7 ms·

Programming with chronic pain

161 points by thomasvogelaar 2y ago

shakna 2y ago
Random chronic pain sufferer here. Fibromyalgia hit me in puberty, and I now have a couple hundred symptoms that sporadically change, day to day. The aircon is a fun one. Outside of 16-18C (60-65F), the pain flares, and continues to flare. Mostly the referred pain and tendonitis. That reduces when under a fan or aircon - except the tendonitis. So I often end up wearing a jumper, and working under aircon. The two together confuses a lot of passerby. And just to add - I sometimes use STT when my hands are worse, or TTS when the nerves in my eyes malfunction. And I gotta say... The accessibility controls on most IDEs is utterly crap. If you have a hambuger menu? I might get read "triple bar" or "trigram for heaven". That ain't useful. If the UI absolutely has to use unicode symbols instead of text... Please give an alt text. Please.
samename 2y ago
I had chronic pain in my neck for a couple of years. It started in the pandemic, so the usual guesses were it had something to do with working remote - which meant sitting down more, potentially ergonomic issues, less socializing, etc. After seeing several doctors, doing all the tests like MRI and CT scans, trying physical therapy and many other conventional and non conventional treatments, the key for me was seeing a pain psychologist. As mentioned in this article, a lot of pain takes place in the mind. Even though we feel it in our bodies, it’s our brain telling us that it’s a problem. After a few months of therapy, the pain was no longer a major facet of my life. After 6 months I felt totally cured and myself again. The US medical system can be a maze and easily spiral for chronic pain sufferers. I suspect this is an area where we are still learning
- emmelaich 2y ago
  A lot of home setups aren't great for working. When I got neck and head pain, I realised that I was looking slightly down at the monitor. Raising it so the top is just above eye level worked wonders. You also want a desk with a lot of depth; many smaller home desks don't have that. You're often better off with a table than a desk.
willtemperley 2y ago
I'm a bit surprised you didn't mention inflammation management. The western diet almost entirely consists of inflammatory foods - refrigerated dough, packaged snacks, burgers etc. Whilst my tennis elbow is probably caused by poor ergononics and not warming up properly before exercising, I'm finding tiger milk mushroom, a known anti-inflammatory [1] is helping a great deal. [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-91256-6 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-91256-6
- thomasvogelaar 2y ago
  In my case I didn't find much impact from diet and any blood tests I did showed no signs of inflammation. Though as I mentioned closer to the end of the post, I think generally focussing on your health (and I'd include diet in this) is always good. Most things might not have an impact but something often will.
EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 2y ago
What about drugs? nsaids help, but not advisable for long term. I take gabapentin for longer term relief.
nakedneuron 2y ago
Hi Thomas, sorry to hear. I'm no doctor but I've had my own share of bad-ergonomic-induced pain so I feel entitled to add my view. Also I write this to everybody suffering from this kind of pain. It's the raging epidemic of our time. This all sounds too familiar for fascia as the source of pain. Fascia pain is often described as "nasty". MRT doesn't show problems is also indicative of fascia. I may say that I saw your profile pic on LI and immediately noticed your hanging shoulders. Slight head-forward-posture also doesn't surprise if I may say so and if I'm not mistaken. My advice would be, leave the stretching behind. Theraband is an insult for every young healthy individual. I sorted out my problems by training upper limbs with weights (start with 1.5kg dumbbells), resistance band and also the occasional fascia roll aka foam roller. Let me suggest some reading to get into the matter. Beginner level: Fascial Fitness, Schleip Expert level: Anatomy Trains, Myers Also: Built From Broken, Hogan With kind permission, from that book: Because posture is what you do most of the time, it is often at the root of joint pain, muscle imbalances, and injuries. On top of that, it tends to worsen with age. If you don’t address posture, you’ll be continually slapping Band-Aids on the problems caused by it. It’s a game you simply can’t win. But you can’t just fix posture by consciously holding yourself differently. It takes structural changes to musculature [...]. It requires a combination of training your body to maintain better posture and consciously working to hold yourself in better positions. [...]. While exercising, you train muscles and movements that improve dynamic posture, and you see a little progress from week to week. It’s a painstakingly slow process, but it works. And it’s worth it. Same source: It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out - it’s the grain of sand in your shoe. Good news is that you will get better soon if you start exercising regularly. Bit of a downer is, that it will take about the same amount of time to revert to "pristine" posture as it "took" you to imprint your current posture into your fascia. Pain from the 50th repetition of a weight lift has far better quality to it than chronic pain.
CobaltFire 2y ago
Chronic pain sufferer due to a career where I got beaten up and broken (military) and autoimmune conditions. Counterintuitively, and for me, being more active helps. If I take a few days off because I'm lazy or tired I invariably get stiff and my pain ratchets up. Stretching twice a day is a huge help; I won't say how long as you have to come up with a routine that works for you. A massage every couple of months can help as well, as I often have spots getting bunched up that are pulling other things out of alignment. As for treating it, I use non-THC CBD oil, Ibuprofen, and gabapentin when it gets really bad. My doc is currently discussing TNFi's with me for my AI stuff; we shall see if I pursue that.
- everybodyknows 2y ago
  I have similar. Try a steam bath. Beware of ibuprofen -- can damage intestines.
apitman 2y ago
Forearms for me. Best advice I can give for young guns is start preventative breaks/stretches/exercises now. I saw it coming and pushed myself over the edge anyway. I've gotten to a pretty good place with a kinesis keyboard (the cheaper split one ) and some custom foot pedals for Ctrl/Alt/Shift, but have never been the same as before. Also, lift weights. Squats/deadlifts/bench press. Hasn't helped my arms much but been a game changer for back and neck pain.
- LouisSayers 2y ago
  Have you tried a rice bucket? I had some upper forearm pain (likely from pullups, but perhaps coding as well) for around 6 months last year, and after a long break from pullups and trying the rice bucket it seems that the pain has subsided. Could be worth a try anyway! https://www.reddit.com/r/kettlebell/comments/1759tyo/elbow_tendonitis_and_the_magic_of_rice_bucket/ https://www.reddit.com/r/kettlebell/comments/1759tyo/elbow_t...
  - genewitch 2y ago
    Thanks for this; my neighbor had a stroke and has numbness in his left forearm and hand.. I loaned him my gyroscopic wrist/grip thing, but I'll go tomorrow and have him look at this. He's a small engine mechanic so full motion and sensation is ideal.
- anon7000 2y ago
  As my wife, a healthcare provider, likes to say, “motion is lotion!” The body really doesn’t like being in the same static position for long periods, no matter your posture. Breaks & stretches are way more important!
Rhapso 2y ago
Ironically, chronic pain drove me the other direction. Programming gave me "I forgot I have a body" levels of engagement with a problem. It was a way to actually find relief from pain. My addiction to programming was very useful in my development. I was lucky in so many ways. My pain wasn't caused by the kinematics of my body, instead it was a heart condition, cancer, Celiac and Crohn's and I have managed to cure a nontrivial part of it over the years (heart surgery, diet change, immunosuppressants). Ultimately i do not recommend the "cause yourself so much pain you seek refuge in flow state and become an expert" method. It results in a lot of maladaptive behaviors, damaged relationships and needing a lot of therapy (but also the money to pay for the therapy).
byyoung3 2y ago
Read John sarnos book and you will recover. It might not be quick but you can. Don’t give up. Also look into Harvard RSI action
thenerdhead 2y ago
I’d keep eyes on the immune system. We are already rethinking migraines and inflammation based on findings from COVID-19. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00456-x https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00456-x Did this happen after a known infection of some sort? Does it run in your family? These questions may be important to know the answers to until science gets more tests over the counter as they are fairly close already.
Just_Josh 2y ago
I've had similar symptoms since college, and they continually worsened for a long time while I ignored them. After a few years of trying different solutions and doctors, I've found a satisfactory set of treatments. The only Orthopaedic doctor with impactful advice happened to have a daughter with the same issue. Loose ligaments required stabilizer muscles to work overtime. Her solution: supported strength training exercises to build up the larger muscles so they can compensate. For the next 6 months, I worked out 5 times a week, and the symptoms practically disappeared. I was able to work 8 hours at my computer with very little strain - compared to just 30 minutes at the start. The symptoms returned about a month after falling out of the routine. Other treatments that helped: Ergonomics - I use the Logitech ergonomic keyboard and vertical mouse. These have been great. I avoid using the mouse as much as possible, and use keyboard shortcuts + vimium browser extension to navigate. Compression Gloves - Just like the author, I also found that long sleeves help somewhat. But not nearly as much as the cheap, fingerless compression gloves I get off Amazon. Between these and the ergonomic peripherals, my symptoms are generally under control, so I struggle to find motivation to continue my workouts. Relaxing Muscles - When using a phone or game remote, support your wrist (and perhaps elbow) on a pillow. Avoid tightening your muscles - this is tricky when playing intense games. Stop doom scrolling. YMMV, I am not a doctor, these subjects are complicated and actively researched
hollywood_court 2y ago
I suffered from chronic neck and shoulder pain for years. I had a cervical fusion surgery. I had a labral repair surgery. Neither improved my symptoms at all. I slept maybe 3-4 hours per night for ~7 years. Then one day I saw someone on Hacker News mention Dr. Sarno's book, and it changed my life. I convinced myself that the pain was all in my mind. I'm still not 100% symptom free, but I now have far more good days than I do bad days. I read all of his books and I try to re-read the first one at least once per year. It become convenient for me to blame my problems on my chronic pain. I fixed all of that by simply changing the way I thought about the pain. Now, whenever I feel the pain flaring up, I just make myself focus on my breathing rather than focusing on the pain. And then I simply forget about the pain.
- davzie 2y ago
  Exactly the same as me except more general health anxiety symptoms that turned into real painful symptoms. I learnt about Dr Sarno from Dan's channel on YouTube Pain Free You. So glad you found similar!
  - notfed 2y ago
    At the risk of discounting a genuine anecdote, I feel inclined to point out that the grandparent and parent post exactly model a very trendy type of spam that I've noticed appearing in YouTube comment sections at an ever-growing rate; especially in self-help and financial-advice areas. I guess it's impossible to prove whether someone's anecdote is genuine or not. I'd at least suggest people try visiting a YouTube financial advice video, read the comments, and you'll see this pattern like every ten comments.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - hollywood_court 2y ago
      Uh, I wrote my post myself. I am not affiliated with Sarno or his books at all. His books actually offer no kind of treatment method. Their main message is simply that pain originates in the mind and focusing on it only makes it worse. Edit: I'm pretty sure this is the post that first taught me about Sarno. Just based on my comment like history. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32495146#32541341 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32495146#32541341
jasongill 2y ago
If anyone is suffering from chronic pain that is referred pain from the neck and shoulders, are you sleeping on a memory foam mattress? I "upgraded" to a Casper mattress in 2019 and it took 5 years of debilitating referred pain and headaches, and attempted resolutions including a 12-level spinal fusion, to realize that the mattress was the cause. Switched back to a more traditional spring mattress and the pain faded within about 3 weeks. Easily the worst and most trying experience of my life which will have lasting effects on the remainder of my life - never in a million years would I have expected that the mattress was the cause.
- mayhaffs 2y ago
  I bought a Purple mattress because I thought it would fix my back and neck pain and it has only made it worse. I will also be going back to a more traditional spring mattress soon.
- srik 2y ago
  I'd also recommend sleeping on the floor with a couple sheets and pillows. Sounds like it should be uncomfortable, and it is for a bit, but after a while your body just adapts with postures that do wonders for spinal relaxation and relief from some back/neck pains. IANAD.
- m1n1 2y ago
  If a memory foam mattress makes a person's pain worse, how does it do that -- or how does a different type of mattress avoid doing that? (honest question)
  - _factor 2y ago
    The way foam mattresses work is weight deformation. If your butt is heavier than your head, it sinks in more. I’ve never seen any evidence to suggest this was good for spinal alignment. If you’re a side sleeper, it can also be bad for your shoulders if it doesn’t sink in enough.
    - wnolens 2y ago
nevertoolate 2y ago
I also have loose joints, had chronic back pain for years with periodic inflammation episodes. I also had quite a bad period with a herniated disk in my lumbar spine. I spend significant amount of my time with physical exercise. Training with a personal trainer and practicing yoga with a mentor - I'm training for yoga instructor exam also (Iyengar) The good news is that you most likely can cure yourself. On the other hand you have to realize, that you won't be the same person you were before the pain. Pain is (usually) your friend, will keep you on your way.
kayo_20211030 2y ago
I love the ads between the content and the comments; and after them too, just in case you missed the first impress.
- thomasvogelaar 2y ago
  Wait what ads? I've never run ads. Wonder if disqus is jamming something in there. Can you send me a screenshot or something? Edit: Damn looks like it is Disqus, I'm going to remove that. I've got no interest in running ads.
  - kayo_20211030 2y ago
    Nice. I liked the piece. It seemed inconsistent with the ads. Can't trust anyone these days :-)
John23832 2y ago
Chronic pain suffer here. All major joints , but specifically neck and back bother me most. Diet for me is key. I'm gluten free and low sugar at this point. I've also started to ween caffeine (sadly).
locusofself 2y ago
I'm 40 have had desk job since 18. I've had back pain forever, but the thing that has been really bad the last few years is "migraine" or tension headache that feels like it's coming from my neck. The more I concentrate on my work, the worst I have it in the afternoon. This means I can rarely work a full 8 hour day without a nasty, nauseating neck migraine episode. The only thing I have found that has helped a lot is quitting caffeine. I switched to decaf, which does not taste as good and only gives me a mild placebo boost each morning. I really miss my coffee, but it's not worth the headaches.
- BubbleRings 2y ago
  I was hoping to see this here. Quitting caffeine can be really hard. But if you are like a lot of us, going completely caffeine free can be life changing, including making a lot of these types of pains go away. Be aware it can take months to stabilize and heal from years of daily caffeine use.
Funes- 2y ago
Word of advice, as someone who's had lots, and I mean lots, of injuries: past the initial cooling down of the injured part of your body, rest is not going to heal shit, most probably. Stretching and working out the area will. I've recovered from injuries some people would've had surgeries on, by taking this principle into practice. Look up isolation exercises if you can't seem to figure them out on your own, but work that part of your body exhaustively. Oh, and since the author of the blog post mentions "tennis elbow": I healed mine doing unilateral triceps extensions with a kettlebell. I naturally felt that it was the most straightforward and efficient exercise, just by messing around with the weights. It took around two weeks to heal completely, and I had it bad on both elbows (judo practice and pull-ups with bad form will do that, yeah).
- linkregister 2y ago
  Some nuance: the right kind of stretching and working out will heal the injury. The optimal way to do this is to work with a physical or occupational therapist to develop the right set of exercises for the issue. Adherence to the exercise plan is essential to recovery. I have learned this the hard way as a procrastinator. Indeed, rest alone will most likely result in a chronic issue that one can live with. But these injuries can be remedied even years later with the right physical therapy— it is rarely too late to make a change. Example: nerve damage requires some unintuitive solutions that are difficult to isolate on YouTube or other resources (due to high volumes of quackery).
  - eek2121 2y ago
    THAT depends on the injury. Some can’t be healed. That being said, new treatments are being discovered all the time. I suffered from a TBI and I am part of a study. The medication I am on is 4 decades old, but it helps folks with TBIs, long COVID, ME/CFS, etc. with an 85% success rate. It is helping me as well. My working and long term memory have improved along some other stuff as well. That being said, I feel bad for people with chronic pain. A sibling had chronic pain for decades, got accused of being lazy, etc. After seeing dozens of doctors spanning those decades, they finally found the cause and surgery fixed it. For every success like that, there are hundreds more that never see relief.
ArlenBales 2y ago
I've lived with chronic pain for the last 10 years. Hip, shoulders, lumbar. Have tried just about everything, including minimally invasive surgery. 100s of appointments, over 6 MRIs. Eventually I came to the conclusion that chronic pain isn't curable. It's our nerves rewiring themselves to constantly send pain, even when no problem exists. This also gave me peace though. Until I tried everything, I thought my body was breaking down. I'm a very physically active person, who has tried to be proactively healthy their whole life. Knowing the pain isn't organ or muscle related, but is just fucked up nerves, is consolation. It's not preventing me from doing anything. I still have full range of motion and mobility, it just hurts, but it can't stop me from doing the things I want to do. So I continue to be active. I have a very high pain tolerance as a result, but I can cope with the pain better than years ago. Last year I hiked the whole 2,600+ miles Pacific Crest Trail despite the pain. Strangely enough, my pain actually mostly disappeared on the trail, but returned after I got home. I think the sudden change of daily habits and sleep conditions may have thrown my nervous system in for a loop.
- marcinreal 2y ago
  I'm curious, have you lived in the same place this whole time? If the pain came back when you returned home, maybe there is some environmental cause for it, possibly something poorly-understood. I hesitate to even mention any examples because this can be controversial (and murky) territory, but I'm thinking of things like EMF exposure. Maybe you are really sensitive to something like that. Not sure, but could be worth experimenting with different environments and collecting data.
  - ArlenBales 2y ago
    I may have emphasized the pain going away on the PCT too much. It was still there, but subdued. Backpacking a thru-hike like the PCT is quite a physical and mental ordeal, hiking for 12+ hours a day after day for months, camping every night, acclimating to a range temperatures and high elevations, interacting with other hikers from all over the world. I think it was a new wave of sensations that overloaded my nervous system and distracted me from my usual chronic pains, which are more apparent when I'm sitting at a desk all day.
Vox_Leone 2y ago
I had a physical therapy session this morning for a neck-shoulder-arm issue that's been bothering me. After years of working at the keyboard, my musculoskeletal system finally gave way. This is a common problem for people who use keyboards extensively, including musicians—so it's something many of us, especially frequent users of this site, can relate to. It's often classified as an occupational injury. The good news is that with better posture, some equipment adjustments, and a new, slightly less comfortable chair, I've seen significant improvement and am feeling much better. So, I'm optimistic that you'll be on the road to recovery as well. Wishing you the best of luck!
guynewton 2y ago
I've been dealing with chronic pain as well but with my pelvic floor/pudendal nerve. It started in May last year when I was sitting at work when I suddenly felt a strong tingling sensation to go to the bathroom and since then it has developed into a whole array of different symptoms. One of them being leg numbness which affects mostly my left leg. I went to a PT and she told me it could be from sitting too long as well as a lack of exercise and being sedentary. Some symptoms have improved with stretching but I am afraid of going to the gym because doing leg exercises and sometimes spending too much time on the treadmill can cause big flare ups for me. My sleep has also been affected and I wake up even if I do not feel any pain or discomfort. I am taking more standing breaks now, and I use the gym at my office during lunch time to get some steps in on the treadmill, I also stretch everyday and I feel like it has been helping me heal but it is frustrating that I am not 100% recovered yet.
snozolli 2y ago
I've battled a bulged disc in my neck for over a decade. No doctor or physical therapist ever actually said the phrase "bulged disc" to me, by the way, they just talked about a pinched nerve. I refuse to get surgery on my spine, having read about how commonly the results are temporary or worse than the original problem. This NIH document has finally allowed me to (nearly) fix the problem: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1119282/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1119282/ I'm not going to tell you what, specifically, helped me, because every time I mention this the person then tells me that they did what I did, even if it doesn't apply to their body at all. If you read closely, the author details how various parts of the body are stretched in different sleeping positions. If any of these apply to your situation, give it a try.
- emmelaich 2y ago
  Is it me or the captions / descriptions don't match the figures? "In this position the Achilles tendon of the leading foot can be inserted in the gap between the big toe and the first lesser toe to help correct a bunion." That description is meant for the bottom of fig2 but applies to the top. Same with the penis lying on the thigh. Similar story for fig1. "Left" actually describes top and "right" describes bottom.
themadturk 2y ago
The bit about non-catastrophizing the condition reminds me of raising children. Often when toddlers fall they will look to the adults in the room for how to react to their fall. If they receive a chorus of "Oh, you poor thing, did you fall? Did you hurt yourself?" and such, they'll start crying and looking for sympathy. But if they get reactions like "Oh, come on and get up, you're fine" they're likely to just get up and get on with their day. Of course, parents should only do this when the little falls on a carpet, kitchen floor, or back lawn. If knees are skinned or you've fallen into a pile of Duplo, it's okay to hurt a little.
marcinreal 2y ago
I really resonate with the "Acceptance" section. I came to a similar realization, that having strong negative emotions about the pain just made everything worse. Stress causes inflammation which doesn't help, and only hurts the situation. As for actual strategies to manage emotions, I would strongly recommend reading books about REBT (the precursor to CBT) such as "How To Stubbornly Refuse To Make Yourself Miserable About Anything-yes, Anything!" It's honestly been life-changing, and I think a lot of folks here would appreciate the rational approach to adjusting one's beliefs, feelings, and actions. Being able to avoid unnecessary negative emotions, and irrational beliefs that upset you, can be a superpower.
kazinator 2y ago
I was an earl adopter of Chronic Pain, before the IDE for the language and its ecosystem matured. With the latest 2.0 release, Chronic Pain is completely numb mindingly hard to develop in, offering unprecedented programmer suffering. It now has git integration which builds a much more complex version control system on top of git, with three times as many commands. A repo now has three indices/staging areas. Commit hashes are no longer unique: the parent object where a hash reference pointer emanates specifies a salt which is used to hash the object being pointed to. Multiple hard links are then put into the object store to resolve these multiple references the same object. The documentation for this is like a root canal treatment, and never manages to explain the rationale. AI is struggling with Chronic Pain too; 9 out of 10 responses are useless. Anyway, try programming with Chronic Pain!
kianN 2y ago
I really appreciate the author posting their experience. Just to add a little bit of my own experience. I had debilitating nerve pain as a result of surgery complications to the point where I could walk for a bit over a year. It’s easy to fall into the trap of running from discomfort and making yourself more and more brittle in the process. At the same time it’s really easy to want to skip a few steps and try to jump back into the intensity level you are accustomed to. I think this even applies to coding. Before my surgeries, I could work for several hours straight and feel physically fine. Nowadays if I am physically static for such a long time, my nerve pain will come roaring back. My main takeaways through all this are two relatively standard words of advice: “Movement is medicine” and that balance is key. Swimming, Pilates, yoga and build up towards more movement heavy lifestyle slowly got me to the point of walking and now being able to do 80% of what I once was able to again, but this time in a more sustainable way.
ropable 2y ago
Pain is weird. The more I learn about it, the less I'm sure of anything to do with it. It's a different subjective experience for everyone. The severity often doesn't correlate to any observable physical insult. It's worse when you're tired or stressed. The biopsychosocial model of pain seems like our current best explanation for why it varies so much between people. The scientist Lorimer Moseley has some excellent videos on Youtube about pain, recommended for anyone interested.
bradhe 2y ago
I worked with a lad who had RMS (I think that's what it's called) and he had it in his mind that the solution was to use one of those systems where you could talk to your computer. Mind you, this was in like 2018 before we had LLMs that were actually...you know...good at understanding us. Anyway, after he migrated to this new system, his productivity plummeted remarkably. He spent more time futzing with this system then he did actually doing work. I don't think he ever really got over that phase.
- genewitch 2y ago
  RMS repetitive movement syndrome I guess but probably meant RSI repetitive stress injury
- aeonik 2y ago
  RMS is when you start using GNU/Linux and GNU Emacs. Then your left pinky falls off. RSI is related but more general stress injuries, that can happen anywhere.
at_a_remove 2y ago
I have a rare metabolic disorder which frequently causes some extraordinarily harsh abdominal pain and has done so with increasing frequency, intensity, and so on since I was fifteen, which is to say "most of my life." I am avoiding graduating to hydromorphone (Dilaudid) for as long as I can. My scrupulous avoidance of exacerbating factors can cut down on the situation but not eliminate it. Disability seems to grow closer and closer and I am forced to consider somewhat problematic procedures such as a celiac plexus block (temporarily burning out some nerves so the pain cannot reach the brain) as a method to extend my working lifetime. Hiding in a flow state and such can be a little useful, for a while. I know what kinds of tasks I can best do when I am only at a five at the scale, which has apparently grown somewhat distorted due to becoming inured to such things. They say suffering builds character, but they were not specific as to which type of character it builds, because it largely seems to have constructed only bad character for me. Part of me believes that many people -- and therefore society as whole -- could be not only more productive, but possibly better human beings overall. Our civilization, I think, would benefit from trying for solutions, treatments, and the like when it comes to chronic pain.
aucisson_masque 2y ago
> It slowly consumes you. However, research suggests that catastrophizing can lead to acute pain becoming chronic and that it increases activity in the brain related to anticipation of and attention to pain. A few years ago after motorcycle accident i broke without knowing a few bone in my leg. The urgency didn't see it despite making scan. I went out of the hospital a few hours after and back to school, walking on the broken leg for days. Obviously it got worse to the point where my leg was red black from the foot toe to the very top. After that, the pain came and it was constant, just like the author, but to the point where I couldn't sleep for 2 weeks. I spent days on the sofa in pain, falling asleep every 30 minutes but waking up literally just a few seconds after because of the pain. A man can take a lot of pain but the kind that is constant and makes you sleep deprived is absolute torture. I surprised myself of thinking what is the best way to end it all. Finally, I went to the urgency because it was either that or I was going to end myself. They gave me morphines over and over, felt good for a few seconds but then it would stop and the pain come back. At some point I received enough morphine so that I went unconscious, slept for a long time and at wake up it was all gone. The leg was still completely red, they say I went very close from having a Blood clot kill me but the pain was just completely gone. My 2 cents, pain is a lot in the head. The more you think about it, the more it consumes you. It's easy to say don't think about it, but it's actually what you got to do.
rexysmexy 2y ago
Lovely post! I've been dealing with chronic pain throughout the winters. Ended up with a fibromyalgia diagnosis at the start of the year. Here's some stuff that I've found that helps - Compression clothing. Not only does it help you stay warm but it keeps enough pressure on your joints to really help - CBD Topical I'm not a user of cannabis but when my pain first started a neighbor recommended it. I was in enough pain that I said screw it, and it's been absolutely amazing at helping. Only way I can describe it is, imagine rub a535 on absolute steroids
xeckr 2y ago
Some of your pain appears to be caused by inflammatory processes. Look into healing peptides, such as BPC-157. Might be worth a shot!

Random chronic pain sufferer here. Fibromyalgia hit me in puberty, and I now have a couple hundred symptoms that sporadically change, day to day. The aircon is a fun one. Outside of 16-18C (60-65F), the pain flares, and continues to flare. Mostly the referred pain and tendonitis. That reduces when under a fan or aircon - except the tendonitis. So I often end up wearing a jumper, and working under aircon. The two together confuses a lot of passerby. And just to add - I sometimes use STT when my hands are worse, or TTS when the nerves in my eyes malfunction. And I gotta say... The accessibility controls on most IDEs is utterly crap. If you have a hambuger menu? I might get read "triple bar" or "trigram for heaven". That ain't useful. If the UI absolutely has to use unicode symbols instead of text... Please give an alt text. Please.

samename 2y ago

I had chronic pain in my neck for a couple of years. It started in the pandemic, so the usual guesses were it had something to do with working remote - which meant sitting down more, potentially ergonomic issues, less socializing, etc. After seeing several doctors, doing all the tests like MRI and CT scans, trying physical therapy and many other conventional and non conventional treatments, the key for me was seeing a pain psychologist. As mentioned in this article, a lot of pain takes place in the mind. Even though we feel it in our bodies, it’s our brain telling us that it’s a problem. After a few months of therapy, the pain was no longer a major facet of my life. After 6 months I felt totally cured and myself again. The US medical system can be a maze and easily spiral for chronic pain sufferers. I suspect this is an area where we are still learning

emmelaich 2y ago
A lot of home setups aren't great for working. When I got neck and head pain, I realised that I was looking slightly down at the monitor. Raising it so the top is just above eye level worked wonders. You also want a desk with a lot of depth; many smaller home desks don't have that. You're often better off with a table than a desk.

willtemperley 2y ago

I'm a bit surprised you didn't mention inflammation management. The western diet almost entirely consists of inflammatory foods - refrigerated dough, packaged snacks, burgers etc. Whilst my tennis elbow is probably caused by poor ergononics and not warming up properly before exercising, I'm finding tiger milk mushroom, a known anti-inflammatory [1] is helping a great deal. [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-91256-6 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-91256-6

thomasvogelaar 2y ago
In my case I didn't find much impact from diet and any blood tests I did showed no signs of inflammation. Though as I mentioned closer to the end of the post, I think generally focussing on your health (and I'd include diet in this) is always good. Most things might not have an impact but something often will.

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 2y ago

What about drugs? nsaids help, but not advisable for long term. I take gabapentin for longer term relief.

nakedneuron 2y ago

Hi Thomas, sorry to hear. I'm no doctor but I've had my own share of bad-ergonomic-induced pain so I feel entitled to add my view. Also I write this to everybody suffering from this kind of pain. It's the raging epidemic of our time. This all sounds too familiar for fascia as the source of pain. Fascia pain is often described as "nasty". MRT doesn't show problems is also indicative of fascia. I may say that I saw your profile pic on LI and immediately noticed your hanging shoulders. Slight head-forward-posture also doesn't surprise if I may say so and if I'm not mistaken. My advice would be, leave the stretching behind. Theraband is an insult for every young healthy individual. I sorted out my problems by training upper limbs with weights (start with 1.5kg dumbbells), resistance band and also the occasional fascia roll aka foam roller. Let me suggest some reading to get into the matter. Beginner level: Fascial Fitness, Schleip Expert level: Anatomy Trains, Myers Also: Built From Broken, Hogan With kind permission, from that book: Because posture is what you do most of the time, it is often at the root of joint pain, muscle imbalances, and injuries. On top of that, it tends to worsen with age. If you don’t address posture, you’ll be continually slapping Band-Aids on the problems caused by it. It’s a game you simply can’t win. But you can’t just fix posture by consciously holding yourself differently. It takes structural changes to musculature [...]. It requires a combination of training your body to maintain better posture and consciously working to hold yourself in better positions. [...]. While exercising, you train muscles and movements that improve dynamic posture, and you see a little progress from week to week. It’s a painstakingly slow process, but it works. And it’s worth it. Same source: It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out - it’s the grain of sand in your shoe. Good news is that you will get better soon if you start exercising regularly. Bit of a downer is, that it will take about the same amount of time to revert to "pristine" posture as it "took" you to imprint your current posture into your fascia. Pain from the 50th repetition of a weight lift has far better quality to it than chronic pain.

CobaltFire 2y ago

Chronic pain sufferer due to a career where I got beaten up and broken (military) and autoimmune conditions. Counterintuitively, and for me, being more active helps. If I take a few days off because I'm lazy or tired I invariably get stiff and my pain ratchets up. Stretching twice a day is a huge help; I won't say how long as you have to come up with a routine that works for you. A massage every couple of months can help as well, as I often have spots getting bunched up that are pulling other things out of alignment. As for treating it, I use non-THC CBD oil, Ibuprofen, and gabapentin when it gets really bad. My doc is currently discussing TNFi's with me for my AI stuff; we shall see if I pursue that.

everybodyknows 2y ago
I have similar. Try a steam bath. Beware of ibuprofen -- can damage intestines.

apitman 2y ago

Forearms for me. Best advice I can give for young guns is start preventative breaks/stretches/exercises now. I saw it coming and pushed myself over the edge anyway. I've gotten to a pretty good place with a kinesis keyboard (the cheaper split one ) and some custom foot pedals for Ctrl/Alt/Shift, but have never been the same as before. Also, lift weights. Squats/deadlifts/bench press. Hasn't helped my arms much but been a game changer for back and neck pain.

LouisSayers 2y ago
Have you tried a rice bucket? I had some upper forearm pain (likely from pullups, but perhaps coding as well) for around 6 months last year, and after a long break from pullups and trying the rice bucket it seems that the pain has subsided. Could be worth a try anyway! https://www.reddit.com/r/kettlebell/comments/1759tyo/elbow_tendonitis_and_the_magic_of_rice_bucket/ https://www.reddit.com/r/kettlebell/comments/1759tyo/elbow_t...
- genewitch 2y ago
  Thanks for this; my neighbor had a stroke and has numbness in his left forearm and hand.. I loaned him my gyroscopic wrist/grip thing, but I'll go tomorrow and have him look at this. He's a small engine mechanic so full motion and sensation is ideal.
anon7000 2y ago
As my wife, a healthcare provider, likes to say, “motion is lotion!” The body really doesn’t like being in the same static position for long periods, no matter your posture. Breaks & stretches are way more important!

Rhapso 2y ago

Ironically, chronic pain drove me the other direction. Programming gave me "I forgot I have a body" levels of engagement with a problem. It was a way to actually find relief from pain. My addiction to programming was very useful in my development. I was lucky in so many ways. My pain wasn't caused by the kinematics of my body, instead it was a heart condition, cancer, Celiac and Crohn's and I have managed to cure a nontrivial part of it over the years (heart surgery, diet change, immunosuppressants). Ultimately i do not recommend the "cause yourself so much pain you seek refuge in flow state and become an expert" method. It results in a lot of maladaptive behaviors, damaged relationships and needing a lot of therapy (but also the money to pay for the therapy).

byyoung3 2y ago

Read John sarnos book and you will recover. It might not be quick but you can. Don’t give up. Also look into Harvard RSI action

thenerdhead 2y ago

I’d keep eyes on the immune system. We are already rethinking migraines and inflammation based on findings from COVID-19. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00456-x https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00456-x Did this happen after a known infection of some sort? Does it run in your family? These questions may be important to know the answers to until science gets more tests over the counter as they are fairly close already.

Just_Josh 2y ago

I've had similar symptoms since college, and they continually worsened for a long time while I ignored them. After a few years of trying different solutions and doctors, I've found a satisfactory set of treatments. The only Orthopaedic doctor with impactful advice happened to have a daughter with the same issue. Loose ligaments required stabilizer muscles to work overtime. Her solution: supported strength training exercises to build up the larger muscles so they can compensate. For the next 6 months, I worked out 5 times a week, and the symptoms practically disappeared. I was able to work 8 hours at my computer with very little strain - compared to just 30 minutes at the start. The symptoms returned about a month after falling out of the routine. Other treatments that helped: Ergonomics - I use the Logitech ergonomic keyboard and vertical mouse. These have been great. I avoid using the mouse as much as possible, and use keyboard shortcuts + vimium browser extension to navigate. Compression Gloves - Just like the author, I also found that long sleeves help somewhat. But not nearly as much as the cheap, fingerless compression gloves I get off Amazon. Between these and the ergonomic peripherals, my symptoms are generally under control, so I struggle to find motivation to continue my workouts. Relaxing Muscles - When using a phone or game remote, support your wrist (and perhaps elbow) on a pillow. Avoid tightening your muscles - this is tricky when playing intense games. Stop doom scrolling. YMMV, I am not a doctor, these subjects are complicated and actively researched

hollywood_court 2y ago

I suffered from chronic neck and shoulder pain for years. I had a cervical fusion surgery. I had a labral repair surgery. Neither improved my symptoms at all. I slept maybe 3-4 hours per night for ~7 years. Then one day I saw someone on Hacker News mention Dr. Sarno's book, and it changed my life. I convinced myself that the pain was all in my mind. I'm still not 100% symptom free, but I now have far more good days than I do bad days. I read all of his books and I try to re-read the first one at least once per year. It become convenient for me to blame my problems on my chronic pain. I fixed all of that by simply changing the way I thought about the pain. Now, whenever I feel the pain flaring up, I just make myself focus on my breathing rather than focusing on the pain. And then I simply forget about the pain.

davzie 2y ago
Exactly the same as me except more general health anxiety symptoms that turned into real painful symptoms. I learnt about Dr Sarno from Dan's channel on YouTube Pain Free You. So glad you found similar!
- notfed 2y ago
  At the risk of discounting a genuine anecdote, I feel inclined to point out that the grandparent and parent post exactly model a very trendy type of spam that I've noticed appearing in YouTube comment sections at an ever-growing rate; especially in self-help and financial-advice areas. I guess it's impossible to prove whether someone's anecdote is genuine or not. I'd at least suggest people try visiting a YouTube financial advice video, read the comments, and you'll see this pattern like every ten comments.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - hollywood_court 2y ago
    Uh, I wrote my post myself. I am not affiliated with Sarno or his books at all. His books actually offer no kind of treatment method. Their main message is simply that pain originates in the mind and focusing on it only makes it worse. Edit: I'm pretty sure this is the post that first taught me about Sarno. Just based on my comment like history. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32495146#32541341 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32495146#32541341

jasongill 2y ago

If anyone is suffering from chronic pain that is referred pain from the neck and shoulders, are you sleeping on a memory foam mattress? I "upgraded" to a Casper mattress in 2019 and it took 5 years of debilitating referred pain and headaches, and attempted resolutions including a 12-level spinal fusion, to realize that the mattress was the cause. Switched back to a more traditional spring mattress and the pain faded within about 3 weeks. Easily the worst and most trying experience of my life which will have lasting effects on the remainder of my life - never in a million years would I have expected that the mattress was the cause.

mayhaffs 2y ago
I bought a Purple mattress because I thought it would fix my back and neck pain and it has only made it worse. I will also be going back to a more traditional spring mattress soon.
srik 2y ago
I'd also recommend sleeping on the floor with a couple sheets and pillows. Sounds like it should be uncomfortable, and it is for a bit, but after a while your body just adapts with postures that do wonders for spinal relaxation and relief from some back/neck pains. IANAD.
m1n1 2y ago
If a memory foam mattress makes a person's pain worse, how does it do that -- or how does a different type of mattress avoid doing that? (honest question)
- _factor 2y ago
  The way foam mattresses work is weight deformation. If your butt is heavier than your head, it sinks in more. I’ve never seen any evidence to suggest this was good for spinal alignment. If you’re a side sleeper, it can also be bad for your shoulders if it doesn’t sink in enough.
  - wnolens 2y ago

nevertoolate 2y ago

I also have loose joints, had chronic back pain for years with periodic inflammation episodes. I also had quite a bad period with a herniated disk in my lumbar spine. I spend significant amount of my time with physical exercise. Training with a personal trainer and practicing yoga with a mentor - I'm training for yoga instructor exam also (Iyengar) The good news is that you most likely can cure yourself. On the other hand you have to realize, that you won't be the same person you were before the pain. Pain is (usually) your friend, will keep you on your way.

kayo_20211030 2y ago

I love the ads between the content and the comments; and after them too, just in case you missed the first impress.

thomasvogelaar 2y ago
Wait what ads? I've never run ads. Wonder if disqus is jamming something in there. Can you send me a screenshot or something? Edit: Damn looks like it is Disqus, I'm going to remove that. I've got no interest in running ads.
- kayo_20211030 2y ago
  Nice. I liked the piece. It seemed inconsistent with the ads. Can't trust anyone these days :-)

John23832 2y ago

Chronic pain suffer here. All major joints , but specifically neck and back bother me most. Diet for me is key. I'm gluten free and low sugar at this point. I've also started to ween caffeine (sadly).

locusofself 2y ago

I'm 40 have had desk job since 18. I've had back pain forever, but the thing that has been really bad the last few years is "migraine" or tension headache that feels like it's coming from my neck. The more I concentrate on my work, the worst I have it in the afternoon. This means I can rarely work a full 8 hour day without a nasty, nauseating neck migraine episode. The only thing I have found that has helped a lot is quitting caffeine. I switched to decaf, which does not taste as good and only gives me a mild placebo boost each morning. I really miss my coffee, but it's not worth the headaches.

BubbleRings 2y ago
I was hoping to see this here. Quitting caffeine can be really hard. But if you are like a lot of us, going completely caffeine free can be life changing, including making a lot of these types of pains go away. Be aware it can take months to stabilize and heal from years of daily caffeine use.

Funes- 2y ago

Word of advice, as someone who's had lots, and I mean lots, of injuries: past the initial cooling down of the injured part of your body, rest is not going to heal shit, most probably. Stretching and working out the area will. I've recovered from injuries some people would've had surgeries on, by taking this principle into practice. Look up isolation exercises if you can't seem to figure them out on your own, but work that part of your body exhaustively. Oh, and since the author of the blog post mentions "tennis elbow": I healed mine doing unilateral triceps extensions with a kettlebell. I naturally felt that it was the most straightforward and efficient exercise, just by messing around with the weights. It took around two weeks to heal completely, and I had it bad on both elbows (judo practice and pull-ups with bad form will do that, yeah).

linkregister 2y ago
Some nuance: the right kind of stretching and working out will heal the injury. The optimal way to do this is to work with a physical or occupational therapist to develop the right set of exercises for the issue. Adherence to the exercise plan is essential to recovery. I have learned this the hard way as a procrastinator. Indeed, rest alone will most likely result in a chronic issue that one can live with. But these injuries can be remedied even years later with the right physical therapy— it is rarely too late to make a change. Example: nerve damage requires some unintuitive solutions that are difficult to isolate on YouTube or other resources (due to high volumes of quackery).
- eek2121 2y ago
  THAT depends on the injury. Some can’t be healed. That being said, new treatments are being discovered all the time. I suffered from a TBI and I am part of a study. The medication I am on is 4 decades old, but it helps folks with TBIs, long COVID, ME/CFS, etc. with an 85% success rate. It is helping me as well. My working and long term memory have improved along some other stuff as well. That being said, I feel bad for people with chronic pain. A sibling had chronic pain for decades, got accused of being lazy, etc. After seeing dozens of doctors spanning those decades, they finally found the cause and surgery fixed it. For every success like that, there are hundreds more that never see relief.

ArlenBales 2y ago

I've lived with chronic pain for the last 10 years. Hip, shoulders, lumbar. Have tried just about everything, including minimally invasive surgery. 100s of appointments, over 6 MRIs. Eventually I came to the conclusion that chronic pain isn't curable. It's our nerves rewiring themselves to constantly send pain, even when no problem exists. This also gave me peace though. Until I tried everything, I thought my body was breaking down. I'm a very physically active person, who has tried to be proactively healthy their whole life. Knowing the pain isn't organ or muscle related, but is just fucked up nerves, is consolation. It's not preventing me from doing anything. I still have full range of motion and mobility, it just hurts, but it can't stop me from doing the things I want to do. So I continue to be active. I have a very high pain tolerance as a result, but I can cope with the pain better than years ago. Last year I hiked the whole 2,600+ miles Pacific Crest Trail despite the pain. Strangely enough, my pain actually mostly disappeared on the trail, but returned after I got home. I think the sudden change of daily habits and sleep conditions may have thrown my nervous system in for a loop.

marcinreal 2y ago
I'm curious, have you lived in the same place this whole time? If the pain came back when you returned home, maybe there is some environmental cause for it, possibly something poorly-understood. I hesitate to even mention any examples because this can be controversial (and murky) territory, but I'm thinking of things like EMF exposure. Maybe you are really sensitive to something like that. Not sure, but could be worth experimenting with different environments and collecting data.
- ArlenBales 2y ago
  I may have emphasized the pain going away on the PCT too much. It was still there, but subdued. Backpacking a thru-hike like the PCT is quite a physical and mental ordeal, hiking for 12+ hours a day after day for months, camping every night, acclimating to a range temperatures and high elevations, interacting with other hikers from all over the world. I think it was a new wave of sensations that overloaded my nervous system and distracted me from my usual chronic pains, which are more apparent when I'm sitting at a desk all day.

Vox_Leone 2y ago

I had a physical therapy session this morning for a neck-shoulder-arm issue that's been bothering me. After years of working at the keyboard, my musculoskeletal system finally gave way. This is a common problem for people who use keyboards extensively, including musicians—so it's something many of us, especially frequent users of this site, can relate to. It's often classified as an occupational injury. The good news is that with better posture, some equipment adjustments, and a new, slightly less comfortable chair, I've seen significant improvement and am feeling much better. So, I'm optimistic that you'll be on the road to recovery as well. Wishing you the best of luck!

guynewton 2y ago

I've been dealing with chronic pain as well but with my pelvic floor/pudendal nerve. It started in May last year when I was sitting at work when I suddenly felt a strong tingling sensation to go to the bathroom and since then it has developed into a whole array of different symptoms. One of them being leg numbness which affects mostly my left leg. I went to a PT and she told me it could be from sitting too long as well as a lack of exercise and being sedentary. Some symptoms have improved with stretching but I am afraid of going to the gym because doing leg exercises and sometimes spending too much time on the treadmill can cause big flare ups for me. My sleep has also been affected and I wake up even if I do not feel any pain or discomfort. I am taking more standing breaks now, and I use the gym at my office during lunch time to get some steps in on the treadmill, I also stretch everyday and I feel like it has been helping me heal but it is frustrating that I am not 100% recovered yet.

snozolli 2y ago

I've battled a bulged disc in my neck for over a decade. No doctor or physical therapist ever actually said the phrase "bulged disc" to me, by the way, they just talked about a pinched nerve. I refuse to get surgery on my spine, having read about how commonly the results are temporary or worse than the original problem. This NIH document has finally allowed me to (nearly) fix the problem: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1119282/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1119282/ I'm not going to tell you what, specifically, helped me, because every time I mention this the person then tells me that they did what I did, even if it doesn't apply to their body at all. If you read closely, the author details how various parts of the body are stretched in different sleeping positions. If any of these apply to your situation, give it a try.

emmelaich 2y ago
Is it me or the captions / descriptions don't match the figures? "In this position the Achilles tendon of the leading foot can be inserted in the gap between the big toe and the first lesser toe to help correct a bunion." That description is meant for the bottom of fig2 but applies to the top. Same with the penis lying on the thigh. Similar story for fig1. "Left" actually describes top and "right" describes bottom.

themadturk 2y ago

The bit about non-catastrophizing the condition reminds me of raising children. Often when toddlers fall they will look to the adults in the room for how to react to their fall. If they receive a chorus of "Oh, you poor thing, did you fall? Did you hurt yourself?" and such, they'll start crying and looking for sympathy. But if they get reactions like "Oh, come on and get up, you're fine" they're likely to just get up and get on with their day. Of course, parents should only do this when the little falls on a carpet, kitchen floor, or back lawn. If knees are skinned or you've fallen into a pile of Duplo, it's okay to hurt a little.

marcinreal 2y ago

I really resonate with the "Acceptance" section. I came to a similar realization, that having strong negative emotions about the pain just made everything worse. Stress causes inflammation which doesn't help, and only hurts the situation. As for actual strategies to manage emotions, I would strongly recommend reading books about REBT (the precursor to CBT) such as "How To Stubbornly Refuse To Make Yourself Miserable About Anything-yes, Anything!" It's honestly been life-changing, and I think a lot of folks here would appreciate the rational approach to adjusting one's beliefs, feelings, and actions. Being able to avoid unnecessary negative emotions, and irrational beliefs that upset you, can be a superpower.

kazinator 2y ago

I was an earl adopter of Chronic Pain, before the IDE for the language and its ecosystem matured. With the latest 2.0 release, Chronic Pain is completely numb mindingly hard to develop in, offering unprecedented programmer suffering. It now has git integration which builds a much more complex version control system on top of git, with three times as many commands. A repo now has three indices/staging areas. Commit hashes are no longer unique: the parent object where a hash reference pointer emanates specifies a salt which is used to hash the object being pointed to. Multiple hard links are then put into the object store to resolve these multiple references the same object. The documentation for this is like a root canal treatment, and never manages to explain the rationale. AI is struggling with Chronic Pain too; 9 out of 10 responses are useless. Anyway, try programming with Chronic Pain!

kianN 2y ago

I really appreciate the author posting their experience. Just to add a little bit of my own experience. I had debilitating nerve pain as a result of surgery complications to the point where I could walk for a bit over a year. It’s easy to fall into the trap of running from discomfort and making yourself more and more brittle in the process. At the same time it’s really easy to want to skip a few steps and try to jump back into the intensity level you are accustomed to. I think this even applies to coding. Before my surgeries, I could work for several hours straight and feel physically fine. Nowadays if I am physically static for such a long time, my nerve pain will come roaring back. My main takeaways through all this are two relatively standard words of advice: “Movement is medicine” and that balance is key. Swimming, Pilates, yoga and build up towards more movement heavy lifestyle slowly got me to the point of walking and now being able to do 80% of what I once was able to again, but this time in a more sustainable way.

ropable 2y ago

Pain is weird. The more I learn about it, the less I'm sure of anything to do with it. It's a different subjective experience for everyone. The severity often doesn't correlate to any observable physical insult. It's worse when you're tired or stressed. The biopsychosocial model of pain seems like our current best explanation for why it varies so much between people. The scientist Lorimer Moseley has some excellent videos on Youtube about pain, recommended for anyone interested.

bradhe 2y ago

I worked with a lad who had RMS (I think that's what it's called) and he had it in his mind that the solution was to use one of those systems where you could talk to your computer. Mind you, this was in like 2018 before we had LLMs that were actually...you know...good at understanding us. Anyway, after he migrated to this new system, his productivity plummeted remarkably. He spent more time futzing with this system then he did actually doing work. I don't think he ever really got over that phase.

genewitch 2y ago
RMS repetitive movement syndrome I guess but probably meant RSI repetitive stress injury
aeonik 2y ago
RMS is when you start using GNU/Linux and GNU Emacs. Then your left pinky falls off. RSI is related but more general stress injuries, that can happen anywhere.

at_a_remove 2y ago

I have a rare metabolic disorder which frequently causes some extraordinarily harsh abdominal pain and has done so with increasing frequency, intensity, and so on since I was fifteen, which is to say "most of my life." I am avoiding graduating to hydromorphone (Dilaudid) for as long as I can. My scrupulous avoidance of exacerbating factors can cut down on the situation but not eliminate it. Disability seems to grow closer and closer and I am forced to consider somewhat problematic procedures such as a celiac plexus block (temporarily burning out some nerves so the pain cannot reach the brain) as a method to extend my working lifetime. Hiding in a flow state and such can be a little useful, for a while. I know what kinds of tasks I can best do when I am only at a five at the scale, which has apparently grown somewhat distorted due to becoming inured to such things. They say suffering builds character, but they were not specific as to which type of character it builds, because it largely seems to have constructed only bad character for me. Part of me believes that many people -- and therefore society as whole -- could be not only more productive, but possibly better human beings overall. Our civilization, I think, would benefit from trying for solutions, treatments, and the like when it comes to chronic pain.

aucisson_masque 2y ago

> It slowly consumes you. However, research suggests that catastrophizing can lead to acute pain becoming chronic and that it increases activity in the brain related to anticipation of and attention to pain. A few years ago after motorcycle accident i broke without knowing a few bone in my leg. The urgency didn't see it despite making scan. I went out of the hospital a few hours after and back to school, walking on the broken leg for days. Obviously it got worse to the point where my leg was red black from the foot toe to the very top. After that, the pain came and it was constant, just like the author, but to the point where I couldn't sleep for 2 weeks. I spent days on the sofa in pain, falling asleep every 30 minutes but waking up literally just a few seconds after because of the pain. A man can take a lot of pain but the kind that is constant and makes you sleep deprived is absolute torture. I surprised myself of thinking what is the best way to end it all. Finally, I went to the urgency because it was either that or I was going to end myself. They gave me morphines over and over, felt good for a few seconds but then it would stop and the pain come back. At some point I received enough morphine so that I went unconscious, slept for a long time and at wake up it was all gone. The leg was still completely red, they say I went very close from having a Blood clot kill me but the pain was just completely gone. My 2 cents, pain is a lot in the head. The more you think about it, the more it consumes you. It's easy to say don't think about it, but it's actually what you got to do.

rexysmexy 2y ago

Lovely post! I've been dealing with chronic pain throughout the winters. Ended up with a fibromyalgia diagnosis at the start of the year. Here's some stuff that I've found that helps - Compression clothing. Not only does it help you stay warm but it keeps enough pressure on your joints to really help - CBD Topical I'm not a user of cannabis but when my pain first started a neighbor recommended it. I was in enough pain that I said screw it, and it's been absolutely amazing at helping. Only way I can describe it is, imagine rub a535 on absolute steroids

xeckr 2y ago

Some of your pain appears to be caused by inflammatory processes. Look into healing peptides, such as BPC-157. Might be worth a shot!