If you have been around here for any length of time, it should be no news to you that I have been suffering with chronic pain for quite a long while. I have Fibromyalgia and EDS (Ehlers- Danlos Syndrome), both conditions where a major symptom is constant pain, that although is always there it can vary.

For most people that suffer from chronic pain, and it is mostly just about finding ways to deal and cope with it. These can be treating the physical symptoms as well as dealing with how it effects you emotionally in your day to day life.

Me personally, I have a range of medication, most being pain killing medications, such as tramadol and morphine, but I also have Naproxen to try and deal with the source. In addition I also have medication for depression that is caused partly because of my pain levels and how it effects my life.

Now not everything works for everyone, and when it comes to medication you have to go through your doctor as they are the only ones that will know what is best for your personal situation. But there are things you can do for yourself.

Baths are a great way of relieving muscular pain. This can be caused from chronic pain, or even just sports injuries; siting and relaxing in nice warm water can work wonders for an achy back or legs. Its no miracle cure, but I have a bath before bed every night as I find it can just dull away some of the pain in my legs.

Another method that I use a lot is heat packing. Now some people find that ice packing works better, but they are both basically the same thing just opposite – I know that makes no sense. Essentially all you do is pack the painful area with either a hot water bottle or an ice pack, depending on what you find helps. So for me, each night I will pack my back, hip and sometimes legs and shoulder with hot water bottles; this eases off a lot of my pain just before I go to bed so that I can rest, relax and hope for a good nights sleep.

Although this one may be obvious, a lot of people don’t always think about it, and to be fair I was one of those that didn’t really think about it for the longest time. Change your clothes so they don’t put pressure on your pain spots. So my hips are a major pain spot for me, and I always found that jeans were too painful if they were around my hip. Nowadays I have discovered that I am better off with leggings that go over my hips and grip nearer my waist. I know that this is worse for some people so you really do just have to work out what is best for you; it took me trying several different styles of trousers to find something that wasn’t so painful, and it really it just trial and error.

Then finally, distraction. I know that this sounds super obvious but also many sufferers are probably looking at this being like ‘REALLY?’. I know that this can be a really challenge at the very best of times, but it really can be a real help. Ways to achieve this can be different for each person; for me its best when I read. I can sink into a new world and be absorbed for a little while until Im next due pain relief, or something. I know that others find it best to be drawn into movies, or video games and even some that find that learning new things can really help. It is just a matter of being busy so that you can just sit and get yourself worked up and down about your pain; this will never take away the pain, but it can sometimes just push it to the back of your brain for a little while so you don’t get as annoyed by it.

They are all my tips for dealing with Chronic Pain, I am always happy to talk to people about it, whether it be exchanging techniques or if you just want more information, plus I’m always here if you just need to have a moan and get it off your chest.