Managing chronic pain during motherhood

24 Comments

I am a long-time sufferer of chronic, or persistent, pain and I am in the midst of my journey of managing this pain with a young, active child. Please note that this is not professional medical advice, I am a social worker and art therapist; not a medical professional. If you are experiencing persistent pain, please seek professional help.

I recently attended a program called PEP-UP and would like to share what I learnt, so here is an overview of the sessions:

SESSION ONE:
• Pain is normal
• It does not necessarily mean new tissue damage
• Our systems become overly sensitive when pain persists
• This is not fixed – it can be improved through pain management strategies
• The brain decides what should occur in response to danger messages
• Many things can impact on your pain experience (physical/emotional/psychological)

SESSION TWO:
• Physical pain is complex and overlaps with how you manage emotional pain
• Get help to work through stress, sleep and other issues to reduce your pain
• Get help trouble-shooting personal and professional relationships
• Psychology and social work involve a wide range of skill training

SESSION THREE:
• Be flexible – the same thing might not work every time
• Have a checklist of strategies that have helped before
• YOU are the most important therapist in the management of your pain

SESSION FOUR:
• Aim to understand your pain so that you don’t fear it and you feel in control
• It’s a lifestyle thing – be patient and persistent, make gradual changes
• It’s okay to make mistakes – that’s how we learn
• It’s time to find a new you!

SESSION FIVE:
• Exercise is important in reducing illness and maintaining strength and stability
• Think of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience
• Avoiding all movement due to pain can lead to the downward spiral of inactivity
• Being more active throughout the whole day can increase your fitness and well-being

Seek help and get assistance in the areas that are relevant to you. Pain does not have to control our lives… we CAN control it!! All the best in your journeys!

Posted by shellxxx81, 18th March 2014

24 Comments

- - mom81879 said
  - 08 Sep 2015
    9:44 am
I suffer arthritis and can’t take normal prescribed pain meds for it because I only have one kidney and long term use can cause kidney damage. So I have to go natural. Lots of exercise that’s gentle on joints and Panadol Osteo for when things get bad

- - mums-info said
  - 30 May 2014
    3:00 pm
great info thanks for sharing

- - catgrrl3 said
  - 21 May 2014
    3:43 pm
thanks so much for sharing this, this is fantastic information to take in

- - scottie said
  - 12 May 2014
    8:27 am
My daughter had a bad back injury and was in terrible pain and on very strong pain relief. After a while she said to me ‘I’m sick of living like this’ which is course set of alarm bells! She then stopped taking the pain killers and worked out ways to manage her pain. She also did a lot of strengthening exercises to help protect the area and avoid further injury (she got those from a physio). Now has a very active two year old. I ask how she is going and she says ‘some days are better than others’. It is so true that this can be achieved.

- - susan_dione_epiepang said
  - 19 Apr 2014
    7:42 am
This is just wonderful indeed. But I believe most of the time pain is very difficult to let go, but with a good analyses it is well. But pains, pains, remains pains.

- - fatheroffaprincess said
  - 31 Mar 2014
    6:31 pm
some really good tips thanks for sharing
- shellxxx81 replied
  
  17 Apr 2014 , 12:26 pm
  No worries; thanks for taking the time to read it
- - vidald79 said
  - 27 Mar 2014
    3:51 pm
Thanks so much for your great story! This really resonates with me. For almost a year I put up with debilitating aches, pains, glands up, chronic headaches, hot and cold flushes, everything! Till I couldn’t walk 6 days a week like I use to, wasn’t sleeping without having terrible nightmares and I even had to get my on and off again partner to come and help look after the kids because I couldn’t make it out of bed some times. I went through severe depression at this time because after 30 medical tests and twice weekly doctor visits nobody knew what was wrong and I thought I was dying! I went in a nervous wreck and sobbed to my doctor for 4o minutes begging her to help to get to sleep. She prescribed my a very lose dose of Cymbalta to help me temporarily manage while I went to the counsellor and also tried to manage my stress. I’m currently weaning myself off to see if any of my symptoms have gone away and it appears they haven’t but this morning I told myself I wasn’t going to let it beat me!
- shellxxx81 replied
  
  17 Apr 2014 , 12:30 pm
  No worries; thanks for taking the time to read it. Thank you also for sharing your story; what a battle that has been. I’m glad you’re getting some relief now and I hope once you wean off that you find what works to continue managing the pain. I find it amazing how our bodies store stress and trauma… it’s not just psychological pain that troubles us. All the best
  - hopefullyheidi replied
    
    18 Apr 2014 , 10:43 pm
    
    I totally agree with the comment about how out bodies cope with stress
    And trauma. I have a back problem (athritis amongst other things) and when I’m anxious or stressed and tired my back and neck seem to really be much worse than the normal pain flare ups I get.
- - cinta said
  - 25 Mar 2014
    11:19 am
some great tips!!! thank you
- shellxxx81 replied
  
  17 Apr 2014 , 12:32 pm
  No worries; thanks for taking the time to read it
- - therese70 said
  - 25 Mar 2014
    10:30 am
Thank you so much for sharing at present I am at home feeling sorry for myself due to uncontrollable pain, I lie in bed and rest. But your Session five was a wake up call I know I need to move, but I also think rest is important, if you rest too much then you just waste away….Thank you it has now made me get ready for a walk..
- shellxxx81 replied
  
  17 Apr 2014 , 12:33 pm
  No worries; thanks for taking the time to read it. I’m currently in lots of pain after resting too much… I too need to remember to exercise regularly. It’s all about balance, hey? All the best with your journey
- - jodie80 said
  - 19 Mar 2014
    6:37 pm
my pain while i was pregnant was horrible
- shellxxx81 replied
  
  17 Apr 2014 , 12:36 pm
  Yes I struggled with that too… I think that’s why I’m not faring well now. Being my first pregnancy I was overprotective of my body and didn’t exercise nearly enough. I’m slowly learning that the rest/exercise balance is VERY important. Thanks for taking the time to read my post
- - arcticwynta said
  - 19 Mar 2014
    11:01 am
there are some good tips there so thanks.
- shellxxx81 replied
  
  17 Apr 2014 , 12:37 pm
  No worries; thanks for taking the time to read it
- - hopefullyheidi said
  - 18 Mar 2014
    8:04 pm
These are some wonderful points you have made. Thanks for sharing them.
- shellxxx81 replied
  
  17 Apr 2014 , 12:37 pm
  No worries; thanks for taking the time to read it
- - jodie80 said
  - 18 Mar 2014
    7:13 pm
what a journey you have had
- shellxxx81 replied
  
  17 Apr 2014 , 12:38 pm
  Thanks for taking the time to read my post
- - yyon4699 said
  - 18 Mar 2014
    4:56 pm
thank you for sharing ur journey
- shellxxx81 replied
  
  17 Apr 2014 , 12:39 pm
  No worries; thanks for taking the time to read it