Mental coping methods during extreme painful hours

[vickythecat]

Hi,

It could be fibro, it could be an injury, an infection or a very bad flare, but I am sure we all find ourselves in excruciating pain once in a while.

So much pain that we are unable to do anything but lay down in bed and wait it out. Often this is the hour before the pain meds begin to kick in.

This is hard to explain; I have always used this one mental coping method, but lately it is not working well (probably because I used it too many times!). I will often try to distract my mind by making it go into a supermarket and name all the aisles, products. left to right, from start to finish. This thinking needs concentration and memory, and it basically keeps my mind busy as my body is dealing with intense pain. It does make those minutes go by faster.

I also shake or hum, but I especially need to keep my mind busy.

Does anyone also experience this? And what do you do? What do you think about?

 

[Flexecif]

Hi Vicky, Have you tried yoga and meditation?

 

[annmarie]

i take myself back to field on a warm summer's day lying down with my pony...ie a happy,warm and pain free place with no anxiety. ..but then i hate supermarkets! if i can't get there i clean tack for a while first.

 

[Northernelf]

Silly computer games or games on my phone (distraction)
Stretching/Yin Yoga
Walk
Read (lying down)
Watch my PVR or Netflix
Sleep, rest....imagery such as lying on a massage table, getting a massage
Hot tea, heating pad or blanket...hot shower

I have not tried meditation but yoga to me is a form of meditation - inward focus, deep breathing.

 

[Tipnatee N]

When the pains gets too much till my body starting to shaking , spasm , buzzing nerves out of control from head to toes . I was once let mine mind wonder imagining that if I were to standing together next to my neighbor who have Parkinson's decease at the bus stop right now it would look like we both were just Simply dancing With perfect synchronicity. Or when every pains and depression hit at the same time and about to sending me a panic attack while I can hardly move an inch . I'll burst out singing in just about any song that came popping out of my head at the moment, if I can't think of any song then I'll try to turn on music from any devices near me and sing along without a care of how silly I look or sounding. I found my self often imagining lots of very odd stuff while singing 'I will survive ' more often than I think I should.

If I can still use my hands I'll simply crochet . I have lots of recycling plastic grocery shopping bags I made yarn 'plarn' out of it ,and then crochet them to lots of fashionable hand bags , giving them out as gifts to friends and family . Very fun material to work with and free.

 

[diamond]

Your quite inspirational Tipnatee with your coping methods.

 

[Destrea]

I get a lot of anxiety and sometimes i think that the good days are never going to come. When im freaking out like that i remind myself i have fibromyalgia, but i am not fibromyalgia. It sounds weird even to me, but it works mentally separating who i am from my fibromyalgia. I will continue and say it cannot control me or who i am. I may not be able to do things like i used to, but i am still me.
I also watch my favorite movie that just puts me in a mentally good mood. It does take away the pain, but it does help me cope.

 

[Tipnatee N]

Diamond , I want you to know that you are the one who helped me out from tremendous fears of my panic attacks i used to get and messing me up every single days in just a few words. You truly are a real gem i wouldn't know how to thanks you enough for that. So Thank you.

 

[diamond]

Ah thats sweet and nice to know. So good this forum does help each other.