The Vicious Cycle
I/we've discussed/posted about The Vicious Cycle on occasion—that downward spiraling vortex of pain, anxiety/fear, depression, insomnia, stress, what-have-you... (different for each of us) that contribute to/feed on/magnify each other—until either we break the cycle or the cycle breaks us.

Knowledge is Power
Being aware/knowing about the cycle, how it works, what it does and why can help us recognize/become aware of when it's happening—or when we're stuck in it—and hopefully arm us with techniques/tools to cope/intervene with it.

coping with the vicious cycle of chronic pain

Practicing What I Preach (and a little venting )
I'm in a humdinger this week/(month?) It began (I forget exactly how long ago) with the usual pain flare (I forget exactly what—osteoarthritis, cervical pain, headache/migraine, lumbar pain, myofascial pain, peripheral neuropathy, spasms or some combination) which gave rise to insomnia, which brought on anxiety/fatigue/fear/stress, which exacerbated the existing pain and set off more from additional sources, all of which led to more insomnia... Same old same old... you get it.

My usual way (not to say the only/best way—or even a good way—it's just my way) of dealing with insomnia is not to fight it (which just doesn't work for me—it just makes things worse). I get up, try to distract myself from/resolve whatever psychological elements there are while addressing any physical elements that I can, until I get sleepy enough to go back to bed. It sometimes takes a day or two to straighten out, but it usually works for me—unless it doesn't—like this time.

This time the issues have been more physical than psychological. They progressed from whatever started it to combined flares of arthritis (neck & joint pain), lumbar pain (which is pretty much the status quo anyway, but worse), PN (exacerbated by any kind of stress, and pain is a kind of stress, so any kind of pain often/usually exacerbates my PN), and for the past 21 hours and counting (keeping me up all last night)—migraine. Then as I sat down this evening to try to forget about/distract myself from all this cuss, I leaned ever so slightly forward to reach the TV remote and felt the all too familiar sharp stabbing/shooting pain of a herniating lumbar disc.

Whoopie—The Fun Never Stops
If it didn't hurt so/too much to laugh, I'd be hysterical. There's an irony here someplace—I just haven't found/figured it out yet. TCM had a spectacular lineup of appallingly horrendous cult horror films of the '30s-'60s (The Walking Dead, A Bucket of Blood, Dementia 13) as they are wont to do every October, that I had planned on providing me several hours of endorphins but the acute pain of a herniated disc kinda put the kibosh on even that.

So here I am venting to the group—one of the few activities that can distract me from the pain enough until exhaustion sets in.

I just took a brief jaunt down Phases of Grief Lane, pondering which pain I'd bargain away first (and/or which I'd rather endure for longer)—the cutting/stabbing of the herniated disc or the (now) 22 hour-old (and possibly days to go) migraine. How pathetic is that?

I'm not seeking pity—please don't feel sorry for me. I never understood why people apologize for others' pain & suffering anyway—it's not their fault.

Time to go—the pain is leveling out below 8.

Doc