Advice on dealing with pain?

[balsamandash]

So -- people who have issues with pain; what do you do to get yourself through bad pain periods? Particularly when you have work/physically demanding responsibilities that you can't skip or put off until pain is gone?

I have chronic/reoccuring pain of some kind in... practically every part of my body -- feet, legs, back, stomach, chest, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, jaw, temples, headaches, wow this list is worse than I expected when I actually write it out. It's been a particularly bad couple of weeks for it; I'm bad at quantifying pain but I'd say my average for this month is quite a bit worse than my average in general. I work on my feet all nigh, picking up and moving around heavy boxes and then doing repetitive motions that cause pain in my arms even on days there previously wasn't any.

And I am terrible at coping mechanisms or finding things to make the pain better. (Massage generally helps but is not something I have daily access to or anything right now. Being warm helps so I'm picking up something long-sleeved I can wear during work to keep myself from getting as chilly, but that only does so much good.)

So if you deal with anything like this, share what works for you? Either for getting through the period of having to do things or ways to help ease the pain after getting home/before leaving/when I happen to have a decent chunk of time? I would really appreciate the advice.

Comments

[worlds_of_smoke]

If you're up on your feet all night, you might want to consider getting a kickass pair of shoes. One thing that helped me before my hip became the main factor in dictating how long I can stand: cheer shoes. I fell in love with them in HS, when I was a cheerleader. I usually used Kaepa shoes.

Cheer shoes are amazing because they have assloads of cushioning to compensate for the fact that cheerleaders are obviously not easy on their feet and knees. And, since you're just walking around, you may find them super effective at reducing your pain. You can order them online or check out some shoe stores. Some of them are a bit expensive, but if you don't want to chuck out a buttload of money, I know there are some $20 pairs floating around and they'll at least help you decide if you want to chuck out a buttload of money.

[untonuggan]

seconding the shoes.

also, I sometimes need "fancy feminine shoes that won't kill my feet" shoes, and for there I look to what nurses and teachers are wearing for their standing all day 12 hour shifts. Dansko seem to be popular? But they have more of a heel and less ankle support.

also hiking shoes are such a blessing omg, and running shoes although I have found they don't last as long.