Getting out of pain without meds
Like millions of people around the world, I suffer from back pain. Each morning for the past 25 years I wake up from and/or with noticeable to unbearable pain. Although this pain is inconvenient and physically/mentally/emotionally limiting, there is no doubt pain has shaped my life in a positive way.
I’ve visited orthopedists, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, and have had several X-rays and MRI’s. The diagnosis is degenerative disc diseases along, spinal canal stenosis, disc bulging and inflamed soft tissue that come along with it. Seemingly, this is not very unique situation and is shared by many people I know. What is distinctly different is how each and every person I know handles this diagnosis.
The most intrusive response is surgery, followed by injections of various kinds. Most people start with assessing their nutrition to see if nutrient intake and body mass. Then it escalates to physical therapy and exercise including yoga and pilates. Then, depending on what the advise and the advisor, you may visit an acupuncturist, chiropractor, or some variant of what’s referred to alternative medicine that’s slowly making its way into mainstream medicine.
No matter how well we describe our situation to a professional we will get some good insight/direction along with some advise that might not be best. This is not really the fault of the advising professional as they don’t live in our skin and can’t feel what we feel. Unfortunately (for us patients), most of us are looking for a pill or magic bullet to get rid of the pain instead of listening to our body. When a baby cries, there’s a usually a reason why (hungry, tired, dirty diaper, etc). Similarly, when our body cries to us, we need to listen and understand why. Except the answer is not always simple.
My personal process of alleviating pain has been a rollercoaster. The two things I’ve stayed away from is surgery and opioids. After trying every process mentioned above, I’ve learned that they all work and are of value, but none of them is the “end all be all.” We all need to take ownership of our pain/situation, accept it as a part of our lives realizing that many millions of people also suffer with us.
Which leads me to the purpose of sharing my story. I hope you’ll share yours and collectively we can share our successes and failures toward finding the tools and help we need to get out of pain. More importantly, to support one another in keeping surgery as an absolute last resort, and staying away from opioids, which are heavily addictive and have been cause of far too many unnecessary deaths (becoming a national crisis).
Disclaimer: I am not a physician or a medical professional. Any advise given is from my own experience. Please consult a professional before taking any changes.
