Hello there, I’m Amy, I’m in my early thirties and in March 2023 I woke up one day with extreme chronic pain, for the first 2 months I was not able to shower my body, I wasn’t able to stand for long enough to do so and I also wasn’t able to wash the dishes because using my arms would pull on my back, I was completely crippled and off work as a result. However, 14 months later, I am here sharing my journey on all the things that have helped me along the way. I have not fully recovered, I still suffer daily but I have come a LONG way with coping and managing the pain and trying my best to keep it at its lowest intensity level. I have not formally had any diagnoses yet, I am still on the waiting list to be seen by the pain management clinic but from my own research, my symptoms match that of the above conditions.
I am extremely allergic to all anti-inflammatories so I’ve needed to find other ways to get pain relief. Here are some of the tools I use to manage my chronic pain on a daily basis:
TENS Machine
This is pain relief for muscle and arthritic pain. You can swap between the massage setting and the electrical pulses setting. Be sure to read the instructions because it can be dangerous on certain parts of the body.
Epsom Salt
I use Epsom Salt in baths and bathe for at least 20 minutes in it. In the beginning of my journey I wasn’t able to shower for months on end because I couldn’t stand for long enough so I was having baths. The salt helps to relax the muscles around the affected areas. Now that I can have showers again I try to have a bath at least once a week with this salt.
Massage gun
I’m always getting secondary injuries because of where I’m over compensating for the pain, I am so tense, this provides some relief. Sometimes it can be hard for me to use it because the area is so tender but it is worth it for me. My friends would use this on me around my shoulder blades and back around 5-10 minutes.
Massage balls
These are amazing! I roll around on them on my back but I also hold them by hand and massage my hip areas with them.
Reusable heat and ice pads with waist belt
Using the heat pads helps me to bend without feeling as much pain, so that I may try to get on with chores. I highly recommend this. Read the reviews it is highly rated by many sufferers. I haven’t found the ice pack to be as helpful yet but I’ve only had it a couple of weeks so will give the ice pack more of a chance.
One off heat pads for travelling (where I will be out for more than 2 hours with no access to a microwave or freezer)
I recently bought these for travelling to go on holiday, I couldn’t feel the heat that much wearing Jeans so sticking them to leggings or big pants may be better. They’re ideal to carry in your handbag in case you get a flare whilst out.
Dainley belt
This belt is amazing, I notice a difference. The compression helps me. Again its not a miracle worker but if it reduces my pain by even 5% it is worth it in my eyes.
Knee pillow
Unfortunately I am a side sleeper so I have the knee pillow to prevent any further damage and pain. I find it uncomfortable to get to sleep with and most of the time I wake up and its somewhere else in the bed or the floor, but so many people swear by this pillow so I keep trying. I am looking at other types of pillows now (more on this below).
Collapsible walking stick
This is for my extreme pain days where my leg or hip is affected, I can keep it in my handbag so if I have a flare up when I’m out, I have this to hand.
Shoulder posture straps
I’m not too sure these are actually doing anything or are much help but as I’ve already bought them, I will continue to use them for 20 minutes a day.
Vitamin D supplements
Vitamin D are believed to be good for bones and muscles
I actually get mine from Aldi or Lidl but here is a link to some on Amazon:
Magnesium Oil Spray
I’ve recently started using this spray at night to help me sleep. Being in pain and out of alignment, I find it really difficult to get to sleep and stay asleep, I’m quite often sleep deprived and as such emotionally sensitive and exhausted. I am then too weak and lifeless to manage my treatments so getting a good sleep is crucial. I’ve only been using this for 6 days so far but I have definitely noticed a difference; I highly recommend. https://amzn.to/4e2JlGo
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Not one of these things alone works well but as a collective they do help reduce my pain over time but only after a period of time of using them daily. If I had to choose just one product that helps the most, I would be torn between the dainley belt and the heat/ice pack belt, the compression helps the most and at this moment in time its the heat/ice belt that wins.
I wish I bought them a lot sooner than I actually did.
Alongside using these tools, there are other things I have and do as follows:
- I have a sit stand desk so I can rotate positions frequently and an ergonomic chair.
- I avoid sitting down as much as possible, this has been key for me. I try to rotate position every 30 minutes, I sit / stand / lay – sit / stand / lay and follow that format where possible.
- I use CBD joint cream on my back that I purchased from a holistic wellness event.
- I get professional massages every 6 weeks. (I did have sports therapy massages but I found these to be too aggressive so aromatherapy massages is what I have now)
- I do a mixture of physical exercises everyday (well try to, sometimes I just can’t do them because of pain or exhaustion), I rotate which ones I do as follows:
- Physio exercises I was prescribed,
- 10 minute all standing exercise for beginners (I follow videos on youtube) here’s an example:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g4z0gFlfpA
- Stretching ( I follow 15 minute fully body stretches on youtube) here’s an example:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_tea8ZNk5A
- A particular movement called ‘Flossing’ – (For the sciatica flare ups, they stretch the leg out – be careful not to over use this technique, I did a bit to much and it got worse so just once or twice a day for a minute was fine for me)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMbKv94Bu_U
Extra things I do to fix my posture in the process which in turn helps to ease the pain over time:
My back pain consistently causes me secondary injuries as a result of over compensating, for example, I lean on the side that doesn’t hurt. I often end up with knee pain, hip pain and shoulder pain, even though they weren’t the original problem.
And here’s what I’ve learned on my journey:
- Do not cross your legs when sat down or laid down EVER!
- Do not huddle/hug your legs on the sofa
- Do not slouch
- Do not sleep on your side
- When you’re standing, do not lean to the side, have your legs as an A shape if you can (upside down V) so that you have an even amount of weight on each leg
Here are other changes I will be making in my life to avoid all unnecessary suffering:
- Changing my sofa (not that I can really use it) to one that has much more comfort and support.
- I am also looking at changing my manual car to an automatic (using the clutch pushes pain in to my back) so it’s best I just avoid it and not cause myself any unnecessary pain since there is another option available.
- I will be creating and following an anti-inflammatory diet
- I will be purchasing copper magnetic bracelets like this one:
https://amzn.to/3ymTSf4 (Update: I now have this bracelet but it’s too big for my child size wrists, I have tried wearing it on my ankle and at the top of my arm but it’s too uncomfortable, so I will look for a smaller size)
- I will be purchasing a maternity pillow, to see if I get on better with this than the knee pillow. Here is an example of one:
https://amzn.to/3UZJ6Ev (Update: I now have the maternity pillow, I’m struggling to use it because I’m a starfisher and end up removing it but I will keep trying to persevere because I know it will help my posture eventually)
I have also found a possible treatment that I will be looking into more soon called IDD Therapy:
NHS
How I mentally deal with my condition:
Nobody really tells you that if you get chronic pain, you’re likely to get depression, so not only are you suffering with physical pain but you end up suffering mentally as well.
Controlling my mindset was key as I was having suicidal thoughts every day, this was because the pain was so unbearable.
I started journaling and this is the journal that helped me the most:
I can be in pain and be miserable or I can be in pain and be happy. I choose the latter. So working on my mindset every single day is key to this.
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Because I’m a spiritual hearted gal, I also increased my spiritual practices.
- I increased the amount of guided visualisations (I don’t know if it’s just me but these out of body experiences seems to separate me from my pain, its difficult to come back to this reality though because in the other realm it is so peaceful, joyous and pain free but I know I must come back because I have work here to do on earth – my life purpose)
- I started working with archangels and this has really raised my loving vibe.
There are more practices I do but I will share more on this soon
Although I’ve been through the darkest night of the soul, I found myself again and I love myself again.
Self love is crucial in my pain management. Doing as many things as you love and having as much joy as you can helps you to get through it all each day. For me being negative and miserable increases my pain and depression so I have to constantly prioritise doing things I love to keep these at bay as much as possible.
Another key thing for me was having time off work for months and months, every time I tried to work, the pain would get worse and I’d end up crippled for weeks on end and bed ridden. If you can have at least 3 months off, do it! If you only have 3 hours of capacity a day, use that to heal yourself and not to work. I had savings I was able to rely on. If you can’t have the time off work, try to reduce your hours as much as you can afford to. And if this isn’t an option, try rotating your position throughout the day and have as many rest breaks as possible. It’s important to note, our bodies are unique so what works for me, may not work for you.
I have more to share but this is my initial framework and I will update this blog in due course. Please note, I am an Amazon associate so I may earn commissions from these links. I often post videos about my journey and experiences on TikTok, feel free to check out my profiles @amymiles90 and @spiritikTIKTOK
I am so sorry you’re suffering with this all and I know how hard and debilitating it all is; I’m wishing you all the healing energy on your journey.
Feel free to write in the comment’s what products have helped you the most in your journey so that we may all learn from each other and help ourselves.
All my love,
Amy
