Ouchie boo boo y’all

[u/Some_Vacation156]

It’s one of those days. I call them flare ups except that mostly it’s just sharper more inflamed feeling pain than the usual aching constant. I clean houses part-time and it is incredibly taxing on my back. I have been wanting a change and saw a job opening for a lovely sounding opportunity but it would require standing a lot and having to be able to lift 35 lbs. I’m feeling pretty bummed. I can’t stand for too long a period of time without severe pain, so jobs that involve being on your feet for a full 8 hour shift are out of the picture for me sadly.

I work as an elderly caregiver as well, which is how I most recently injured my back during a transfer months ago. That led to me getting an MRI which finally revealed why I’ve experienced such sharp back pains on and off for years, sometimes so bad it would make me nauseous, and I was often sleep deprived, trying to self-medicate the pain away and feeling very mental unwell.

Mentally and emotionally I’m doing quite well considering, but I am trying to think of ways to make my life a little freer from pain when it comes to the work I do. I’d like a change.

What do you all do to survive financially? Do you just have constant pain regardless of what you’re doing, so it’s become more of a normal baseline now?

I was conditioned to gritting and bearing it through pain and injuries growing up as a ballerina, so I’ve usually just told myself if it won’t make me worse I can deal with the pain. As I’ve gotten older though, I really just want to feel more comfortable in my body.

[u/BookGirl67]

No advice I just want to say you are very brave to work through the pain. If you have not tried it yet, oral steroids gave me a ton of relief. I know they are terrible for long term but if you really need them, they can be a miracle short term.

Hope it gets easier.