Edited to add because my title is worded badly: When I say “mental health issue,” I am not talking about mental disorders that cause legitimate suffering. The suffering that those cause is VALID and I am so sorry for my title being worded like that. I am undergoing some brain fog so I hope you will give me grace.

I am talking about when people try to frame someone else’s desire for pain relief as a matter of “positive thinking” or their “mindset.”

And to the assholes who try to tell people in pain to call 988 over a mention of wanting to die: if you try to tell them you are suffering from chronic pain, they may refuse to talk to you because they aren’t doctors. They may also treat thoughts of wanting to undergo physician assisted death the same as having a mental health crisis. I have had it happen to me. They are not equipped to address this problem.

I bring this up because I saw a discouraging comment on a previous thread where someone was mentioning going into palliative care, and someone tried to convince them their choice to die was “just” a mental health issue and to try and push through it. I know it isn’t just this one person who thinks that way. It’s pervasive and it’s disgusting.

I already deal with chronic migraines and the pain which that entails. But a few evenings ago I felt sudden onset excruciating abdominal and back pain. I fought going to the ER (emergency room) because of my humiliating past experiences with stigma and prejudice for taking opioids. But my spouse insisted I go. I'm glad he did because it was medically necessary, however . . .

I was finally examined after waiting 3 hours while people who were watching videos on their phones at full volume and laughing/joking/smiling/snacking! were seen before me (do NOT tell me not to judge the hospital policy, patients should be seen by severity not order of arrival; I was vomiting from the pain, writhing, and crying. And I gave birth twice like a d&mn warrior. I. Am. Tough.).

I have a large kidney stone which was blocking my ureter and preventing urination as well as a kidney infection they're concerned could turn septic. I had surgery to put in a stent from my kidney to urethra to allow urination. I have to take heavy duty antibiotics to try to clear up the infection and then go back for another surgery to remove the stone.

I am in horrible pain. I feel the stent inside of me at all times. I urinate blood and cry every time I pee. I still violently vomit once or twice a day from pain.

Before I left the hospital the urologist who performed the surgery said the pain would worsen for awhile and that he would prescribe painkillers for me.

I receive one opioid per day for migraine. One. When he learned this, he stopped communicating with me. He won't return my calls.

How the f@#$ is one weak opioid going to manage pain that took multiple doses of morphine and dilaudid in the hospital?!

This is negligence. This is malpractice. I have an opioid contract that I follow to the letter. I can't take my one sad little opioid for this issue. I need it for the migraines and can't run out.

This has to STOP. We are human beings and deserve to be treated as such. What is it going to take for change?!

Because of policies from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), CDC, DEA, etc. anyone who changes their prescription insurance & has Medicare Part D, a “safety review” is automatically triggered if you take opioids &/or other controlled medications (this was intended to eliminate co-prescribing of opioids & benzos but has since been used w other meds). The new plan may refuse to cover ALL controlled medications, even for people who have been on them for years, UNLESS they have a letter, signed by each healthcare professional who prescribes you a controlled medication, that they’re aware of your prescriptions that are controlled & agree that the risks outweigh the benefits & the medications are a medically necessary part of your treatment plan.

I had to write this letter & have my 2 doctors who prescribe medicine sign it, then submit it to my Part D plan. I didn’t know about this when I first tried changing plans, & it took a lot of doing to get each doctor to basically sign off on medication that someone else prescribed. Make sure you/whoever writes your letter mentions the FDA black box warning that longterm opioid therapy should never be abruptly tapered or discontinued, due to health & safety risks, including death. That warning was first published in 2019, as was a NEJM article from CDC staffer Deborah Dowell. This prevented my next Part D plan from declining to fill my medications. If you need help with this letter, I can provide links to some of the literature on this. Take care & hope this helps someone! 💜

I'm located in nyc fwiw and have been taking oxycodone for years under the care of my doctor. This was the first time I've had them call and ask. Will it hurt me if I don't return the call? Thanks

I know gatorade has so much sugar in it but we got like 2 big pallets of it for free so why not

I’ve been invalidated so many times by different people, I sometimes think that they’re right, despite what my doctor and surgeon said. For context, I texted 988 a few times for someone to emotionally support me or distract me when I was experiencing severe pain. Two different people on the other end tried to convince me my pain “just anxiety.” The third person didn’t get to that point because they forgot what I texted in for maybe ten minutes in. Another one just told me to go away.

I know this shit shouldn’t stick with me. They aren’t doctors. But my brain is all fogged up from being in pain for so long. I just can’t help it.

I have had anxiety before. I know what the chest pain from it feels like. I told my doctor this when my cardiac panel came back great. I advocated for myself because I know that my pain did not fit with my previous pattern of anxiety in terms of both how it felt and when it happened.

They found a physical cause. A gigantic gallstone. Great. The surgeon saw it, put me on painkillers for severe pain once he figured out what was going on. When he saw my gallbladder after he took it out, he gave me fucking oxy without me even asking. I literally woke up from the surgery with a script for it. He told my dad it looked really bad.

The thing is even after the surgery my pain is starting to come back.

I logically know that my body is still getting used to being without my gallbladder. I know I might be going through some changes and experiencing some pain. I know it’s been a week and a half and to give myself some grace before worrying that the surgery didn’t do what I thought it would.

And I know that my pain has messed with my head so badly, I can barely even feel anxiety anymore. How would I get chest pain from anxiety if I don’t even feel anxiety? Still, I guess there’s this thought in the back of my head: “What if I overreacted? What if my chest pain really is anxiety and I got a whole surgery over nothing?”

Really? “Over nothing?” The surgeon himself said that it looked really bad and it was causing me pain. I’ve even noticed a good chunk of my pain is gone so quickly after getting the surgery. It doesn’t make any sense to think that.

It’s so stupid.

Honestly fuck brain fog.

Here's my current set up. Just showered, changed my sheets and have got my plushie gang all ready. Squishmallows and Squishables are excellent body pillows!

Saw this posted on another sub and thought the answers would be much more interesting from my fellow chronic pain sufferers.

For me it’s cervical spinal injury. Never knew it was possible to feel that deep organ pain you get after organ surgery in your neck 24/7 😅 and feels like being cut with red hot razors down your shoulders and arms and into your fingers on a particularly bad day. Also feels like someone is trying to pop my knuckles off with a blade.

I have a pretty high pain tolerance and never really cry from pain. When I get to my 9/10 pain with my spinal injury, I don’t even start screaming or crying or anything. I just start puking. Then I know I need immediate outside help when I start getting spots in my vision. One time my physical therapist did this test on me where she pressed down on my head and it made me literally writhe like a bug, completely involuntarily.

Last time I had to get stitches the doctor doing them had to numb both sides of my fingers and told me that people usually jump out of their seats from the pain and when I didn’t react as she was doing it she got concerned and said “Are you okay? You have to tell me if it’s hurting you”. Sure it hurt but nowhere near as bad as my neck hurts all day every day lol

What about you guys?

I’m 24 and living with my mom in Georgia. I was involved in a serious car accident in 2024 that left me with ongoing back and neck problems, tinnitus, and hyperacusis (painful sensitivity to everyday sounds). Physical therapy hasn’t helped much, and doctors haven’t been able to offer me a reliable solution for my hearing problems. I have an ongoing personal injury lawsuit that could take another couple of years to resolve.
My mom and aunt keep pressuring me to get a job, and my mom constantly reminds me how little money we have. I understand her concerns and genuinely want to become financially independent, but I’m struggling just to get through each day. My physical limitations make working incredibly difficult, and even ordinary environments can be overwhelming because of my hearing.
The hardest part is that I’m incredibly passionate about filmmaking, writing, and art. I want to become a director someday and eventually move to New York. But lately, all I can bring myself to do is watch movies, play story-driven video games, and try to make it through another day. I have ADHD, struggle with depression, and feel like my ambitions are slipping further away.
Living in the US feels increasingly depressing when you’re dealing with health problems and have no financial independence. I feel trapped between wanting to build a meaningful life and barely being able to manage the one I have. I don’t want to spend my twenties like this, and I don’t expect my family to support me forever.
Has anyone been in a similar position? Should I look into disability benefits, try finding remote work, or focus on recovering while my lawsuit plays out? How do you start building a future when your health, finances, and living situation all seem to be working against you?

Three months ago I finally saw a pain management doctor for my lower back and hip deterioration. It has been a lifelong problem but recently it has become disabling.

I wanted an orthopedist but I mistook the title “spine inistitute” for orthopedics. The pain doctor spent 15 of our twenty minutes together telling me that physical therapy must be the front line treatment, and most people coming in just wanted a quick fix, etc. The doctor really was protecting me from the insurance company because they likely wouldn’t pay for an MRI without six sessions of PT. I dove in aggressively determined to work the program doing exercises once or twice a day. During that six weeks, my pain increasingly got worse in my hips and my back.

Today, I am laying on my back in bed. Moving, getting up, and especially walking are excruciating. I had my MRIs and they show extensive damage to my left hip including necrosis of the bone and a completely torn up labrum along with advanced arthritis. At three weeks, I contacted the doctor and told her that my pain was getting much worse. She insisted that I complete six sessions before she would do anything. That final three weeks resulted in me being able to barely walk, can’t work or even put on shoes and socks. I’m really sure the PT made it all much worse.

The entire vibe i got from the doctor and the physical therapists was that anyone who complains about therapy is just being lazy, and a refusal to accept that I was actually getting worse. One therapist said “I don’t know, you seem to be walking a lot better!’

Now that I have the MRI results I have an appointment with a surgeon on Monday, no thanks to the doctor who has not yet even read my scans.

Is this insistence by the insurance companies that six sessions of physical therapy are required before any other treatment causing unnecessary damage and suffering for anyone else?

Has anyone experienced zero appetite when you reach a certain level of pain?

I’m losing a pound a day, because I can’t choke down enough to keep me stable. I used to be 250, then I went down to 211, purely because of the pain, which I used Gabapentin and medical marijuana to control… and which eventually failed last June.

That’s when I started Tramadol, and I could eat again until I stabilized at 218 (I’m 6’-4”, so still probably overweight). That was a year and a half ago, and the pain has progressed and I’m guessing my body is becoming tolerant of the medication.

But this time, the only stronger med is methadone and if Tramadol puts me to sleep, what the heck will methadone do?!?

Anyway, I’ve got this beautiful half rack of barbecued ribs, and for the last two days, I just can’t bring myself to eat them.

God damn it all.

63, idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, perfectly healthy, can only stand long enough to get in my electric wheelchair.

Where I live, if you apply and get disability, you can’t work. Which I personally think is fucking stupid. Because the money you make from disability is no where near enough if you’re someone who is able enough to live on their own. I can work 8 hours, 5 days a week but I can’t do it easily. Every time I work a job full time I eventually crash, hard. But obviously in this economy a part time job isn’t enough.

I’m so tired

I am a young woman, who has had chronic medical issues since about 11. MANY years of missed diagnoses, even after having surgeries and unusual test results.

When I was a kid, I thought that was why, and that people would take me more seriously when I was an adult and could better advocate for myself.

Now, I think a lot of it has to do with my gender. I often avoid looking nice for doctors appointments because ive noticed I’m taken less seriously if I’m wearing makeup or dressed well. I’m in my mid 20s, so I think it may also have to do my age, but lately have been hearing from people up to their 50s also being treated by doctors as if they are too young for the conditions they have.

Women/GNC folks: has your experience changed with age? Also feel free to share your experiences with medical neglect in general, I know we all have at least one.

Men: has your experience changed with age? Do you believe doctors take you less seriously because of another demographic you belong to, or other factors?

Genuinely curious, because I can sometimes get stuck on how I should be presenting myself to doctors to be taken seriously. I know all of us with chronic pain or invisible disabilities tend to get taken less seriously or labeled as inactive or drug seeking. Please don’t misinterpret this post as me thinking things are easy for men or older patients — rather, Ive internalized this problem as relating to my demographic as a young woman and want to know what other people’s experiences are like as they relate to those external perceptions

Hey all, I posted not so long ago about being at the end of my rope and how hard it's been for me to deal with the pain, I wanted to come back and make another post that is a little bit of a win.

I saw my pain Dr Friday, she's very nice, super understanding and I guess she could read me like a book. She was the first PM doctor to ask about my overall wellbeing, how im sleeping, eating, what I'm able to do, she asked in great detail for me to describe my pain which was a little hard for me to do because I've never been asked that.

She did give the green light for me to trial extended release hydrocodone!! I am very excited to try it, I am on basically the same daily dose (30mg) and after a week I plan to call and update on how well it's working (or not), but she still said yes! She wants me to get my sleep in order, I do not sleep well because of the pain so she said she's happy to prescribe me cyclobenzaprine because it is sedating, plus with the extended release pain medication I think that it will make a difference starting day one.

I can tell she genuinley cares and she knows I've had a crap load of stuff done to try and treat my pain. She is also going to see if she can hurry along the nerve stimulator trial that I am pending. She thinks it would work well for me :) but, she also explained the risks and that it may not work for me, which i am very aware of, but maybe a nerve stimulator+ low dose meds may work wonders, i ideally want to stop all medications, but i also know the nature of the beast. I'm very excited, and im hoping that I will find some real relief very soon.

Hi my fellow chronic pain friends. I’m wondering if anyone has been to a chronic pain rehab center (covered by insurance) that you felt was successful at addressing pain with multidisciplinary approaches.
Thanks for the help, sending warm hugs to you 🫂

Bilateral Sciatica (assuming herniated discs) (haven’t gotten checked yet)

Bilateral CUBITAL tunnel

Occipital/ tridgeminal neuralgia

Mild joint stiffness

Tendinosis across body- (bilateral Achilles, bilateral tennis elbow, bilateral dequervians tenysivitis, bilateral rotator cuff, bilateral jumpers knee)

I also have stuff like weird dizziness that kinda comes and goes, anxiety (GAD), definitely a sensitive nervous system, etc.

I’m assuming not everything is linked but wondering if people kind of come close with this level of chronic pain. I’m 18yo male by the way.

I'm 39, pretty physically active, but get pain from nerve, inflammation, and musculoskeletal. In the past few days keep feeling like dead tired quite early. Has pregablin made anybody else just super exhausted and need to sleep? Or could I just be overdoing it between barista work and exercise.

This Halloween I have been in the most pain, and the sickest I've ever been. I'm sure a lot of you are very limited in what you can do during this spooky season, and that it can be unbelievably difficult because unfortunately, whether due to pain or disability, we are excluded from most fun activities around where we all live.

So, I put this ghost up, as a gift to all of you, who are also suffering. I hope it puts a smile on your face.

What helps you get through the holiday season? How do you cope?

For me, laughter is the best medicine, so this really helps me when I'm struggling and since I'm bedridden, I had my caregiver decorate my room, and put that little ghost in front of my bed for the particularly hard moments.

❤️‍🩹🎃

I think depression + endless screen staring is finally frying my brain completely. Today I was playing some board games and I was completing mental tasks way slower than others or just plain wrong. Thats probably excepted at this point, I know depression can mess up your brain, but it felt really bad. Like this illness has taken my physical abilities away already and now I can't do simple math? I don't really care otherwise since I'm home most of the time but in social situations like these its really embarrassing.

So I took apranax yesterday and today i took 2 parol at the same time 1000mg and it cut out my pain. Next time i will try 500mg but what i want to asked is it okay what i am doing? I need to work 15 days without break except the sundays. Can I take 1k or 2k parasatomol daily? I hurt my leg and its gives me insanly high pain like my leg is shaking.

Daily usage of parol is harmfull or not? Thanks for your answer already.

At least once a year I kink my neck so bad I cant even move my head to midline. This first happened back in 2016 and in 2019 I was given a script for cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride. I currently am experiencing one of the worst kinks ever and checked my medicine cabinet and I still have some left. Is this dangerous to take? I realize the potency is probably pretty affected but other than that? I fear its better than nothing because I cant get into my dr until next week.

Background: I have CRPS, constant pain in hands and feet. I'm on oral buprenorphine, max 18mg/day.

The pain is managed most of the week, but at least 2 or 3 days it is just unbearable with no relief.

Ive asked my pain doctor for a solution to deal with this breakthrough pain, but they keep pushing for a DRS stimulator trial.

In the meantime, the only option they have is for me to add butrans patches of 10mcg/hr, which seems like total bs to me. How could 10 micrograms possibly help when I'm already taking 4 milligrams?

Of course, I also asked AI, and it agreed that there doesn't appear to be any possibility that the patch could help. Before taking oral bulrenorphine, I already tried both Butrans and Belbuca, but neither helped.

They refuse to prescribe full antagonist medications, and claim none of them would ever work alongside the bupe, which is categorically wrong.

So: Am I wrong in thinking that this won't help? Even just getting the Rx filled is being a pain as Walgreens has decided that they don't want to fill a duplicate medication, they are apparently smarter than my board certified anesthesiologist...