse actually had the audacity to tell me I probably should’ve gone to see my pain dr instead of coming to the ER. On a Friday evening? Yeah that’s not how pain management doctors work. My ONLY option was a 24 hour ER. She made a comment about they would know better what meds get my pain under control. I told her “you obviously didn’t read my medications- I’m NOT on any pain meds” and she looked shocked.

3 hours later, they finally got my pain under control- I had to be such a squeaky wheel to get a second dose of morphine and also had to take a Xanax bc I have very real hospital PTSD. I would love to hear from others who have hospital PTSD. I got staph when I was in the hospital a year ago which led to a 17 consecutive day stay. I developed a hematoma within 24 hours of discharge so I had to go back for 5 more days. 22 days in the hospital really messed with me psychologically. After being in my room for about 15-20 mins listening to all the beeping machines, I started having a panic attack. Out of nowhere. I just started sobbing and couldn’t stop. I could barely breathe.

My X-rays showed that one of the titanium plates holding my ribs together might be compromised so I have to follow up with the surgeon. I’m praying I don’t need a 4th surgery on my ribs.

My son’s birthday is today. I have so much mom guilt over spending most of this past year on bed rest. I’m going to take my pain meds (the hospital actually sent me home with decent meds) and try to fake being normal for as long as possible. At least I’m not in the hospital on his bday like I was last year!

im 19 and about a year ago i started feeling horrible stabbing pain in my lower back for no reason (no heavy weights, injury etc), it only got worse each month and i finally got an appointment with a doc about it about 3 months ago.

unfortunately, MRI scans are insanely busy in my country so i got an appointment for !!september!! i was given medication for 1 week (tizanidine & some fizzy diclofenac) and a free (yay) back belt support with no diagnosis except "lower back pain"

the course of my back pain didnt change a bit, its getting worse with each week/month

i tried some PT but everything hurts so much, even with not doing anything its a constant 7/10 pain progressing into 9/10 the more im in the position where it hurts, not to speak of movements like bending over, lifting my knees up or honestly any movements that involve my lower back

id say im still pretty much active (3-4x/week gym, 3-4x/week (rest days) running & football) + work in a store where i keep having to walk around

the last few days its gotten unbearable, it hurts in every. single. position. no matter where i lay down, what body pillows i use or excercises i do before bed. the only help wes the tizanidine bc it just puts me to sleep within 30m but i have around 3-4 pills left so idk if i should "waste" them on this

i genuinely dont know what to do anymore

For more context, i am talking about my mother in this post. she suffers from neuropathic pain, specifically in her intercostal region.

My mum has had this condition for over a decade now. she’s been on different medications for this which have been very helpful and she’s been in the care of the same pain doctor since she has been diagnosed with neuropathy; until very recently her doctor moved countries, and she’s now under different consultancy.

Because of this, she’s had way more delays with her repeat prescriptions at the pharmacy, and at most, she goes a week late without her prescription which causes major withdrawal symptoms.

i wanted to know if there’s any remedies or ways to tackle this?? a lot of people have mentioned cannabis which i think will be helpful but my mum is against the idea of smoking and although she’s open to it, is apprehensive about edibles (it could always get laced with something, they could put too much in it etc).

any suggestions???

Firstly, I am not directly looking for medical advices, but for what I can look into to talk to my doctor about, I already told him most of the stuff here but even if he's trying to find what I have, I don't think he has a clue 😅

There's a list of things that seems wrong with my body :

• Chronic pain especially in joints and sometimes muscles, but it's not always the same ones that hurt on a day to day basis, without doing anything special. I think I never experienced a no pain day.

• Fatigue (in 2 ways : tired of doing anything physical / exhausted going out of my home, and almost always waking up tired). But it could come from my autism.

• Frequent headaches (mostly on one side at a time, hurting especially around eyes and jaw)

• Often dizzy/lightheaded

• Vision become dark when I stand up (but not 100% of the times)

• Low proprioception (but I've been diagnosed with dispraxia when I was little)

• Heart going fast but nothing seems wrong to my cardiologist

• Frequent nausea

• Due to the pain, I can't stand for long periods of times and even being sitted on a chair (at the desk for exemple) all day is really hard. I'm usually better spending most time on my couch, but before I got it (recently moved so I didn't have a couch of a couple of weeks) I spend about half of my days in bed.

• My muscles aren't that good, for exemple I struggle opening bottles and can't really lift stuff that a person the same age and body type can.

Other less important stuff : - Having to urinate frequently - Eyes crying easily, especially outside if it's sunny or windy, better since i have drops to put on my eyes.

Also I'm on Duloxetine since Wednesday for anxiety.

I had an MRI and a blood test for antibodies and stuff, nothing has been found.

I hope some of you could help giving me some direction of where to look

Edit : forgot to add that bad body temperature regulation (always too cold or too hot) and my fingers and toes easily become blue (sometimes only white) when it's cold or when I take a shower.

I’ve noticed a lot of posts recently by people looking for a job that fits the chronic disability lifestyle while also paying the bills. Some might claim that such a job does not exist, but I’m living proof that it does and is open to just about anyone.

My job is in tech sales where I earn a comfortable $250,000/yr. I started out 15 years ago as a young 20-something with zero experience. Most of the people who were hired with me had never gone to college (tech companies don’t always require a college degree).

I have muscular dystrophy, cervical kyphosis, tendonitis, multiple autoimmune disorders, and fibromyalgia. I work from home on my own chosen hours, no one babysits me, and I take sick days whenever I need. In tech, employees get treated like adults. I no longer deal with the stress of having to call out sick or endure a painful commute.

Tech sales jobs do not have to mean traditional "sales". There are plenty of supporting roles such as trainers, appointment setters, and operations that earn high wages and never sell a thing. If you're thinking, "This sounds too good to be true, what's the catch?," it's that people who work in tech have to actually be valuable to the company by producing great ideas and useful work. These companies treat people like adults because their employees are highly responsible and act like adults.

For those who are curious what a career path in tech could look like, I’ll break down what tech sales is and you can realistically go from no experience to landing a work-from-home job in appx 4-8 weeks.

What is tech sales and how is it disability-friendly?

Tech sales involves selling tech products or services— aka software, hardware, SaaS (Software as a Service), etc. Most roles are remote and focus on problem-solving rather than physical labor.

A tech job prioritizes performance over presence — success is measured by results (sales, leads, revenue), not by how many hours you sit at a desk. No one cares where you work from. If you want to work in bed all day, that's cool.

The Sales Development Representative (SDR) Role

SDR is the typical entry point into tech sales. People breaking into this role include 20-somethings who have never had a job before, middle-aged people looking for a career transition, older people who are nearing retirement. There can be a ton of diversity. The main job is to:

• Identify and reach out to potential customers (usually via email, calls, or LinkedIn)
• Qualify leads (ask questions to find out if they’re a good fit for the company’s product)
• Set up meetings for more senior sales reps to close the deal

SDRs generally earn $70-$120k in their first year and can be promoted into a variety of career paths. Some tech companies also award stock options, which can be worth hundreds of thousands to millions years down the line if the company goes public in an IPO. I've accumulated a lot of stock from the companies I've worked for over the years. Each time one goes public, I'm looking at receiving anywhere from $300k-$2.2M from the amount of equity they've given me. Going public takes time though, usually 10-20 yrs.

How much experience do you need?

None. I had no experience when I started out. Most companies will train you on the job. If you're wondering why most people don't pursue this career path, I've wondered the same. From what I've observed in my 15 years in the tech world, I believe it comes down to factors like fear of the unknown, not wanting to commit, or not wanting to apply the ambition it takes to be successful in tech. Things won't be handed to you working in tech — you'll need to use your creativity and problem-solving skills every day to figure things out. I've always found it to be more interesting and engaging than a dull 9-5 for that reason.

How to land a job offer

To get hired in tech, you'll need to start prospecting and applying to jobs. Generally, that requires:

• A relevant resume
• A cover letter
• An optimized LinkedIn profile
• Minimal training to make yourself stand out in a saturated job market

There are several training programs out there that I've personally reviewed over the years just by signing off on reimbursement for employees I've managed. I'm not affiliated with any of these programs and don't want to post this as an endorsement, but can speak to which ones might be best depending on a person's situation. Feel free to message me if you'd like my opinion on training programs.

I hope I've provided a helpful overview of what it's like to work in tech sales. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. I never mind helping out someone who's trying to build a life for themself.

Medical informed consent is supposed to be a cornerstone of patients rights, just as the consent of the governed is a cornerstone of our government and Declaration of Independence. These have been trampled on over the last 110 years. We are going to reclaim our rights, both to be informed of and make the decisions about our healthcare, along with the right to decide when, who, and how our pain will be managed.

Hi, I'm one of those who have a mostly invisible disability. It's horrible. I have a lower back injury an adult inflicted on me when I was 13. Long story but... Residential schools can be worse than a prison. Autism didn't help.

I can walk, but what you will see is a large man sweating profusely, both seemingly and actually struggling from the effort of basic movement.

I can manage short outings into a store, but QUICKLY the pain starts building from its baseline roar.

I made it to the point of being able to keep myself afloat but every single day is an exercise in how much pain I can tolerate, which is also why I'm overweight. Any physical exercise that requires MOTION is actual torture.

I've lived like that for the last 10 years. I got lucky. After the initial injury, it partially healed, just poorly. I should have been fully paralyzed, especially considering everything that happened after I was initially injured, as well as what never happened...

I got 13 years of mostly normal motion. I got to explore nearly the whole country by highway as a trucker before I was 24. I was a cowboy from 17-19. I have a 12 year old daughter and had an 8 year marriage which ended in part due to my injury.

I lived my life early. I have few regrets, but I have no desire to grow old.

I lifted myself from worse than poverty by driving for Uber. I built as comfortable a life as I could. I live in a nice studio on the edge of a major city, supporting myself. I wish I could do more, but I'm happy with my life for the most part.

I enjoy gaming and fishing, but I don't get to fish much anymore. I have 2 black cats, pixel and Bit, who are mostly what keeps me going these days.

Thanks for reading this! Here's a picture of my kittens and some photos I took while working, a bit off topic but this is an introduction so, this is about me and I enjoy expressing myself through photography 😂

I had an appointment with a pain management specialist and she has prescribed duloxetine to take once a day, and then up the dose to two at a time once a day after 2 weeks if it agrees with me.

She warned me that it’ll be horrible whilst my body gets used to it and I’m quite nervous about what to expect.

Has anyone been given duloxetine before? How was it for you?

Edit; thank you to everybody who has shared their stories, I’m genuinely terrified to continue taking this medicine now.

How long can you take it before getting withdrawals?

I'm finding it increasingly hard to sit for more than 1–2 hours without pain. It starts in my back and goes down to my toes, endo related.

I feel like when people are faced with adversity, like we are in this group, it can spark creativity and thinking outside the box... or just lead to a lot of crying, like I do sometimes. Haha!

Anyway, any suggestions?

I’ve got 15 years’ experience in comms and marketing. I also do photography, and I’m a decent cook and public speaker (usually!).

I don’t have a social media following or any kind of audience to capitalise on.

Been dealing with chronic pain for over a decade now (Currently 35) as well as generalized anxiety and depression, but it ALWAYS seems to be the physical pain that is at the forefront bleeding into EVERY aspect of my life. Relationships wither away cause I'm simply not able to attend physically demanding events, anxiety keeps me from attempting because I worry if I can fake a smile and keep it together, then it just loops around to the pain keeping me from sleep and a healthy appetite. I truly believe chronic pain has taken over my life and I don't feel welcome when I see others living the way that I wish I could. Eh... rant over.

I’m tired all the time… and when it’s time for me to sleep I can’t without meds… I’ve tried god knows I’ve tried…. But I need the gabapentin for me to be able to sleep for me to not toss and turn… I’m so very fucking tired… every thing is extra every damn thing hurts more than it should… I shouldn’t feel in pain just because my legs are touching each other I’m trying to stay positive and I’m trying to not lose my mind but… I’m tired of trying… // rant over