Pain level 10

[tempest]

I am dealing with pain all day and night long. I take methadone, marinol, and a muscle relaxer. The first two pills are for pain. I have an autoimmune disease called Fibromyalgia. It causes problems in the muscles and joints of the body. It is all over too, not just one location. I have a second autoimmune disease waiting and lurking in me...the doctor sees it just can't diagnose it yet.

Pain is a huge trigger for me and the comfort comes in various forms. I use natural remedies, traditional medicine, mediation, prayer, excersize, and guided imagry...but most importantly cigs and caffine are also things I try to use to comfort me. I am trying to give up smoking and should stop drinking caffine as well. they seem to go hand in hand. I want a cig when I drink a coke and vise versa. One of those never ending circles I am addicted to.

This is going to be hard for me...any suggestions would help.

(the title, for those that don't know, is the highest number on a pain scale. the scale runs from 1, being the lowest, to 10.)

[lizzy2]

jeez, maybe one day i'll figure out how to use this site....ugh

lyndi,
new to group. it was the way you described your "little voice" that reminded me of something my mother passed on to me. when you here the "little voice", imagine that it is in front of you and as it is speaking, take your (mental) hands and place them over its little mouth! to save me i can't remember why i was using this technique (it's been awhile) but it always made me giggle to think of the muffled sounds the voice would be making with my hands over its little mouth--and i would ONLY hear the muffled talking sounds instead of the little voice words. i hope i didn't explain this to death!
#2 i have bipolar disorder and a friend of mine used to have a horrible time with depression--she sheepishly told me one day that a therapist had suggested that she respond to her mental conversations that were suggesting suicide--that she verbally/out loud say"no" to the ideation. she confided in me that sometimes she would actually fairly yell "no". these two ideas, plus gummy life savers and whatever else i can find are going to help when begin my quit on feb 9.

i really appreciate your comments. not only did they remind me of some things that will help, but the process motivated me to get up and go mark my quit date on my calendar. the date is now officially set!

[Lyndi]

That little NicoBeast voice will tell you that you need to smoke because you're in pain. I have been in chronic pain for most of life. The last few years have been horrific. As the pain increased, so did my smoking, especially in the wee hours of the night when the pain was keeping me awake.

I had my last cigarette on Dec. 31/08. I bought myself some Commit lozenges and cut some straws down to cigarette size. Between those two, I've managed to keep that little voice from convincing me that smoking will make me feel better. Smoking won't make me feel better. It just adds to the problem. Smoking takes oxygen way from the muscles and strips bones of calcium. How can that make anyone feel better? Tell your little NicoBeast voice to take a hike.!

[Lyndi]

Good for setting your date Lizzy. Don't panic when it gets here. Just take a deep breath and go for it. After 46 years of smoking, I am now on Day 36 without a cigarette. My other quits never lasted more than a week, so I know I'm in this for the long haul. At least at night now, when my pain wakes me up, I've found better things to do than smoke!

I like your Mum's idea of muffling the little voice. If my NicoBeast starts nattering at me tonight, I'll remember to stifle him! 🙂