HELP! Living with Chronic Pain

I've been taking the same supplement for the past 3 and a half years that I believe would help you.

I'm also a rep for this company, so I don't think I should mention it by name.

Not sure if there's a private messaging function, but if so, feel free to message me and I will send you some information to research on your own.

I have chronic pain as I'm diagnosed with fibromyalgia, so the constant painful feeling of pins and needles in legs (and in other parts of the body, for me) is something I'm very familiar with. I'm far from an expert on the subject, as I'm quite struggling myself to deal with the pain on a daily basis, and despite the tons of information already given by other posters I'll just give my two cents on how I try to deal with my chronic pain outside of prescribed medication.

I don't use herbal remedies, but I do take plenty of vitamins/minerals. I've been to a doctor who also uses alternative methods to discover what the body needs more of, and of those I take extras (for me that was vitamin 3d and Omega-3). I forgot the name of the doctor I went to, so I can't check out the methods she used to determine it (my memory is awful) but I can check that in the morning (considering it's 1:30 AM for me now). I noticed a minor improvement after taking these and following the dose she recommended. Also, drink plenty of water.

Changing my diet also helped me a bit; I stopped drinking diet drinks as aspartame can be quite poisonous for the body and I try to ignore as much food as possible with a flavour enhancers (specifically E621). It's no miracle cure but every little bit helps.

I find that movement and exercise help, but in small steps. I have too much pain to go to the gym for example, so I started out small. I decided to get dog, who I walk with 3-4 times a day. If I'm having a good day I walk 2 rounds of 20-30 minutes in a doable pace, 1 round of 10 minutes, and one of 5. On a bad day these rounds are shorter of course. I find walking the most pleasant form of exercise, despite the pain in my legs, as walking can also help against the restlessness in the legs caused by pain.

I don't use any herbal home remedies as I've mentioned for the pain specifically, but I do use Bach flower remedies for the mental support and I find it quite helpful. It's the same idea as homeopathy. Homeopathy sets the body to work, but Bach flower remedies put the mind to work. I find that a bit of mental support can be quite beneficial when having to deal with pain constantly.

Getting through a bad day is simply horrible, and I'm far from mastering it, but I found out that doing things in small steps can help; I force myself to go for that short walk with the dog, despite walking hurts. I force myself to do small tasks around the house taking plenty of breaks. If I can't do it on my own I ask for help from my boyfriend or family who's free that day to give me a hand. It can sometimes give just that bit of emotional support for motivation. And yes, sometimes the pain can be that bad that none of this is possible. If that's the case I try to distract myself as much as possible by doing something that requires me to focus so it takes my mind off the pain a little bit and keep myself warm. I find active focus works the best, like doing a crossword puzzle or playing a videogame if my hands aren't hurting too much. Sometimes I watch movies or read a book but since that's more passive I find the pain to be more present.

The doctors told me there was no solution and I was going to be stuck with the pain forever, so I just had to learn to live with it, The trick is in finding the little things that do this for you, but yes, it takes a lot of time to adjust to this.

I'm not sure if any of this helps you, OP, as you suffer from from a completely different thing than I do, but yeah... Just in case, here's my two cents

Just to clarify...

reply to post by Sovvy


I used to be quite active myself. Lost 60 pounds with a great diet and exercise routine. But I noticed the cramps started happening during aqua size. Then it started while hiking during the summer and I thought I had just pulled a muscle. I ignored it for awhile thinking that more exercise would help it - and the cramps and pain got worse and worse. Which prompted me to visit my physician's office and we found the diagnosis of chronic clot - I hear you. There are days where the pain is so bad I can't even get out of bed. Last night was like that. If I'm at home I find house work, and walking around every so often helps a little bit.

I hope you have more good days than bad!

reply to post by notquitesure


I'm already taking vitamin D and was taking magnesium and calcium...

Not sure if this has been mentioned but look into Lumbrokinase or Nattokinase Wiki - nattokinase. They are known to be very good clot busters.

Acupuncture needles are not the same as hypodermic needles, they are very thin and they don't hurt. It is a very good natural, non-drug option for pain management.

Good luck

reply to post by Hawking


I couldn't agree more and I instinctively feel I may know what you're referring too. I will hint at one thing...it's legal in some states and not in others. If this isn't what you're referring too, please accept my apology.

From the sounds of the OP, I have similar health issues (due to an out of control hypothyroid) that Synthroid's thyroid hormone replacement does not help. Not only does/did it not help me, it almost killed me. I have however, found some relief with a specific brands Porcine thyroid replacement hormone (which I have to pretend to be 007 just to order because it has been made unavailable in the US although it is manufactured here). Like I said it helps, but it also causes other side affects like sleeplessness.

I wish I could discuss, like you with OP other alternatives... but unfortunately we cannot. Maybe one day we will truly be able to practice our First Amendment (no pun intended to the site owner or mods).

I do hope OP will find some relief/comfort and assistance with their health issue(s). I wish nothing but the best for OP

reply to post by Charmeine


Oh the cramps, those are so awful. That feeling of a pulled muscle that doesn't go away. It can last so long I sometimes wonder if it's leading its own life!

Exercise is often a double-edged sword I find. Doctors keep advising that it's important, and while that is very true (being stiff due to lack of it only worsens any pain) but it's quite tough to accomplish. I find there is little support to offer on the area of chronic pain, and to be honest, the therapies for it where they teach you how to deal with the pain is often just a combination of a lot of exercise and some counseling, nothing to write home about. In the Netherlands at least, I'm not familiar with these therapies in other countries. And if the pain is severe enough they simply skip this whole process because rehabilitation therapy is too much for you. Gooo doctors

I wish you the same, more good days than bad! And no matter what people say, if the pain is so bad you can't get up, then don't! There's nothing wrong every now and then with staying in bed and feel a little bit sorry for yourself, as long as it's not a habit!

reply to post by ThePublicEnemyNo1


I will mention it again - wish I could amend my original OP....other methods - are not a possibility. I'm in Canada for one and don't even think it's legalized here. So please no more suggestions for this - since we can't even discuss it.

But yes I hear you. I was checked for thyroid issues - many times but I do have a hormone disorder, PCOS. I was also tested for Cushing's disease which my grandmother had. Another rare disease of the hormones...
so I feel your pain! Literally.

Do some research on moringa. I'll be happy to point you toward the best source if you feel that it could help you.

reply to post by Charmeine


i know of one herb that helps with almost everything Anamu (herb) raintree.com

I have researched chronic disease and autoimmune disease for the last five years. So far I have been able to link bacteria/ infection to each and every one of them. If you treat the infection the symptoms will subside. Prior to the onset of your clotting disorder did you have an environmental assault and/ or an infection that didn't seem to resolve?

disclaimer: i'm not a doctor. this is just my current understanding about repairing nerve damage related to lack of regenerative factors. your case may vary.

you might consider METHYL B-12. not normal b-12, it has to be METHYL B-12. one more time with feeling, it has to be the METHYL form of b-12, otherwise known as METHYL B-12.

methyl b-12 is b-12 that has had an enzymatic reaction done to it that your body normally does, but may not do for any number of reasons, such as certain diseases or old age. a doctor who has been treating autism with methyl b-12 noticed that it also had the pleasant side effect of stopping the advance of diabetic neuropathy (which is where all the nerves in the extremities begin to die and the pain associated with it can be bad. also lack of nerve response, causes blood vessels to stop functioning properly, reducing blood flow and hence even the smallest scrape can turn into a serious infection, in some cases, leading to amputations).

methyl b-12 is used by the body to repair nerve damage but people with diabetes, the elderly, autistics, and various other nerve related diseases, don't create the enzyme the body needs to convert b-12 to its methyl form in sufficient amounts so that your body can repair the damage. what the pill form of methyl b-12 does, is bypass the body's lack of enzyme to convert b-12, by doing the conversion on it first, and putting it in a capsule or tablet.

now i'm not sure the extent of your nerve damage and i know very little about your condition, but when i see people saying "nerve damage," i immediately think of methyl b-12. also, ALPHA LIPOIC ACID, which is a potent anti-oxidant, helps with the same thing for diabetics but in a different way.

for diabetic neuropathy the recommended dosage of methyl b-12 is 5000 MCG (micrograms not millograms) every 3 days. so once every three days, you can take 1 tablet if the tablets are 5000 mcg each. get it in tablet form and let it melt slowly in your mouth. if they have a time released capsule form, that might work as well. in this case, more is not better because any excess will be wasted. but it hangs around in your body for days, so once every 3 days is usually sufficient for non autistic people, anyway. your case may vary.

when i saw you were dealing with nerve pain, that's first thing that popped into my head. are the nerves dying, are they malfunctioning. do they need to be regenerated?

if you like all the scientific research mumbo-jumbo, heres a medical paper on the subject

Methyl B-12

reply to post by Charmeine


I'd almost tell you to investigate bone soup but with thickening arteries that would probably not work. The mixture of the minerals and chemicals in bone soup is good for the joints and for spasms and pain. Trouble is that the glucosamine will also thicken the veins, so will Jello. I had problems after taking calcium/glucosamine supplements for about four months and it took me about a year to get rid of the calcium built up on my joints and in my feet. I have a liver like a bunny, it gets scared and freezes. I eat homemade soup at least two days a week, specially formulated to keep my seizures away.

reply to post by Atom12


Last time I will type this out. Too bad I can't amend my original post.

I have Factor V Leiden. It's a rare blood clotting disorder that I've had from birth. It is not from an infection. It is not anything except - a mutation of a gene inherited from my mother. FVL is an inherited disorder - there is no cure for it. It means that your blood is prone to clotting and most who have FVL wind up on blood thinners for life. Most will eventually die of a blood clot or what we're all fearful of - PE - in the lungs.

So really I need to be inventive in finding ways to cope with the pain from multiple symptoms of the disorder. The disorder was discovered in 1991 by Leiden and there is a family of genes that can mutate and all cause clotting disorders. The only way this disorder can be managed is through the use of blood thinners. My chronic clotting started up again this summer - my physician figures from my bus trips I took to the mountains, sitting on a bus for hours on end that did it.

So please - I don't need a diagnosis or tips on diet...just suggestions on how to deal with daily pain - part of living with the disorder.

Thank you all for your responses thus far.

reply to post by rickymouse


That does sound interesting...not very tasty but worthy of a google search.

reply to post by undo


Thanks for your long post but...it's not nerve damage - see my next post for definition.

Just to clarify...