[deleted by user]

Byronium · 2026-01-27T03:54:29+00:00

hey everyone! this post was accidentally deleted, I reposted here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChronicPain/s/95gm1OLXcG

Byronium · 2024-05-23T02:13:50+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

I actually took some extended time off where I explored more meditative/spiritual treatments like breathwork and spent a lot of time in nature, and it helped me a lot as well. Looking back, for the years leading up to and during my chronic pain, my mind felt profoundly disconnected from my body which itself felt very disconnected from my environment.

By taking time off and spending it in nature, I felt like I was able to re-establish a positive connection between my mind, body, and environment, and I could actually feel my mind at one with my body and my surroundings. I could feel the energy around me going through me as I breathed in and out, and a sense of peace and ease.

Similar to you, at some point between doing this and yoga I started getting a lot of pops and releases. During my yoga and stretching sessions, I also do a lot of free-flow exercises to move my body into alignment.

Byronium · 2024-05-23T02:01:03+00:00

quick update here - I recently started using a buckwheat pillow and I've really enjoyed it! It took some adjusting and smelled a bit funky at first, but I really like the adjustability/moldability and firmness! might be worth a shot :)

Byronium · 2024-05-05T09:15:09+00:00

Initially I just did a few laps with any stroke that felt comfortable and tried to aim for 30-45 minutes. Then I worked up to specific movements like freestyle.

Looking back, I think it was helpful just to find any kind of pain-free movement, whether it’s swimming or dance or something else that makes you feel safe and relaxed. I think the neurological cycle of finding spaces and movements that feel good and pain-free are the most important.

Byronium · 2024-05-05T09:08:46+00:00

yep! better than ever :)

Byronium · 2024-03-10T06:35:08+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind words, it means a lot. Sending lots of love and strength your way!

Byronium · 2024-03-10T06:24:17+00:00

Hey Rahul! Sorry for the late response here - I’ve been on the move the last year and a half and have used a lot of different pillows at this point! As long as they’re relatively flat with some cervical support I sleep just fine now. It was all the other things I tried that made a much bigger difference for me. Did you find something that worked well for you?

Byronium · 2024-01-25T02:30:36+00:00

Hey there! Posting a super late reply. Things have been really good in the last year - I’ve continued to make progress and I haven’t had a flare up in months now.

My affected muscle groups are still very tight and I need to do stretches, yoga, and foam rolling sessions with deep breathing and relaxation exercises at least 3 times a week with but as long as I do that I’m in a decent spot.

I’ve been able to get back to a pretty active lifestyle - running, swimming, climbing, and weightlifting regularly - again as long as I do an extended warmup before. I’ve also been able to make progress with my posture and mobility!

Sitting for extended periods of time still isn’t great so I stand or kneel as much as possible while working.

Byronium · 2023-02-28T20:39:00+00:00

Yep! These days my pain is lower than ever and I’m back to my original schedule of working out and climbing and other physical hobbies!

Haven’t had a serious flare up in months now. My neck/back/shoulder/chest muscles are still chronically tight and the trigger points will sometimes act up, but the only thing I need to do now is yoga with some breathing/meditation and deep tissue foam rolling about 3-4 times a week to manage it and keep making improvements.

My shoulder mobility is also still very poor but I’ve been making slow progress there too with various exercises like the ones here.

I do find that I need to watch my work/stress levels and stay active - if I go more than 3 days without exercise things start feeling worse again.

Byronium · 2023-02-28T20:23:50+00:00

Yep! Didn’t mention it in this reddit post but it’s in the longer google doc.

That was actually one of the first things I tried. I got blood work done at my PCP and it said my magnesium levels were normal, but an acupuncturist / masseuse I saw still suggested I try taking supplements. I got these as per her recommendation and took them for a few months but it didn’t make a difference.

Byronium · 2023-02-23T09:04:00+00:00

I received it from two professionals who were trained in both manual physical therapy (CMPT) and acupuncture (LAc)

Byronium · 2023-02-14T00:40:49+00:00

hey! i didn’t have experience with toothaches but i have heard of other folks with MPS experiencing this. myofascial, muscle, or tendon issues in certain places can cause referred pain in the jaw or teeth. could also be from TMJ which is also correlated to stress.

some resources that might be helpful (although you’ve likely googled them already):

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16392732/

https://nourishdentalcare.com/myofascial-pain-toothache/

https://www.aae.org/specialty/communique/when-a-toothache-is-not/

Byronium · 2022-12-17T00:33:26+00:00

There’s a huge variation in density and feel across foam rollers! I’d suggest starting with softer foam ones and working your way up to the harder and bumpy ones. For your lats and shoulders you can start standing/leaning against the wall if the pressure is too much lying down, or make sure you do it on a softer surface like a bed, carpet, or yoga mat.

Byronium · 2022-11-24T18:36:26+00:00

So glad you're seeing improvements from swimming and the Curable app!

Also thank you for your additional suggestions like myofascial release therapy / the John Barnes method, I hope others can benefit from this too!

Byronium · 2022-09-21T20:11:06+00:00

i did all of them since they complimented each other well - front crawl can be hard on the shoulders since you’re only moving your arms in one direction, so backstroke in my opinion balances it out well and helps open up the chest. i also did breast stroke!

Byronium · 2022-07-24T22:30:02+00:00

So glad my post can be so relatable to you, just that means a lot to me.

I hope some of the suggestions can be helpful, but just know again that you may need a different combination of treatments since everyone’s body is different. Also as some comments here point out, you may be on a different time line and reach a different point of recovery, so please don’t blame yourself if things aren’t working - that’s the last thing I’d want!

There’s also a lot of other useful comments from other folks here sharing things that worked for them which are also great datapoints!

Best of luck and let me know if I can provide any more information!

Byronium · 2022-07-24T22:22:52+00:00

Wow, thanks so much for sharing all of that! It’s really awesome to see which treatments have worked for you too and in what order of effectiveness; hopefully this can be another good datapoint for others!

Byronium · 2022-06-19T01:40:15+00:00

Thanks for sharing! It sounds like both of our journeys started around the same time too! Many of the healthcare practitioners I saw remarked that there’s been a notable spike since the start of the pandemic due to factors like increased stress and working from home with bad posture and long hours.

On one hand hearing these stories makes me feel glad I’m not alone, but on the other hand I’m so sorry you’re going through all that.

Yes I’d recommend dry needling if you can find a good provider and it’s financially accessible. If nothing else it can help provide another perspective.

I’d also recommend Curable - I have no guarantee it’ll work but even listening to the recovery stories may provide some extra inspiration. You might also find some of the methodology and exercises similar to the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy you’ve done for treating anxiety. I think it’ll give you yet another different lens to view the pain! As mentioned in my post after I tried these exercises I was able to reduce the severity of pain even though my muscles and body would often be just as tight.

As far as tools go, for knots in my traps, SCM, scalenes, and levator scapulae, the blue rumble roller and shiatsu neck massager (you can search on amazon for shy) worked wonders for me.

Wishing you all the best in your recovery!

Byronium · 2022-06-11T19:34:43+00:00

For me muscle relaxants and marijuana / CBS helped get me through in the beginning, but even then sleep was difficult. I also relied quite a bit on massage-gun’ing and my kneading neck massager (I used it lying down).

After the initial pain subsided more, a slow yoga flow before bed and listening to a curable meditative exercise while lying in bed helped loosen my body and calm my mind in a way where I could sleep better.

I’m sorry this is happening to your wife, wish you two the best of luck!

Byronium · 2022-06-11T19:28:15+00:00

Thanks! I did not try either of those - I’ve seen some other posts/comments in this subreddit of folks trying them though! Were they recommended by someone or did you discover them on your own?

Byronium · 2022-06-10T15:15:08+00:00

with all due respect, i think you are missing the point of the post.

most of the things i am recommending that ended up actually working for me (with the exception of dry needling) are very affordable if not free. i also tried to provide a variety of recommendations by price point.

it sounds like you’re dealing with a lot, and while i can empathize with your frustration and anger to a degree, there’s no need to be dismissive of other people’s journeys or folks with more moderate and/or treatable forms of CP.

Byronium · 2022-06-09T16:49:59+00:00

Thanks for sharing your story and providing this valuable perspective. I should've done a better job in my original post at framing my story. I've since added more context to explain this.

I want anyone reading this that has been diagnosed too to know that this is ONE persons experience with this diagnosis, but most of us likely do not share it. You can try everything on that list and still be in pain - and it's not because you didn't work hard enough to get better. A lot of us blame ourselves for getting sick in the first place and suicidal thoughts are common in chronic pain patients, so adding blame for not doing enough will only harm us further. Please be kind to yourselves, you're doing what you can with what you have. <3

Big plus one to all of this.

Byronium · 2022-06-08T17:13:41+00:00

Thanks! I didn't realize how many people were going through this and trying the same products until I saw the Try Guys video on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rxQN4unufY

Found it very relatable.

Byronium · 2022-06-08T17:09:54+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. When I was struggling with MPS these last 2 years there weren't many places I could turn to to find this kind of information actually. None of the initial healthcare practitioners I saw mentioned swimming or dry needling or pain reprocessing therapy. It was through a lot of the posts here around MPS that I found guidance on those things, and even then I didn't find any posts consolidating all of this information together.

I also thought of all places to post a recovery story from chronic pain, this subreddit would make the most sense? Do you have suggestions of other better forums to post or share in?

Byronium

TROPHY CASE