What do you do to distract yourself from pain?
 

Just want to share some ideas for how we all distract ourselves from pain. I know a lot of them may be obvious but we did this on the forum quite awhile ago and I learned alot.

...I have become addicted to Netflix and Hulu on my ipad. No matter what position I have to lie down in to be comfortable, I can position the Ipad anywhere. I watch comedies, reruns of old shows. Just recently learned how to put Showtime on my Ipad and watched Nurse Jackie. On Netflix watched the hilarious series "Lilyhammer."

....I go to google images or Pinterest and put in a word to bring up lovely images...just a word like lovely or beautiful or cute kitten or golden retriever or whatever you love....it soothes me to see such amazing photographs...there are SO many talented people who willingly share their gorgeous photos.

Looking forward to hearing your ideas....
Have a good day friends,
Diandra

Hello Diandra :)
 

Good thread!
 

Indeed, comedy! Since I battle depression, this is a must for me. I have plenty of funny stuff on my DVR to use as ammunition. Also like 'who-dunnit shows'.

But when I get into major flare mode where I literally have to do Lamaze breathing, I need something to focus hard onto. I lay on a heating pad and play spider solitaire like there's no tomorrow. :)

Rae

Hi Debi....the news certainly is a distraction and I sometimes get into just watching the weather channel!

There is also this TV channel, we have ATTuverse and I think it is just called Showcase or something like that but it is just scenery and music....it looks like a small plane just slowly flies over the coast of various countries to video how beautiful it is. One time they did just bridges and another time they did lighthouses....my Mom is 90 and has some dementia and anxiety and the Showcase channel really soothes her.

Thanks for the encouragement on the Italy trip...we have never done anything so foolhardy...we just booked it last week and I am just going to drug the hell out of myself to get on the plane and when we get home, we will deal with how to pay for it. I am 60 yrs old and something in me just snapped after my brother had a near fatal hear attack recently and I said to my husband, you know what, I may never feel better, let's just do it....he is a doll, believe me...just to put up with me and my issues. Cheers, Diandra

Hi Rae,
Is spider solitaire an app from iTunes?
I have one I love called "Harbormaster".
Thanks, Diandra

Good for you Diandra !
 

Keeping busy
 

What I do to keep busy is work. When I am not working I am enjoying my kitty Angel. I also crochet and watch TV and read . . . Just love James Patterson books.
:grouphug:

That's a good question - I'm not up with the times.
I still have a 'dumb' phone. I'll get a smart phone one of these days :rolleyes:
I'm too embarrassed to admit that I don't know what iTunes is.......

Actually I lay on my heating pad with my good ol' laptop.
spider solitaire is pre-installed with regular solitaire and most of the other general games.
I'll have to check into 'Harbormaster'

Spider solitaire
 

I'm with you Rrae, I play spider solitaire over and over. I watch what we call foxtel, in the UK I they call it Sky, I can't remember what it was called when I lived in the US. I think it was it's called Cable?
I watch the TV in the main room while on the couch, freeze the TV screen and play solitaire and then go back to the TV. If I'm super bad, and only when I'm super bad, I will go back to bed and play solitaire. I try really hard to not take to my bed during the day as I think if I start doing that, I will never get up and get out. I can watch foxtel on my IPad as well and use I then I'm in hospital.
Lately, I've become a stalker on the NT site, I read others troubles and feel like I'm not alone in this cruel twist of life. Maybe I should become a Havenite, so wish my trouble could be something Audrey Parker could take away.

Spider solitaire
 

Hi Donna, you can get spider solitaire on your iPhone and IPad. Search mobility ware and download from there, or just search spider solitaire and the apps will come up to choose from. I choose all the free ones, means I get adverts but I just skip past them. Spend far to much money on medication to have the dollars left to buy apps, every penny counts now that I've had to give up work.:hug:

Old phones
 

My sony erikson died last year so I bought a samsung smart phone. It cost $149 and it does everything I need it to without having to splurge on hundreds of dollars on an iPhone. I did by an IPad the week before I broke my back again in 2012 after my kindle died. thank goodness I did as it I'm sure is what helped me keep my sanity, once I found I could download books on it I've never looked back, you can download your kindle books onto the IPad and also buy iBooks.

Work
 

Who would have thought I would be jealous of people going to work, it's 18 months now since I worked and not a day goes by that I don't miss that feeling of engaging the brain.
I used work as a distraction for years, immersed myself in studying and learning new things.
I'm focussing on getting myself fitter and aim to go back to the workforce, my salary continuation from my superannuation cuts out in August and if I'm not well enough to work by then I'm just going to have to push through it. We won't be able to survive on my husband wage alone. My medical and medication costs are enormous even with medibank and PBS. I'm sure we are all in the same boat though !!:hug:

I don't have a smart phone either....am too dumb for a smart phone! We only have an Ipad because we needed an inexpensive small computer and an Ipad filled the bill....way cheaper than a laptop...this is an old one....the original model I think. Technically it is not a computer, it is considered a mobile device like an IPhone. It does most of what I need, email, Skype, can download books or movies but mostly I watch Netflix, etc use Internet to shop, play games.

ITunes is simply the online store where Apple Computer sells its products like music, apps, games, movies, that can downloaded to computers, phones, etc. Harbormaster is a game that I downloaded from ITunes to my Ipad.

My heating pad gets alot of use as well. Gel icepacks work well too.
Thanks, Diandra

hi uglogirl,
I must admit I am very envious you can work. do you mind me asking what you do? I always love to hear about jobs that can be done with pain issues....it gives me hope.

Cats are great company. We have 3.

Did you find crocheting difficult to learn. A friend just suggested I try it but I am not a very crafty person.

Good to hear from you.
Diandra

Wheat packs and other things
 

To distract myself, that is thought provoking! I went away and thought about what I actually do, what works, what helps, and what can be done to roll that one minute into the next where the pain may fade.

I have 5 wheat packs in the freezer, when I need a new one I don't have to wait for the others to cool down. I place the wheat pack on wherever is paining me the most. I got told years ago that while heat can help soothe initially, it just prolongs the pain. Began to use cold packs, couldn't stand the wet dripping from the ice cold gel packs and as I had to wrap it in something to save the drippy mess I may as well try wheat packs, never looked back, the bonus is they can be heated, I do still use heat from time to time, mainly in the winter. They help but don't distract me.

Painkillers, well we all know about pain killers, if I take what I'm supposed to take, I can stand in front of the tv and walk. I walk backwards, forwards and add in different steps or old dance routines slowed down to walking pace. I got out an old aerobic step that I've had for 22 years and I stick that in front of the tv and step up and down while watching a favourite program on the idiot box. If I'm painkillered up, I can walk or step for up to 45 minutes. I try and do this every day, I also have a treadmill and I can set that to a nice steady walk and watch a program on my IPad or read a book while walking for 30 to 45 minutes, I can only do these activities if I've taken my painkillers and they work to move the time along, they help my body maintain its necessary functions such as moving the intestine along etc. This can distract me providing I took the painkillers, I cannot do it without taking the painkillers.

Internet, I think this is the real distraction one for me, I can lose myself looking things up and reading and learning about different things. Sometimes I job search and immerse myself in what the jobs skills are and imagine me doing them. Probably why nearly all my nightly dreams are about interviews and successfully getting the job and then anxiety kicks in and wakes me up because I'm struggling in my dream to do the job. I don't mean I can't do it, the pain is with me in my dreams, I'm aware of it. It makes sense to me now that I know I've been crying in my sleep. Maybe I better kick the job searching!!

Crochet, I used to love to do this, I used to make babies clothes and blankets. I've got a houseful of blankets so I stopped! might take it up again this winter, or maybe I will use my IPad and learn how to do quilting and give that a try. My husband bought me a sewing machine for my 50th birthday (at my request) and I used it for repairing dog coats, blankets and making cushion covers with scraps of material, that distracted me for a bit. At one stage we had 5 Labradors and the dog coats took a beating! We have 4 cats and 3 dogs now. Love my animals.

So thinking about it. The only thing to distract me is to do something that really engages my brain. Donna you can search the internet and there are sites that have people show you step by step how to do things, there might be one for crocheting? :grouphug:

Laughter is an important therapy. I watch cartoons (mostly Looney Tunes), old movies, screwball comedies, comedy on cable. 20-30 minutes of (belly) laughter twice a day can produce therapeutic levels of endorphins.

I couldn't say why, but whereas movies can help distract me from pain, reading cannot. I miss reading. Audio books don't do it either. Maybe it's the visual component, as music can soothe, but not distract me (enough). I miss playing my guitar as well.

I find interactive distractions work better for me than passive ones. Designing quilts, embroidery designs/patterns, (DW does the sewing/construction part), writing...

When things are too severe, and/or all else fails, Ol' Furface is here for hugging & rocking. He's learned to pick up things I drop (like the remotes), or fetch my slippers. I taught him how to grab/hug my finger with his toepads, and he puts his paws on my leg or in my hand and gives me a gentle hug/squeeze. (I don't fool/deceive myself—he wants a noogie for his trouble, but that's ok.)

Coping With Chronic Pain

Doc

Pam....thanks, I will check for crocheting videos online. I hope you are doing OK.
I think of you so often and hope things are getting better for you.I know it is summer there and winter here in northeast USA...how about making me jealous and telling what the weather is like there today in AUS. We got a snowstorm, about 6 inches 2 days ago but sunny and snow covered all over....very pretty.

Doc Smith...laughter does seem to do the trick for many of us...nothing like a big belly laugh. I personally love Stephen Colbert...his foolishness is just hilarious. Thanks for the link on CP.

Lonewolf....welcome, and good to hear from you. I agree, support groups are definitely are one of the best distractions. I am so glad you joined in as it always make me wonder when I see SO many people viewing this thread but so few responding. It is not a criticism at all, I am just sure others have great ideas, I hope they are not being shy. By the way, what Stephen King book are you reading? Do you recommend it?

I know many of is have lost jobs and have limited income so I was thinking maybe we could also share money saving ways to get at our distractions. For example, there is Netflix and Hulu that we have to pay for each month but I recently found something called "pollystreaming". I honestly don't know how it works because there is almost no advertising but I was able to watch old tv series on HBO like the Sorpranos because we don't have HBO. I found it by accident....I simply goggled "pollystreaming sopranos season 1". You then have to hunt around for the episodes. It frustrated my husband and my friend who tried using it but I got the hang of it.

I have a friend who lives on a shoestring and she just got something called Roku. Anyone have that and can talk about or recommend it.

Have a good Sunday....my best to everyone. Diandra

Hi Pam,
I had never heard of those wheat packs before and when I googled them, UK and AUS sites came up alot. I know in the US those packs are often filled with barley or rice or cocoa shells or something like that and they always seem to have an odor I am not fond of because I microwave them, have never frozen.....thanks for that idea. take care Diandra

It's basically a box that allows you to stream internet content through your television set. Many new TVs are being built with internet connectivity, making a Roku device redundant.

There is a lot of "free" movie/tv/video content available online. Most can be found by spending a few minutes on goggle. I found quite a bit when our television died, and more later because the new one does have internet capability.

Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free Books, Movies, Music ...
Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies & music, as well as 390 billion archived web pages.

Crackle - Watch Free Movies Online – Full-Length Streaming Movies

Free Full Movies - Complete - YouTube
I spent a couple of weekends watching full commercial-free episodes of The Adventures of Superman series from the '50s with George Reeves. There are a lot more nuggets hidden in YouTube than one might think.

MoviesFoundOnline.com - Watch free streaming movies, documentaries, cartoons and TV-shows online.

Popcornflix: Watch Free Movies Online

Open Culture - The best free cultural & educational media on the web

MORE...

Some have commercials - some don't.

There are also (too many to list) sites for watching TV channels from around the world, including broadcast, webcast, and cable.

free online tv channels from around the world

Doc

Thanks Doc for this listing. I knew YouTube had some full length movies but always found them by accident so appreciate the list.

I have a great music website to add.

www.eyeneer.com

It is an archive of music film clips from 1930 to 1980's...When you log on I suggest using the browse function where you can select criteria from genre, decade or year to pull up your favorite music.

There is some amazing black and white footage of Otis Redding singing in clubs.
Great clips of many artists on Ed Sullivan. Film I have never seen before from the Temptations, Sam and Dave, James Brown, Wilson Pickett. And from the R & R side Beatles, Eric Burdon and the Animals, Young Rascals, Kinks, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton in all his various bands....on and on. It is amazing.
I have spent hrs finding great stuff.
Have a low pain day, Diandra

I watch a lot of tv. I also try to always have my crocheting or knitting with me at all times. For me, it gives me something else to focus on besides the pain. I make things for family and friends and also for charity; hats for hospitals, scarves for our military and the homeless, lap-blankets for nursing homes, etc. It not only helps to distract me but helps others. I used to be a voracious reader but have found that I can't read as much as I used to. I am in a book club so I at least read one book a month. Thank you Dr. Smith for the listings of internet sites...I already use netflix and amazon for streaming but its nice to have other options as well.
lisa

Hi Lisa,
I admire your ability to crochet and knit, especially for others, that is nice of you.

Do you have some tv shows you can recommend.? Many of the tv shows I watch either on my regular tv but most often Netflix , Huluplus, etc were recommended by friends, for example, Doc Martin, Luther, Jack Taylor, Nurse Jackie. Two new ones I have found are "Life" with Damien Lewis(of Forsyte Saga and Homeland fame) and "The Guardian" with Simon Baker (from the Mentalist)which ran 2001-2004 on American tv. On Show time, "Inside Comedy" is David Steinberg interviewing comedians. He is very funny in his own right but now is more in the background as director for shows like "Curb your Enthusiasm" with Larry David.

Also just discovered a free movie site that has some movies that are were just in theaters called:
http://putlocker.bz/

I just found a YouTube channel of man sharing his Italian recipes, it is very sweet because he is not a tv chef, just a gentleman sharing his own recipes and ways of cooking.

https://m.youtube.com/user/OrsaraRecipes

Hope to hear from you (and others) on your TV distractions. There are so many TV shows and even internet channels like on youtube that it is impossible to keep up.
Thanks, Diandra

Hi All...
 

:Distraction is important. Also if there is a break with the health issues, to go go go go go while you are able too. I have learned that in between health issues when stable is the time to just pick up and do something. My son sent me to Jamaica last month, for the first break I have had in 14 years. What a blessing!!!!! I just picked up and left, and had a fantastic time. I feel refreshed now, and will hope for another time I can do that. I got stronger on vacation as I had no car. If I wanted to eat, I had to walk up and down the cliffs of Negril. I had a girlfriend with me, and we were quite safe and comfortable. Lost 10 pounds, and what it did for my mental state is amazing.
I guess what I am saying, heck with money, and all the things that get in the way of having a break. Go do something, anything to bring joy back into your lives.
I am back to blood work, biopsies, Ultra sound tests. These I can do now with a smile instead of sadness. Sometimes the break is indeed, just what the doctor ordered... I think Of all of us daily, and pray for peace in our lives. ginnie:grouphug:

Umm... I realize you probably didn't know this, but that's a pirate site (see more below). Upon clicking on the link, my security software issued a warning about possible problems with the site. Continuing on, imagine my surprise to see them advertising Captain America 2, which hasn't even been in theaters a week yet. Out of curiosity more than anything else, I clicked on it. Yup, it was Cap 2, but a pirated version—someone recorded the movie from the audience in a theater; the picture was off-angle, shakey, and you could clearly hear the audience. Then came the subtitles in a language I did not watch long enough to recognize before closing that browser window.

Visit that site at your own risk, and don't be too surprised if someone comes knocking on your door. :eek:

Doc

See also:

U.S. Trade Representative Identifies ‘Notorious’ Piracy Sites

MPAA wants more criminal cases brought against 'rogue' sites

If you see a site that looks too good to be true, it probably/usually is, and it's not too difficult to check out (as in this case). :cool:

LOVE my Roku box! Finally got rid of cable as it was too expensive and I'd search and search for new things to watch.

I stream Netflix through the Roku and love it, am watching "American horror story" right now, didn't want to watch it for the longest time but am loving it, 1st episode about ghosts and Jessica Lang is a hoot.

Hi sitke
 

I got rid of my TV this last week too. You are right, for those on disability, the TV is very expensive. My son got me an adapter so I can watch movies on the TV through my Samsung tab. Have all the news I need now on my device, so I am not missing much. ginnie

Bumping this up.
This thread is over a year old and I am sure new folks can add to all the great ideas everyone posted here.
Thnx, D.

As well as the essential tv comedies - hard to find good ones these days - which I can get into quickly due to my vision problems, the thing that has impacted my life in a very real way is this Community.

I am a pain wracked, anxiety ridden, virtually housebound introvert who had nothing to say and whose cognitive functions had been reduced to a flicker by meds and side effects. Yet in 4 1/2 months I have been inspired to make over 450 Posts and - much to my surprise - have made close friendships for the first time in years.

My mind works better. I log on sporadically during the day due to my eyes. In the evening even my Meditation Hour before I interact fully has become clearer and more focussed. This hour sets my mind up to empathise fully.

So, for making my life better just by being part of our Community - Thank You All. I just wish none of you had to be here at all.

Dave.

Distract from pain
 

Some things I do to distract myself from pain is meditate, walk with bare feet on grass, stay around animals, horses etc.

I try to keep my mind so busy that I try to overlook pain. Sometimes it works sometimes not was well as I hope.

I also take tart cherry juice shots 2 times a day. I found a study on it awhile back and it seems to help on hard days.

Distraction though seems to be the main thing that helps me.

Have you sampled any of the ASMR videos on you tube?
They have ones for relaxation, sleep, hair play, Indian head massage, and various other spa/ dr office, hair style role play , some are done much better than others.
The relaxation & sleep ones are usually very calming..

Here are a few for relaxation -
https://www.google.com/search?q=asmr...smr+relaxation

Thanks Jo,
Had never heard of ASMR.
That is different and interesting. I have hearing loss so the whispering doesn't work for me but one thing I found very interesting...it can help people with anxiety or panic attacks. Thank you, Diandra

Skimbleshanks et al,

Here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2874510/

Is Kerry Kuehl's research report into tart cherry juice. Unable to wade through all of it, I have read a few peer review papers.

Dave.