6 Tips for Healthier Living with Chronic Pain

By Barby Ingle, PNN Columnist

People with chronic pain-related medical conditions are at higher risk for infection, falls, poor posture, complications, mental health issues and other challenges. There are things we can do to help lower these risks and live fuller, longer, happier and healthier lives.

Tip #1: Have good communication with your medical providers. Your medical team can include specialists in primary care, pain management, rheumatology, dentistry, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, gynecology, podiatry, surgery, physical therapy and nursing. The more proactive you are in communicating with your providers, the better and faster they can assist you in proper care.

Tip #2: Keep your weight under control. Maintaining an ideal weight as a pain patient can be difficult. You can lose your appetite and not eat enough, or overeat to help deal with the stress of being ill. You may even have cravings for goodies because the pain is so bad. We need something good in our life, right?

Maintaining a good body weight can be very helpful. I use the Noom healthy eating app, gut health testing through Viome, and self-discipline to better control my weight. I watch what I eat and look for healthy treat items that I can enjoy when others around me are having their goodies, helping me to stay social.

Healthy eating needs to be individualized. What is good for me to eat is not always good for others. Find your dietary recommendations and stick to them whenever possible.

Tip #3: Drink plenty of water. I know, I know. Water can be so dull. But drinking the right amount of water increases your energy and helps you focus more. Improved concentration and memory enable you to take on more in life and stay active.

Drinking water can also help you feel fuller and avoid overeating. Water flushes out toxins that we build up from high pain levels, the environment, and other lifestyle choices. Good hydration improves your skin texture, helps it stay elastic and makes you look younger. 

Tip #4: Exercise regularly. I know it’s much easier said than done. Even if you just reduce your sitting and screen time, making the change can help. Know your physical boundaries. For example, if you have a catheter and are not supposed to lift over 10 pounds, don’t do it. Stick to simple household tasks, such as moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer or engage in light sweeping.

During the pandemic, I started doing stretches and light yoga moves while watching TV. Many great exercise shows can be found on television, YouTube and the Internet. Even if you cannot touch your toes like the person in the video can, you can still stretch in that position. Make it a goal to improve your range of motion. Goal setting and a plan of action can help improve vascular flow, blood pressure and other health benefits.

Tip #5: Improve your sleep. A good night’s sleep not only helps reduce pain, it improves your brain performance and mood, and helps lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and obesity. 

Tip #6: Do not smoke or drink to excess. Work to do it less and less each day. I know it’s hard, but I also know it is possible to limit yourself or even quit. 

None of these tips will cure pain. They are tools to help improve your daily living despite your pain. We are told them while growing up, but often life gets in the way and we need a reminder to check our self-care tools and improve the manageable areas of life.

Best wishes in all you do to live a happier, more productive and healthier life! 

Barby Ingle is a reality TV personality living with multiple rare and chronic diseases. She is a chronic pain educator, patient advocate, motivational speaker, and best-selling author on pain topics. Barby has received over 25 awards for her advocacy efforts. You can follow her at www.barbyingle.com.   

Should I Be Trying to Pass as Healthy?

By Crystal Lindell, PNN Columnist

Recently my new boyfriend told me he could tell from the moment he met me that I took pain pills.

“It’s all in the eyes. They look weathered. Mostly because the pain medications affect your sleep pattern.”

“Wait. What? What does that even mean? So I look old?”

“I think it’s really attractive actually.”

Sure. 

I was a bit devastated to find out that my elaborate efforts to convince the world that I am indeed quite healthy had failed me. So much for my $48 concealer from Ulta. 

The thing is I look young and I’m relatively friendly, so people usually can’t tell that I almost always feel like someone is repeatedly breaking my ribs. And I confess that I often use this to my advantage. People at work are on a need-to-know basis.

Until I met my boyfriend, I rarely told guys about my chronic pain. And when I’m at professional events it never comes up.  Sometimes I feel a little guilty about this, as though I’m somehow reaping the benefits of being able-bodied while my actual body is falling apart.

Looking healthy means nobody ever questions my ability to get things done, show up or keep working.

But the other side of this is that when I actually need help, it’s a lot harder to get. Nobody wants to give up their seat in the waiting area for the young girl who looks like she could go out and run a marathon tomorrow. Well, fine, probably not a marathon, but I definitely look like I could easily walk a 5K.

And getting help lifting a bag, or even using a scooter at the store makes me look like I’m just some lazy blonde chick taking away benefits from the people who actually need them.

I recently covered three trade shows in three weeks for work, and the whole thing left me battered on the couch at home. But during that final week, when I finally was bold enough to just float the idea of using a scooter to get around, someone who doesn’t know about my health said, “Well that would be in poor taste.”

It’s so hard to know what to do in that moment. Do I verbally vomit up my medical history right then? Do I laugh like I’m embarrassed? Or do I just ignore it?

I chose to throw out a sentence about how I was actually in real pain and then dropped the conversation.

More moments like that are bound to come up though. And one day I will have to break down and actually use the scooter. When that happens, I’m sure I’ll get some nasty looks from people who just assume I’m too lazy to walk the trade show floor.

But I’m also sure that eventually people will be able to tell I’m sick just by looking at me. And honestly, I’m dreading that more.

Crystal Lindell is a journalist who lives in Illinois. She eats too much Taco Bell, drinks too much espresso, and spends too much time looking for the perfect pink lipstick. She has hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome. 

Crystal writes about it on her blog, “The Only Certainty is Bad Grammar.”

The information in this column should not be considered as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only and represent the author’s opinions alone. It does not inherently express or reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of Pain News Network.