Chronic Pain

A chronic pain is what some would call me but that is not what this is about. This about treatments and strategies for dealing with ongoing chronic pain. I am not a medical professional, a Pharmacist or Physiotherapist; I am a chronic pain sufferer who has developed strategies for coping.

In fact, I have suffered from chronic pain for twenty odd years now. It started when I was a welder in a school bus factory while in my twenties. The repetitive heavy lifting and deep bending took its toll, and eventually the pain stopped going away. On my last day there I had taken eight Tylenol 2's before noon and was still in enough pain to be distracted.

I won't go into the diagnosis but it took one Doctor two pages to describe. I was on a steady diet of codeine, anti-inflammatories and stomach medications (to combat the side effects of the AI's).

I was taking over $300 a month of prescriptions, and it wasn't working well, in fact it was hurting me. One Doctor ordered blood tests before treating me, and then refused to help me until I got treatment for alcoholism. This was a surprise, as I was a social drinker, but by no means a problem drinker. I couldn't afford booze and medications at the same time.

This is when a light went on. I was in pain, the drugs weren't helping, my stomach and liver were being wiped out, and I couldn't concentrate or remember the simplest of lists.

I had to do something.

I started reading.

Turns out Codeine has the same effect on your liver as alcohol. Hence the false blood tests indicating alcohol abuse. The part of the liver that is attacked is the part that processes vitamin B12, which in turn fuels short term memory. Which is why chronic alcoholics can't remember the night before, and why I couldn't remember a 4 item grocery list from My Darling Bride. This part of the liver also doesn't regenerate, so I now must take B12 supplements for the rest of my life.

So then I had to find something to replace the Tylenol. Something that wouldn't screw me up worse than I was. Anything OTC was ineffective. Anything prescribed was expensive and included anti-inflammatories, which were hard on my stomach.

Pot was illegal.

Then I found natural remedies. This was many years ago, before you could get St. John's Wort at Shopper's or Shark Cartilage at Zehrs.

After much research, I came across combination of compounds that actually worked.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a natural sulfur compound. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is also a muscle elasticizer. I also believe that MSM cleared up the Tinea Versicolor that had affected me since I was a lad. What most data won't tell you, and what I stumbled on through discussion and more research, is that you need equal doses of vitamin C to metabolize MSM if you have liver damage.

Chondroitin and glucosamine are usually sold and used in conjunction and are often combined in one capsule.

Chondroitin is a critical component of cartilage, and normally breaks down with age. It is the part of cartilage that help it resist compression. (hence, creaky grinding joints). Those who over work thier joints will suffer cartlige breakdown sooner than others.

Glucosamine is another part of cartilage make up, and acts as a lubricant of the joints.

Celadrin is newer to the scene, and promises to have all the effects of the other three combined. It is available in a capsule and as a topical cream.

What I must stress is the following:

• None of this works like taking asprin for a headache. You must take them regularly, in large enough doses, and wait 4-6 weeks before you feel any noticable gains.
• This will NOT make you completely pain free. For me it makes the pain manageble so I can get on with my day.

I have been using this treatment for over fifteen years now and I am happy to report that I can move pretty well on most days, I can think pretty clearly, and my stomach is intact.

As with any kind of treatment, consult your Doctor, do some resarch, and give it time.

DJW