Living Without Pain Medication
What it really Looks Like
For the past two years, I’ve been managing my medical conditions without pain medication. That sentence might sound simple, but behind it lies daily choices, hard lessons, and more resilience than I ever imagined I had.
There was a time when my life was filled with prescriptions, gabapentin, ibuprofen, naproxen whatever the doctors felt might help. I didn’t realize then the damage it was quietly doing inside me. At the same time, I was relying heavily on weed to cope but with neurological issues, not knowing it was actually making things worse.
In January, I gave that up. Now, I keep CBD products on hand for emergencies, but they’re no longer my crutch. Instead, I’ve had to learn a new way of living with pain.
Finding Alternative Paths
Managing pain without medication means I’ve had to lean into other practices. Yoga keeps my body moving, Reiki helps with energy flow, and water walking gives me freedom when my body won’t cooperate on land. These are not magic fixes, but they are tools, tools that help me stay connected to my body instead of disconnected from it.
The Hard Days
Today reminded me i still feel pain for the first time in a long time I found myself in absolute agony. My legs didn’t want to work, and every part of me felt like it was shutting down.
But instead of giving up, I chose to to haul myself into the pool to do water walking. I reached for CBD, not as a daily habit but as an emergency support. And then, I listened to my body I put myself to bed for the afternoon.
This is what life looks like some days. It isn’t always strong or graceful. Some days, it’s messy, painful, and exhausting. But it’s also real.
Listening
For me, isn’t about being pain-free t’s about how I meet the pain. Some days, I push through with movement and practice. Other days, I surrender and rest. Both are valid. Both are necessary.
The courage comes not from never struggling, but from continuing to choose compassion for myself in the midst of struggle.
So yes, today was hard. But I still showed up for myself. And that, to me, is what healing really looks like.
Reflection
If you’re living with chronic pain, what tools or practices help you keep moving forward on the hard days?
Managing doesn’t always look perfect it looks like listening, adapting, and finding your own rhythm.
Share your reflections below or join me in our Pain to Power community conversations, where we talk openly about the messy, real, and powerful ways we navigate life beyond survival.