BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Stress Management Suffering from pain-related stress

Mattie,

It sounds like you really had a rough time. I have been able to go to work and do most essential tasks, but I have had to make special accommodations for everything I do during the day and take care that I don't do anything at the least to stress my back, because if I do even one thing wrong, I'll feel the consequences for the next two days. At night I only sleep for about 4 hrs at a time. My back stiffens to the point that I have to get out of bed and put heat on my back to relieve the back and leg pain. I dread getting out the bed every time, because I don't know how hard and painful it will be. In short, I am having to constantly focus on my bodily movements and always be thinking ahead -- and taking all the criticism people give me about my pain management. Sometimes I feel like my brain is just going to explode.

I am already doing a similar regiment as you did -- going to a chiropractor for decompression. He also does a brief soft tissue massage on each visit and goes over exercises with me. I do two sets of back exercises every day. I do them "no matter what", which is so hard. I have been doing this for a little over a month, and the chiropractor thinks I'm making progress. I don't understand why -- although the knots in my back muscles are gone, and I'm even walking much better, I am still in a lot of pain. How long did it take you to finally see the pain start to regress?

I should also mention that I have very healthy dieting habits and body weight. Also love to walk for exercise.

I think about this post when I'm hurting and don't know what to do -- thank you!

Don't be so quick to try surgery. I think you can try some natural options. It may have to be work. But yo should excercise all options before going under the knife. Mattie a la mode www.mattiealamode.com

Me again. It took years for me to go about my day without the fear of pulling something. I am not a doctor. But what I did worked for me. My progress was slow. Every month I would see small changes in my back strength. As long as you are getting better a little every month, that is a good sign. For sleep, I got an orthopedic bed and pillow and I reduced my coffee intake. I drink 1-2 cups of coffee a morning. and no caffeine after 11am. I walked ALOT. a mile minimum a day, then I started running! Now I do weights, but very light and slowly. I know this is going to sound "Oprahish". But try a journal, write down all the improvements you make and focus on them and move in those directions. There are many things that I can and won't be able to do again. But since, I don't think about them, I don't know what they are. Sometimes perspective helps the reality. Take care, Mattie a la mode www.mattiealamode.com

here's an article about future non-surgical method for pain of herniated disk:BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

Ok sorry. What is a UBB code? Mattie

Be a strong willed and search for the right consultant

Sprinkle a tablespoon of flaxseeds on your veggies or salads. Include more soyabean in your diet. These are known dietary sources to ensure smoother joint movements and do away with a lot of other problems. To reduce stress, these home remedies will surely help you. Let me know if they work for you or not - BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

Hi, I need help for understanding how to use the UBB code. Can someone guide me please

Sounds like much of the things I've been through with pain. One thing I thought about was WHY do I have all this pain when I really am not doing all that much. I am moderately physically active most of the time. Sometimes I am VERY active. So I gave this some thought. I thought about exactly WHAT was hurting and what muscles I was using. I came to a conclusion that much of my pain was due to overuse of the same muscles. One thing I did that changed things was looked at the way my house is set up. What side of the bed I got up on. How many corners I take, like hallways and door and stairs. Do I walk slowly and straight. Do I stress certain parts of my body just doing everyday things repeatedly? So many of these things sound trivial but when you actually start to LOOK at what you are doing daily you can make some changes. I decided, for one thing, to sleep on the other side of the bed so when I got up and down I was using the otherside of my body. Especially my back. The change in pain level was dramatic and almost instantaeous. I slowed down taking corners and didn't lean and pop out my knee like I had been doing, which also reduced my hip pain. Favouring one side of your body over the other DOES cause pain eventually. Taking clothes out of the dryer, one by one, IS a KILLER for my back. Take them out in a bunch and switch sides. I mean stand to the right, if it hurts, switch to other side. Sounds simple but this one really was bad for my back especially when I was doing a lot of laundry in one day. TRY using your opposite hand when doing small tasks. I am a righty so sometimes I TRY to use my left hand. There are some things though you just can't do this with. Another thing was how I carried things. Heavy things, unbalanced will cause me great problems later in the day. Take smaller loads and BALANCE them evenly so one part of your body isn't overstressed. Do this ALL the time. One wrong move while you are uncentered can cause you pain later in the day. Somedays though, I just overdo EVERYTHING and have to take some Tylenol and a Momentum, OTC back pain caplet, and go lay down on a heating pad for a while. I hope this helps.

Sorry about your pain, I can relate to what you are going through. I use to have constant back and hip pain. I used a [url=http://www.myphield.com/]energy therapy[/url]. The biggest thing for pain management I can suggest is this: don't let the pain totally stop you. Learn your limits and respect them, but if you let the pain stop you, you'll find starting again gets harder and harder.