Posted by MERM on 6/21/2008, 12:52 pm
Living with pain is never easy. Even when sufficiently treated with medication, breakthrough pain can occur even on suitable drugs. The following are tips to cope with pain when it occurs:
Learn to use self-hypnosis techniques to rest, concentrate, and let go of pain
Participate in biofeedback sessions
Consider using alternative medicine techniques, such as acupuncture, cupping, spa treatments, and massage
Ask your physician what level of exercise would be appropriate for you
Find out whether manipulation by a chiropractor is suitable for you;
Keep a journal to track your pain throughout the day; discover what times of day affect you most or what activities, then adjust your day accordingly
Find an activity to preoccupy your thoughts when FM pain occurs, such as knitting or a musical instrument
Participate in counseling to learn relaxation techniques and coping strategies
Learn more about nutritional supplements and, if not contraindicated by other medications by your physician, consider their use
2/A Personal Experience of Pain Management
When I was asked to give this talk on the Sunday of the UK Fibromyalgia Conference, due to Professor Mansel Aylward being held up in government, I immediately flew into a panic. "Had Professor Aylward left his slides?" I warily asked conference organizer Pam Stewart. On being told that no information whatsoever was available my panic escalated. What did I know about pain management? It took Pam a while to persuade me that having lived with fibromyalgia for 12 years and having achieved a positive outlook on my life meant that I must know something. I remained skeptical, but said I would have a go and spent my long awaited Sunday morning lie-in writing a 30 minute talk. Once on the stage I began to relax. It was so dark I couldn't see anybody anyway so I could pretend I was talking to myself—something that I apparently do quite often! At the end of my talk some people requested that I summarize my thoughts and ideas into a short article, so here we go: my personal experience of pain management.
The first question I asked myself, while sitting in my bedroom at Imperial College, London, was, "What exactly is pain management?" I decided that to me, pain management is learning to manage my chronic pain and fatigue on a day-to-day basis, so that I can achieve my goals and build a life for myself that I both enjoy and find a level of contentment with. I resolved to explore how I have managed to achieve this in my life by looking at where I have come from and how I manage my life today.
I developed fibromyalgia at the age of 19 during a year out between school and university. It was very sudden and totally mysterious, completely confounding all the doctors I came into contact with. I found myself going from being a very active teenager, who spent her leisure time galloping around the New Forest on her pony, going on long hikes and camping holidays, to someone who was stuck in her bedroom, unable to walk or to use her wrists due to indescribable pain. It was a very odd and mind-blowing situation, which left me confused, frightened and in the end depressed. I became totally reliant on my mother as my symptoms increased and changed unpredictably. Nobody could explain the pain, and to make it even worse the doctors did not even seem to believe me. A lot of my time was spent railing against the injustice of life until I became angry, resentful, bitter and totally self-absorbed. Even my brother tended to avoid my company as he said I was impossible to be with. Over time I developed pain all over, with all the typical symptoms of fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome. It took four years to obtain a diagnosis, in which time I had built up a myriad of psychological issues mainly directed at the medical profession. I later discovered that this story was fairly typical of a fibromyalgia patient and I am sure many of my horrible experiences have been just like yours.
Today my life is very different. The pain is more or less exactly the same; it comes and goes in a totally unpredictable manner making planning ahead a hazardous activity. Despite this, I enjoy my life and have built a daily existence in which I find contentment. I enjoy an active social life with my friends and family, my volunteer work for FMA UK, and my favorite activity, traveling the world. To get to this point I have had to employ many pain management techniques, which I have gradually got to grips with over the past eight years following my diagnosis.
The first of the skills to grasp was acceptance. My breakthrough came when I accepted what had happened and decided to move forward rather than spending each day longing for my old life back. It was not easy. I spent many months working it through with a counselor I both trusted and respected, and gradually lost my bitterness, anger and self-absorption. My counselor also taught me the skills of cognitive behavioral therapy: how to change my negative attitudes into positive ones. It was hard going, but so worthwhile—and eventually I began to see a glimmer of a future ahead of me. I still have what my mother refers to as my "doom and gloom" moments where everything feels as if it is going wrong, but they are less often now. They are mainly triggered when I am very tired and everything goes out of proportion, or when I am confronted with a large dose of frustration or boredom. I have learnt to recognize these situations and try to deal with them promptly.
Learning how to manage my pain came only when my psychological issues had been worked through, as only then was I ready to listen to anyone giving me advice on pain management. Before it had always been, "Take this pain away and I will cope fine thank you very much," whereas now I found myself asking, "Teach me how to live in this situation." Together with my GP and physiotherapist I reviewed the areas of my medication, relaxation, exercise, pacing and goal setting. My GP allowed me to try various medications to achieve the best pain relief possible. I should point out that this is my third GP since having fibromyalgia, and he was well worth finding. Also, I now understand what my GP can do for me, and what he can't, which helps our relationship enormously.
At first, I thought being advised to exercise was a joke. Why provoke more pain to cope with? Gradually I began to understand that if I became increasingly deconditioned I would only succeed in increasing my pain levels, reducing my cardiovascular fitness and making myself more prone to injury. My physio and I argued many times about what exercise I should do and I must admit that I still don't like being told what to do! From all the knowledge I gained from my patient and enduring physiotherapist, along with Sharon Clarke's specialized stretching and aerobics videos for fibromyalgia patients, I have developed my own exercise program, which suits me. The best advice my physio gave me was to do exercise that I enjoyed, as then I would remain motivated to continue. My attempts to exercise have been littered with pitfalls and flare-ups, in the normal way of things when trying to exercise with chronic pain. It is always difficult to walk the tightrope between exercising enough but not over doing it. However, my persistence has paid off. I am generally fitter and most days do some form of exercise.
Message Thread:
« Back to thread