Summary of what we'll cover here:
In this section we explore the following areas:
It can be a process of elimination and when pain takes over you can forget what helps you as you can't think logically so having resources to look at is helpful.
What works for other people
Here we explore what works for other people living with chronic pain. Our pain experts talk about what works for them and some of the different techniques they have tried. Perhaps one or more of these may work for you.
Pain diary
Using a Pain Diary is a helpful way to monitor medicine and to identify any triggers or activities that could be causing flare ups. It can also be used to record your thoughts and feelings, as writing these things down can give you a way to reflect and process things.
Kelly explains how using a pain diary helped her
Over the years I have used a pain diary to help monitor medicine, particularly when I’ve been reducing medication. I’ve also used it to identify what activities I’ve been doing or whether I’ve had any unexpected pain issues or problems during the night. During flare ups it can really help me to identify possible triggers and this then enables me to take some steps to help make it better. I have also used my Pain Diary to record my thoughts and feelings, especially at dark times when I felt the doctors just weren’t listening to me and I didn’t feel believed. I’ve had some bad experiences with doctors and pharmacists which have made things so much worse for me. Writing these things down gives me a way to offload and reflect on what’s happened which helps me to process it”.
Distraction
Distraction as a technique can also help to manage pain. Sometimes people are not able to get out of the house or do any physical activity but there are ways to occupy your mind and distract from the pain including crosswords, word searches and other types of puzzles which are widely available to purchase and can be found free online too.
Kelly explains how using distraction helps her
“I find that doing things to distract myself from the pain every day can really help. I enjoy playing online word games which help to focus my mind and keep my brain working”
Pacing
The aim of pacing is help you balance rest and activity. People living with pain have told us that striking the right balance can improve their quality of life. Ensuring that you don’t overdo things on good days and still aim to do some low level activity on bad days can hope to manage pain better overall.
Suzie explains how pacing helps her
“Pacing is a massive thing and learning to pace myself was really important.
Flare up plan
Flare up plan – being prepared for a flare up of your chronic pain condition can help you cope with it.
Suzie describing flare up plan
‘When I began using alternatives to medication, I became more independent. My flare up plan includes things like heated products, support pillows and cushions and a weighted blanket”
Art Therapy
I realised after someone in the pain clinic said to me – “it’s about what you do and it’s up to you now”. It was like a wake-up call and I realised I had to start thinking differently and doing things differently – they had arts, crafts, and other groups on and that is when I went to the art group. Art has saved me and given me a purpose.
Charlie describes how much art therapy helped him in this video
Online resources
See our Useful information and resources section for more online resources which other people living with chronic pain in Fife found useful.
Find online support using the link below.
Mental health support
We know that living with a chronic physical health condition can have an impact on mental health. When you feel anxious or stressed, this can affect your physical wellbeing too. So, it’s important to recognise that having resources to support mental health and wellbeing is just as important as having resources to support physical health and wellbeing.
See our Mental Health support section using the link below.
Learning to accept what has happened is really important. It doesn't mean I have to like it but acceptance can help massively in getting on with the life I have now. For me it's being the best mum I can be for my son even although I'm not the mum I wanted to be or thought I would be and it takes time to accept that.
Support for your support network
The role of the carer is an essential one in caring for someone living with a chronic pain condition. It’s important that carers are looked after and offered support for themselves. There are a number of organisations in Fife who can support carers.
See our support section using the link below.
For next steps visit: Your stories