I was injured in 2006 when I had a really bad fall and have chronic pain.

If you have it, how do you deal with it?

Live with it.

I broke my back when I was 13.
Residual pain had me for years.
With nothing else at hand, I learned
to totally ignore it.
Completely.
Until it disappeared from my mind.

Pain serves a purpose.
To put you on notice of a problem.
I would hit the pill route myself.
They have everything these days for
major and/or minor pain.

Acuputure!

I have chronic pain from arthritis, had right hip replacement in October so that's taken care of (no more pain), before surgery was informed that my left hip will need to be replaced soon and then in May was xrayed and told I also have arthritis in my lower back and the dr. advised surgery for that, said no thanks I'll live with it. The dr. that did my hip replacement said I have a high tolerance for pain as I worked full-time and walked (with a walker) 8-10 miles a week (for exercise lol). I hurt 24/7 but rather tolerate it than take pain medication (except post surgery). I work and am on my feet all during my shift. Each person is different as to what they can tolerate, for some if their quality of life is affected by chronic pain than pain medication might be what they need. It really depends on what your dx is, as to what may help you.

you sound like a lovely lady.

the treatment method for chronic pain is a very individual (personal) approach considering MANY, MANY factors. i only surround myself with positive, sincere, nonjudgmental, and compassionate people as much as possible.

for my situation i use tramadol, swim, live healthy, reduce stress and pace myself. the most beneficial thing has been research and education, which enabled me to take responsibility for my treatment choices by making expert/informed decisions.

Oh, and I try to laugh at least once a day. :)

I've lived with chronic pain since 1975.

You learn to live with it or you die.

I also lived with a chronic P.I.T.A. for five years.
Once I dumped all her crap on the front lawn the pain miraculously
went away.

Wow, you sound really happy.

It's a miracle.
Any stigmata?

I have lived with chronic muscle pain most of my life. A semi rear ending my car made it worse. Things that help me through are

1. stay as active as possible
2. strengthen your muscles
3. stay in your weight range
4. keep a positive attitude
5. when you have a bad flare-up take drugs; muscle relaxers can help
if you don't use them all the time
6. myotherapy-where you press on pressure points throughout your
body. You can use a curved cane to apply pressure yourself-it
really helps.
7. try to stay stress free as much as possible
8. tell yourself there's nothing you can't do because of pain
9. when you feel your worst is the time to force yourself to
continue on-laying in bed does NOT help in the long run
10. fish oil pills help with your joints
11. see a nutritionist-they can access what natural products could
help you best depending on your problem

Unfortunately, you do get used to the pain. I always try to talk myself out of it like Sophie said. A can do attitude regardless is
vital to keep going.

There's a brown spot on the lawn, but that may be the neighbors dog
just trying to freak me out.

I am now.

Great. What's your point?

Feldenkrais (aka Somatic Education). I'm not sure I can describe it well-google it for more info, but basically it teaches you to be aware of your movements and body postures that worsen pain. Many times we react to pain by moving in a different way to protect that area/prevent pain to that body part and thereby cause other problems or worsen the existing problems. If there is a class nearby, I recommend taking it. I was very skeptical going into it, but have to admit it helped quite a bit.
This may relate to what Motowndowntown was talking about. If the person he lived with made him feel defensive and stressed all the time, his body posture probably reflected that and caused health issues. I know for me, my pain was at its worst when I felt emotionally the lowest.

Stand your ground.
Those little 'teacups' can
be cunning.

And frightening.

But not as frightening as people without a sense of humor.

So, if you had humorless neighbors who
had a ferocious dog, you would have a
chronic pain..somewhere.

I would have a chronic need to leave brown spots on their lawn.

Back to the original subject.

I have never taken Feldenkreis but when I read about it I realized that I was practicing some of those movements already on my own without knowing. It's all about awareness. Would love to take a class anyway when I can afford it.

I have bad arthritis and at the moment i just live with it, no drugs or painkillers. I struggle to do the most simple things sometimes and it can be very frustrating, but i am used to the pain to some degree and try to suffer it without whinging too much. Its going to get worse without treatment, so i will have to begin that at some stage. I havent been able to start it yet because i am starting a family and the drugs i need to be on are dangerous for that.