Living with pain

As life goes on, just like with depression, I realise there are many more people than you first realise who live each day in some form of pain, and taking meds accordingly.

It’s not until you start talking to people that you realise just how many in fact.
I used to think that only the lazy and unlucky ended up as partial physical wrecks. But this is apparently not the case.

For me, I have lower back pain on and off a lot of the days. Riding helps with that. As does yoga.
Achillies tendonopathy, which can make walking painful. Running helps with that as do exercise.
Gout, one of the most crippling pains I have experienced in my entire life. Anyone out there who also gets it, you have my sympathies.
And in general, my tendons are rubbish. 3 surgeries in one arm, and constantly getting issues with others.

Hopefully through a healthier life style, I can avoid to many occurrences .

It’s good to have a cupboard full of meds for the bad days lol.

Anyone else?

Lower back which once saw me in hospital to manage the pain. Most recently shoulders/neck.

My GP has always given me a Naproxen prescription but was on the meagre side with the number of pills. Then I discovered that Naproxen is an over the counter medication in Canada and they sell in bottles of 100!

Though I am careful to use them sporadically.

Wow that’s a bad state to be in needing hospitalisation. I have ended up in A&E before for pain relief for a very nasty gout flare up which had me close to tears. Had all the checks under the sun as they could not believe how much pain I was in (something in my blood was an indicator or something) but without anything other than gout.
Strangely, they prescribed colchicine which was amazing, and something my GP had always failed to provide.
I was off for 6 weeks, and now like Naproxen, it’s my go to pill when pain comes knocking.
I also have Naproxen (was prescribed 100) as well as many other goodies.

I had a flare up of gout in the US too, and was given Oxycodone… WOW !!

I have been lucky with injuries and pain but I have got tinnitus in both ears. When it first flared up a few years ago it almost broke me - which sounds melodramatic but is pretty accurate! Couldn’t sleep or eat and became very anxious -I couldn’t see a way to live with it. Luckily I have a wonderful wife who helped me through it and I came out the other side - now it hardly bothers me at all (although the small hours can be a little frustrating).

I do feel for those with back pain as I have seen a good mate have two surgeries and then two years on morphine. He is still in pain but they wont do further ops and he wont go back on the morphine after the issues he had withdrawing from it - so he lives with it somehow.

Wow that’s tough stuff @Foresthillnick I feel blessed that my eyes and ears are great. For all the ailments I seem to get through, I can manage with them all, but hearing or sight would be horrible.
Tinnitus is certainly not to be underestimated. Glad you had the support you needed.
Sounds like your mate is having a tough time, I wish him all the best. I know mine is pretty mild all things considered.