First of all, thank you for sharing your experience. I hope you’re feeling ok right now. As a chronic pain patient myself, here are some of my thoughts.
Opioids have a bad reputation, rightfully so in some cases, but it can be part of a solution to treat chronic pain. I’ve been taking a a mild opioid (tramadol) to reduce my pain for several years now and it has been literally a life saver. There are downsides, but the reduction in pain out-weights them, at least in my case. I understand the resistance against opioids and they are not very popular right now, but if it really helps to deal with your pain, it may be worth considering it.
Consider counseling with a psychologist or psychiatrist. Depression comes with the pain territory, sadly enough. Most people don’t understand the severity of chronic pain. As you said it yourself: you can move, you look ok from the outside, but in reality, you’re far from ok. It’s mentally draining and can cause severe depression. Be aware of that and be prepared.
Try to find the causes of your pain. From your writing, I can’t make up if you know the sources of your musculoskeletal pain. It took me years, several specialists and hospitals to find all the pain triggers. A specialised pain center of a hospital can really help you we with that. Then again, I live in Europe and benefit from universal healthcare. The costs of treatment can be a big issue in the US, sadly enough.
Knowing what causes your pain is really important, just like knowing how to deal with it. Plan your day accordingly. If you know you can be active for three hours without much more pain, divide you day in blocks of three hours, followed by rest. This can be difficult, especially with work, social contacts and in relationships. But it’s really important to know your limits.
Talk to others about your pain and let them know how it affects your life. Others don’t feel your pain, you may even try to hide it. This can result in a lot of miscommunication and wrong assumptions. If you’re in pain, let the (significant) other know so they can understand your behaviour. You’re acting in a certain way right now because of your pain, not because you’re not interested (in them), not because you’re ignoring them, not because you’re lazy, etc.
Opioids have a bad reputation, rightfully so in some cases, but it can be part of a solution to treat chronic pain. I’ve been taking a a mild opioid (tramadol) to reduce my pain for several years now and it has been literally a life saver. There are downsides, but the reduction in pain out-weights them, at least in my case. I understand the resistance against opioids and they are not very popular right now, but if it really helps to deal with your pain, it may be worth considering it.
Consider counseling with a psychologist or psychiatrist. Depression comes with the pain territory, sadly enough. Most people don’t understand the severity of chronic pain. As you said it yourself: you can move, you look ok from the outside, but in reality, you’re far from ok. It’s mentally draining and can cause severe depression. Be aware of that and be prepared.
Try to find the causes of your pain. From your writing, I can’t make up if you know the sources of your musculoskeletal pain. It took me years, several specialists and hospitals to find all the pain triggers. A specialised pain center of a hospital can really help you we with that. Then again, I live in Europe and benefit from universal healthcare. The costs of treatment can be a big issue in the US, sadly enough.
Knowing what causes your pain is really important, just like knowing how to deal with it. Plan your day accordingly. If you know you can be active for three hours without much more pain, divide you day in blocks of three hours, followed by rest. This can be difficult, especially with work, social contacts and in relationships. But it’s really important to know your limits.
Talk to others about your pain and let them know how it affects your life. Others don’t feel your pain, you may even try to hide it. This can result in a lot of miscommunication and wrong assumptions. If you’re in pain, let the (significant) other know so they can understand your behaviour. You’re acting in a certain way right now because of your pain, not because you’re not interested (in them), not because you’re ignoring them, not because you’re lazy, etc.
Don’t give up. Stay curious.