I sit here day after day thinking about how strong and useful I was. I enjoyed designing my yard landscaping, going to work, and in general being productive. Now that the accumulating multiple pain has taken over my life and made me more of a dreamer than a doer, I feel hopeless and a burden to my family. On disability no money and taking pain meds to get through the day of multiple pains while looking forward to a lower back shot every two months. This started out as low pain got worse and is now running my life for with out injections and meds my quality of life sucks. The only thing i look forward to these days is being with my grandchildren and interacting while having a feeling of childhood. I can let go for a moment then I pick one up and remember oh I had to wake up again to do this all over. Multiple pain takes the spirit out of a guy. The system really is a big let down. Any one have similar or same issues. I find I need to talk about things, any one game?
Any of you feel so damn useless having chronic pain?
Question posted by jacy53 on 25 Dec 2009
Last updated on 19 March 2025
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
161 Answers Page 5
Useless? I used to be a special education teacher, and rewrote the entire curriculum for trainable mentally handicapped. I was nominated for teacher of the year for my school, and special educator of the year for the county that year. I had over six offers to receive my doctorate from my choice of Universities that WANTED ME!! I was asked to go to Russia, and China to REPRESENT the UNITED STATES,,, and then i was hit by that car carrying four laughing teenagers. When I turned around to see what the heck just happened, they backed up and HIT ME AGAIN!! It took me over a half an hour to find my children's school that day, back in 1994, even though it was only two blocks away. Back then, if you didn't lose consciousness, you weren't considered having a concussion. Now it's a different story.
I have been accused of wanting to stay at home all day and enjoy narcotics, and most of my family (including my beloved son) BELIEVES that!! How can they even think that after where I was in my career. I don't care what anyone says, people define themselves by their careers. Now my career is staying at home all day, trying to get out at least once a day to do SOMETHING that will help my poor husband take care of me. Do I feel useless??? YES, resoundingly!!
PS: I think that I forgot to mention that those laughing teenagers were trying to rob me. They jumped the curb and the sheriff didn't think it was worth it to try and find them. My only wish is that they KNOW how they destroyed my life in less than a minute!
PS: I think that I forgot to mention that those laughing teenagers were trying to rob me. They jumped the curb and the sheriff didn't think it was worth it to try and find them. My only wish is that they KNOW how they destroyed my life in less than a minute!
Yes I will talk with you I am living the exact same life you are but not for the same reason. I want to die I feel so bad. It 's like I am just existing for nothing. The Drs have told me there is nothing else they can do to help me I am just waiting now to get worse & die. I have 11 Diseases some - Crohn's, Fibromyalgia, resslist leg syndrome, my upper spine is crusing nerves causing my hands & feet to fell like they are sun burned. I can hardly open a gallon of milk & or walk on my feet. In the shower the water feels like stones hitting my feet. THis is just a few of my pain issues. I have had so many surgeries I can't have anymore so pain meds are my only option left!
You just hang in there & stay with this group & read all you can it will make you feel better knowing you are not alone !
I feel the exact same way. I just want my old body back. Forty years old and can barely walk. I used to do flips and teach aerobics. All I ever wanted to do was dance with my husband and it looks like that will never happen. I t makes me bitter and angry. I'm a pretty negative person and don't want to be. I just want all the pain in my legs and back to go away. I need knee replacements and have major back issues and they just tell me to lose weight and my pain doctor isn't giving me shit. Well I try but it's sure easier said than done especially when your broke and can't work anymore. I'm willing to try anything at this point.
Hi everyone... well until I came across this wedsite I felt like i was the only one out here with chronic pain & feel useless, because I do not know anyone else in my area that understands what chronic pain really does to your life. I had a complete hysterectomy in 2006 due to cancer. I was only 34 yrs old. I asked my doc several times about they effects of this on my body. he said I was to young to worry about it. In 2008 I started to deeply regreting taking his advice! I started having back pain. Went to my family doc who sent me to physical therapy for a few months which made it worse. So he finally sent me for an x-ray. I had the x-ray done and a few minutes later a doc came in and told me not to move and moments later was taken in to have an MRI. At this point I was pretty scared! After the MRI I was taken by ambulance straight to hospital for surgery on a fractued L4-L5. I have had 5 back surgeries since.
I have worked most of my life and been very independent, but now rely on my son for alot. I lost my job in may 2011, and will be losing my house by the end of march 2012. I do have a wonderful boyfriend who is moving us in with him & wants nothing more then to take care of me so my son can start his own life. I thank God everyday for him... Even with these 2 incredible men in my life I still feel very alone & would do almost anything for a day without pain! If anyone wants to talk let me know... i just feel so lost and dont know what to do next.
Mandy,
I will talk to you and if you need a friend I'm here. I understand what you are going through. Don't give up.
Your friend -Terri-
I am a 36 year old woman who was never able to work due to chronic pain. I have auto immune hepatitis and an enlarged spleen. My abdominal pain is much worse than it's ever been. I used to dabble in giving massages for some income, but can no longer do it. I ended up getting Fibromyalgia on top of all of this crap. I used to do a very intense form of yoga and teach it too. Now I'm this lethargic, fat, lump on the couch. My basic goal is to earn a college degree in helping others. A desk job. I just hope that, with my fatigue, I can actually do an 8 hour job when I graduate.
I have been diagnosed with chronic pain/fibromyglia and my lower back has 2 disk messed up in it,
my pain sits at a 10 without meds and a 7 with then having Docter and people look at you as if you want to be felt sorry for AND THAT'S SO FAR FROM IT .
would love to have a life without pain to be able to be hug without hurting then seeing people looks and saying their so sorry for hurting you,
seeing the hurt in my love one's eyes that hurts the most knowing ever something like a hug hurts'.
yes worthless i feel most of the time unable to do simple things people do everyday thing nothing of it,like walking,cleaning one's home,a bath how hard it is to get in and out of a tub..having people help me doing simple life things hurts me!!!
yes i understand
Wow, i have been dealing with this pain for a few years now. it sucks for one i am young for two i have two boys that i wish i could chase after outside. when i was younger my biological mother pushed me against this pipe that was sticking out of the wall, now have a bump on my lower back, went to see a doctor about it, come to find out its two disc fused together plus pinching a nerve, also after having my second son back n 2008 my health went down hill fast, i ended up getting a bone infection in my hip (also ammonia, anemia, three blood clots,etc.) which now i have bone damage from, also have another pinch nerve. I have done everything the doctor has told me, but still no result. :( But i do try to make myself do things everyday, its a struggle but i have too do it. It sucks even more because i have 0 health insurance. I try to make sure i go to the doctor every month but some times i can't. Anyways, i am so sorry you all have to go thou all this pain.
I wish know one had too. But i hears somewhere you know ur a live when your n pain. something like that. but it sure sucks. between being depressed, feeling useless, n the pain it self. ok ill stop now.
PLEASE, somebody - try STRATTERA!
It's an adhd med but was found to be helpful for pain. I wouldn't be working if it weren't for this medicine.
OMG That is exactly how i've been feeling since I had neck surgery last year they fused c5-c6 now they said c7-c8 don't look good and i have arthritis from head to toe and i have degenerative disc disease and my quack doctor seems to think that two 7.5 percocet a day should make me feel good which doesn't do NOTHING I might as well just take a baby aspirin
I know the feeling very well. I have RSD (reflex sympathetic dystrophy) and it controls my life. I have to wonder how my family can stand to be around me when I am just a lump getting in their way all the time. I have been getting worse for 10 years now and at this point it costs more for me to be around then my little disability check pays.
The good part is I have family that loves me and is always supportive so when I feel down I just have to call and talk to one of my kids or my Grand daughter. I still plan trips and try to enjoy the little things each day. We just have to remember that no matter what I families would miss us if we weren't here. I read books, I design jewelry and I play on the computer. You just need to find things that make you happy.
I use to be a whole different person. The back pain I have has forever changed me unless by any chance I can make it as I have started 29 hrs. ago cold turkey but it's so hard. It's a mental and physical challenge. I know I have back trouble but I'm so different and depressed and I don't know if it's just the fact of taking a freaking number of pills per day or the fact that I have young kids and I refuse to abuse these pills to make me like I was when I first took them (energetic) or maybe it's everything combined that just makes me flat miserable. I hate myself for this because I use to have a job and make money and my future for my kids is down the drain because I can't deal with this pain and I hate it because with the back pain like it is I can barely cook or wash dishes let alone do anything fun with my family. My spirit is broke but I hope this works and I hope I make it through this but it's hard.
One of the hardest things is I don't feel like a kid but a baby because everyone in my family has to help me now and I'm suppose to do it all not them. I'm Mom. I hate it...
You are not alone. My advice is to just keep nagging if you have to. I have found two things that have helped: prolotherapy (or injections of sugar/water in lower back to the site of pain) and low dose Strattera (usually used for ADHD) has been VERY helpful. Some meds may aggravate your condition. I am investigating this after going off Singulair and feeling somewhat better. Confirmed this is side effect online - in some people. Also, generic bupropion may be another culprit. Will keep you posted. I can't exercise but go to a pool for range of motion and stretching. I'd eat lard and drink vinegar if it helped - so apple cider vinegar is another good thing to try. It keeps your pH level to a less acidic level. I don't eat lard, but I do take fish oil capsuls (2 to 4 g per day) for inflammation. Bromelain (an enzyme) and Boswellia (a herb) are very helpful for me. Hope this info gained through trial and error is helpful to you and anyone else reading this.
I just found this site. So nice to be able to talk to someone else without sounding like a chronic complainer, hypochondriac, or someone seeking sympathy. ARGH! Bad enough to be in pain without all the other aggravation.
I have been diagnosed with chronic pain/fibromyalgia. One doctor, who I thought was helping me, kept giving me more and more drugs: ty3,fentenol ,morphine, 0xycodine and others. I truly thought that this was the way to go, even though I felt totally useless in my life. I got depressed and was prescribed an assortment of drugs for that. So much that I was a ticking time bomb.. An alert doctor explained that I was addicted - no kidding!
I was "rehabbed" and taken off the drugs. While I am glad not to be walking around like a zombie, I am in constant pain with a doctor I am afraid to approach about pain. This does suck the life out.
I find that doctors have an attitude about chronic pain, and ignore it or see it as an excuse to get drugs, I have pretty much given up and try to live day to day with some exercise, diet and lifestyle changes. Some things work and some things don't. But I still wake up after poor sleep, trying to gather the energy to get through the day... You posted the question a while ago. I hope you have found some peace.
I have thorasic sculiosis and it never bothered me until age 24, I'm 27 now and my wife is the only one working full-time... I am stuck due to my age and the climate of fear in the medical establishment in place from the DEA and others who feel that anyone under age x isn't really in pain... It's so frustrating to walk into any doctors office and expect to feel criminalized and deamed a threat to the legal status quo... how can I feel like I am worth treating if a doctor doesn't feel that I am?
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