Hi Harry,

Welcome to NT !

Dealing with chronic pain when there is no relief in sight causes such severe stress on the body. I too have felt the feelings of hopelessness....and understand wishing life would just end so that the pain would stop. That's not a good place to be.

Are you getting any pain meds to help you deal with this ? Have your docs tried nerve blocks to try to deaden the pain ?

I hate to make assumptions about age, but if you've been married 43 years, I'm guessing you are in the 'senior' range. Sometimes docs can tend to undertreat those they consider 'elderly.' There are some legitimate concerns that medications that could help the pain affect older people differently, but, damn it.....they shouldn't be putting you out to pasture yet !

You need to see a good pain management doc who will try to find a way to help you manage the pain. I also recommend counseling. The burdens of chronic pain are difficult to manage, especially when you aren't getting decent pain relief.

I'm not going to lie and say my pain is just fine, but after years of struggling, I have found a combination of opiods, antidepressants (which can also decrease nerve pain, they aren't just for the psychological issues of chronic pain), antiseizure meds (like Neurontin and Lyrica which help to manage nerve pain), TEN's unit, cervical traction, massage, ice and heat therapy, etc I have finally gotten to the point where I have some decent days and get to enjoy family and friends.

Hang in there.....there is hope......maybe not that the pain will go away, but that you will be able to manage it.

Venting here amoungst friends is a good thing.