General Chat

The following is a leaflet produced by my sister for the NHS in Hampshire. She has given me permission to put it on here in the hope it may help somebody.


WHAT IS CHRONIC PAIN?


Chronic pain is pain that continues for three months or more, and which may not respond to standard medical treatment. It can be disabling and frustrating for people to manage, and it can affect relationships with family, friends and work colleagues.


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The brain is the processing centre for messages coming from all over the body. These messages enable you to feel things like heat, cold, touch and pain. Nerves carry messages from all areas of your body to the spinal cord then up to the brain. IF MESSAGES ABOUT PAIN DO NOT REACH THE BRAIN YOU WILL NOT FEEL PAIN.


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Included in the following advice are ways that you can reduce the amount of messages that reach the brain, thereby helping to alleviate your pain.


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DON’T……

Overdo it
Doing too much when you have a good day is not the way to manage your pain. Break things up into manageable tasks, and take a break BEFORE you need it.

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Have an unhealthy diet
Eating too much sugary food, and drinking too much coffee will put more stress on your already stressed body. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, and drink lots of water to avoid getting constipated.
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Think negatively
Negative thinking such as ‘I’ll never get better’ or ‘Why did this happen to me?’ won’t help your situation, and can even make you feel worse.

DO…..

Think positively
Acceptance of your condition is not about giving up, but recognising that you need to take more control with regard to self-managing your pain.

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Take your medication
Taking your painkillers will allow you to remain active - don’t wait until the pain gets too much before taking it.

Distract yourself
Keeping yourself occupied will help to distract your mind from the pain. Read an interesting book; arrange to meet a friend for coffee; do a jigsaw puzzle or watch a good film.

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Stay active
Gentle exercise is essential as it stops your muscles and joints getting too stiff. Even walking round the house will help if you don’t feel up to going out.

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Get enough sleep
If you find yourself awake at 3am worrying about things that need to be done, leave a pen and paper by your bedside and write a ‘worry’ list. Add a time that you will set aside during the day to deal with them. This technique tricks the brain into believing the problems are dealt with, and will help you sleep.
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Ask for help
Don’t expect your friends and family to be mind readers as they are not usually very good at it. Explain how you feel calmly and clearly. Be confident enough to say no if you don’t feel up to doing something. If people are able to understand you better, you will feel less alone in coping with your pain.

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Use a relaxation technique
Music is a very powerful medium: research has discovered that listening to music for an hour a day can ease back pain by a fifth. Lie down for 20 minutes and listen to your favourite music whilst imagining yourself somewhere beautiful. Practise the following breathing technique until you can do it automatically without using your hands.

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RELAXED BREATHING

This exercise is best learned lying down, but once learned, it can be done whenever you feel in pain, and to prevent stress building up. Just a few breaths will help!

• Place one hand on your upper chest and one on your stomach, just below your ribs.

• As you gently breathe in through your nose, allow your stomach to rise, keeping your chest fairly still. Keep this movement gentle. Relaxed breathing doesn’t mean deep breathing.

• Slowly and evenly, breathe out through your nose, feeling your stomach going back down.

• Breath at a pace that feels natural for you. Again, be aware of the hand on your stomach rising while the hand on your upper chest hardly moves.


Pain Concern Listening Ear
0844 499 4676
http://www.painconcern.org.uk


Action on Pain
0845 603 1593
http://www.action-on-pain.co.uk

Hi Ann
Thank you for posting this. Very interesting and I shall look at the links you gave.
There was a very interesting TV programme on pain last week. Sadly I can't remember what it was called now
Take care
Von

.... It was an Horizon programme on BBC 2.
Very interesting it was too although there was nothing new in it for long term chronic pain sufferers likemyself.
The magnetic pulses to the brain look promising but it is still a very experimental therapy.

Eddieisagrandad
Thank you.
Take care
Von

nnn

Thanks Sylvia. Strange, I thought a lot of people on here talked about having a lot of pain. Seems like nobody is interested. (Or maybe not commenting).

Possibly those who have had chronic pain for years have tried most of this and found it not sufficient help. Those new to perpetual pain should find it helpful.

Those of us who have chronic pain all know the above and have learned for ourselves the best way to deal with it, a lot of the above didn't work for me for various reasons. I agree with Jean though that it would be of help to new sufferers.

Caz xx

Yes it was mainly for new sufferers who are looking for answers. I certainly didn't mean to patronise those of you used to living with pain for whom I have the utmost admiration. Interesting and sad to know that these things don't work though. Maybe I will delete the thread.

I should add my sister does not work for the NHS she is a Fibrolmyalgeia suffer of many years.

Thank you Rita

Ann don't delete the thread it will be useful for new sufferers. A lot of my pain is caused by damaged nerves, that's why they didn't work for me. The only thing that helps is morphine now, I used to be able to soak it away in a hot bath but we only have a shower now. I never read it as patronising either.

Caz xx

maybe others could add suggestions that they have found helped them?

Good idea Sylvia

Ann as I suffer from RA have tried everthing out there.
I think your thread is very useful for people who are just
experiencing living with pain for the first time and need all the help they
can get, I know I did. Leave the thread it is not patronising it is informative.

Emmax

Thanks Emma.

My pain is caused by osteoarthritis, and I have found that using warmth can help .... hot water bottle or those heat-in-the-microwave wraps.

I also go for phsyiotherapy about every 3 weeks, and that works wonders. Plus, of course, doing the exercises that the physiotherapist gives me ........... and doing them at least 5 days a week. No slacking off!

Thank you Sylvia I will pass that back to my sister.

Morning all, Exercise is too painful for me at the moment,
I see the surgeon at the end of the month for knee replacements
hoping to get back into it after ops.I also use heat pads on knees
and hands for relief, son in law bought me a hand warmer, its
reusable and you activate the disk inside the fluid and it will
crystallise and give off heat. Once cooled you place in a pan
of boiling water for 10mins. until it returns to liquid.

Emmax

Does it help Emma? I do suffer back pain but mostly manage it without medication. Heat helps. It is a vicious circle isn't it. Pain so you can't exercise, so you stiffen up and get more pain.

I have a heat pad for my back, I have osteo arthritis in the bottom of my spine and can hardly walk sometimes with it, like yesterday. I sit in my chair with the heat pad at the bottom of my back and OH plugs me in, lol, the heat is wonderful and so soothing. I leave it on for about fifteen minutes and it is surprising how easy I feel afterwards, I never thought to use it on my knees but will give it a go now.

Caz xx