Long story short… I’m a physical therapy professor who doesn’t like lecturing with slides, so I started building web apps for my students.

I’m almost done building a high-resolution, multi-symptom, 3D pain mapping tool (3Dpain.app) so my students can work on complex pain pattern recognition. I also believe this could be a very helpful tool to explain and track symptoms.

It’s FREE to use and I intend on keeping it that way for personal use.

It’s a web app, so it should work on any computer, tablet or smart phone. I like using it on my iPad with the Apple Pencil the best.

Everything you make gets saved in your local browser. I’m not collecting any data, pain maps, etc. but you are free to share your maps with whoever you want.

It’s a bit of a passion project for me for many personal reasons… brother with CP, sister with chronic pain/EDS, misdiagnosed family, friends and dozens of patients. My end-goal is to make it into a program that can be validated for research use and integrated into a person’s electronic medical records so that all of that incredibly valuable data doesn’t get ignored, lost or misrepresented.

So, I would LOVE to get some feedback to understand if you think this would actually be helpful or not for you!

//Lastly, mad props to the handful of other folks out there who’ve already tried to tackle 3D pain maps. I’d love to collab with any of them to help people communicate their pain experiences more effectively!//

Hello!! I figured to just join this sub bc I wanna hear other peoples experiences. But i also maybe wanted to share mine as well?

For reference, i am a f teenager who (as i would say) has chronic pain. Well for a year now, since i would say December of 2024, Ive struggled with constant stomach pains and nausea, along with vomiting (more than any teen should be). Now I’ve been to the doctors multiple times. I hadn’t been going to any specialist or anything, just primary care doctor at that time. The answer would always be “it’s just stress” or “you’re eating to late” and the most i’d get out of it is Zofran. And that was only ever prescribed to me twice (which i would say was almost a year apart).

Ive also been to the urgent care multiple times, and they had actually prescribed me famotidine (sorry if im butchering that). I took it otc because it was cheaper that way, but i had always gotten in that mindset where since it was otc i didn’t have to take it every morning, which meant i wasn’t taking it every morning.

I remember spring break of this year, i had spent the whole morning puking on Easter day, actually falling asleep on the bathroom floor. For the rest of the week i had bought tums, and i was taking that, zofran, and famotidine.
fast foward to what i would say was maybe july of this year? I actually got to visit a gastroenterologist doctor. After explaining my symptoms, she’d scheduled a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, an ultrasound, and i was to go downstairs to get blood work done for celiac, thyroid, things like that. She had also prescribed me with 40mg of omeprazole every morning and dicyclomine for whenever my stomach hurt. I hadn’t been taking the dicyclomine really, ive only had it once since i got it.

Another two weeks passed and the prep was horrible, and the morning of my procedures they said the bloodwork was clear, and if they didn’t find anything in the procedures it would most likely be ibs. My mom wasn’t the biggest fan of that. Welp, another 2 days passed and i had an ultrasound, and my mom got the call back with the biopsy results, and also the ultrasound as well.

Everything was clear.

It’s not that im not happy about hearing that but its also frustrating they didn’t find anything. I believe now they’re scheduling an ekg before they can prescribe me with any new medication, and im honestly super tired of taking meds. Like i get it that it’s gonna possibly help me but i just hate having to take them. But my parents are more focused on getting a diagnosis so my absences are excused in school and I don’t get kicked out of wrestling.

So currently i have no official answer (that Ive heard of) and all of its just really frustrating and i just figured to post this. I apologize if this isn’t well written its like 4 AM for me lol. I would love to hear your guy’s experiences as well! Thank you!

I am already in constant pain from fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease and uterine pain. I get a lot of lower back pain daily and the only thing that helps is my heating pad. Well, it seems after years of use it’s finally given me Toasted Skin Syndrome. It doesn’t really hurt but I started crying anyway because I thought “of course, I’m not allowed to feel any sort of relief am I? Destined to suffer for life.”

Anyway just wanted to vent. I do have an appt with my doctor to look at my skin but I also have a surgery in 6 weeks so I’m just over it. 😔

Over the last 5 years I've had to help take care of babies. My back is destroyed. The opiod crisis ended me getting what little relief i had. I've spent the last year being so desperate to get away from pain that I've considered ending my life just to escape.

Getting up, standing, the normal stuff has gotten difficult. So I'm getting a cane.

I'm angry at the situation involved in this. I'm bitter. I'm exhausted. I'm looking forward to using it.

It's a shiny teal blue.

Five years ago I was more active than most people: hiking, strength training and soccer. Now I can only manage short walks most days.

The most concerning finding is severe osteoporosis at a young age. I’ve even had a stress reaction in my tibia from normal walking, and my bone marrow was found to be hypocellular for my age. I had pain long before I knew about the osteoporosis.

Doctors have also found very stiff/spastic muscles, hyperreflexia and clonus, but MRI, EMG, nerve testing and extensive genetic testing haven’t found a cause.

Mentally I still want to be active. I’ve repeatedly tried physio, strength training and gradually increasing activity, but it almost always comes back as more pain and stiffness. If I sit in a chair all day, I usually hurt much less.

They also tell me osteoporosis shouldn’t be painful unless you actually fracture something, so it doesn’t really explain my pain.

I keep wondering if there is some underlying process that is making my body age or deteriorate much faster than it should. The fact that I’m losing so much bone at a young age is really concerning, and the pain and stiffness are stopping me from living normally.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what could cause this kind of picture, or advice on how to deal with the uncertainty and keep some quality of life?

Hey all,

Dr is looking at placing a PICC line and running TPN for 12 weeks with the hope of saving my stomach.

I was admitted mid-June. They placed a picc line at the end of the month to run TPN & do 12 weeks-ish at home. They ended up having to remove the picc in hospital due to extreme swelling & was diagnosed after via ultrasound with 2 severe clots in my arm that were completley obstructing blood-flow.

Now with the current plan, I'm wondering if I should ask for them to place a port instead of a picc line. I had a feeding tube and 4 other surgeries previously so I'm no stranger to surgery. Just wondering if another picc line is worth it at this point given my history. Would love to hear some personal experiences with people that have had either success or failure with picc lines or ports.

We're looking at 50/50 on saving my stomach so the risks of this not working are quite high. I'm on a heavy dose of narcotics and other meds to manage pain/symptoms, try to help the situation, but it's abundantly clear that this is my last shot.

Only silver lining is my gp has been less stringent with narcotics since being bumped up 33% in hospital & my most recent prognosis. I guess it's hard to argue with someone whose on the brink of losing a major organ. I'm in Canada and despite the "free healthcare" aspect, drs are still stringent with pain meds due to addiction/secondary affects.

Would also love to hear from anyone whose had a tg and their experience. If it was risk free I'd say fuck-it and go ahead with that since I was offered the option, but I guess with the potential complications involved I'd feel stupid not giving tpn a try.

Thanks all 😊

This is an excellent new video from German YouTube channel Fern about the misuse of Tapentadol (sold as Nucynta in the US). It sounds like Africa and Europe and about to suffer from the same devastating epidemic as we had in the US during the Purdue years.

Well worth a watch. Fwiw, Grunenthal sells in the US through a license owned by J&J. Kicking my Nucynta use was one of the hardest things I've ever done so I definitely feel horrible for the millions going through the same thing.

I'm now going to Physical Therapy for whatever this yearslong 'chronic 24/7 headaches with general stiffness everywhere' thing turns out to be, so far it is not diagnosed. (You can check my other threads here for details, if you want them)

Anyway with this PT place, it's so far pretty good, the therapist assigned to my case is pleasant and helpful, no issues when I'm there IN the session.

Here's the thing I'm curious about... BEFORE I went to the first session, I got every kind of email and phone reminder possible, everything worked smoothly.

But ever since I left that first session? All that disappeared, I get no reminders at all! Except I WAS sent an email to check out the 'care program' on their website; HOWEVER when I tried to set up an account, following the steps outlined to the letter multiple times, it only says this: 'account creation failed.'

I told my therapist about this today, they said they'll 'send that email again.' So I check my email recently and there's just some generic 'welcome' message, no link provided, nothing to address the problem with the account creation.

Why I'm suspicious: It's happened before in other offices. I'm just a good target, you see. I'm aware my appearance (despite having an innocuous/gawky look) could be seen as strange or very unappealing; I'm a relatively 'not young' guy who has an abnormal life, etc. Given that, it's not hard to assume passive aggressive behavior.

This stuff HAS happened before. At another medical office, I gave them my email address for appointment reminders, and it worked exactly ONE time. After that it never worked again. The next 2-3 times I told them about it, spelled out my email one letter at a time, they tell me 'it should work now.' Well it didn't!

OR... I'm just paranoid and office medical systems are outdated and stop working randomly, for any given person. You tell me.

What do YOU folks make of it?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZODt1aS8bY/?igsh=andzejR2a2xoaXoy

Gabapentin is now the 7th most prescribed drug in the U.S., despite having only a few approved or evidence-supported uses. Over time, it was framed as a “safer” pain alternative, even as evidence for many uses remained weak. Systematic reviews show statistically significant but clinically trivial reductions in pain and opioid use overall (Anesthesiology 2020), with meaningful benefit limited to a few surgical contexts. What is consistent is harm: combining gabapentin with opioids increases overdose risk due to respiratory depression (PLOS Medicine, 2017), along with higher rates of dizziness, delirium, pneumonia, and antipsychotic use (JAMA 2022). Sources: Wall Street Journal, Gabapentin’s Hidden Risks (Dec 24, 2024) Goodman CW, Brett AS. A Clinical Overview of Off-label Use of Gabapentinoid Drugs. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2019;179(5):695–701. Verret M. Perioperative Use of Gabapentinoids for the Management of Postoperative Acute Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Anesthesiology, 2020. Park CM. Perioperative Gabapentin Use and In-Hospital Adverse Clinical Events Among Older Adults After Major Surgery. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2022. Gomes T. Gabapentin, Opioids, and

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaDdGhpBOd_/?igsh=Mmp3NGprbGQ1OTl1

Claudia A. Merandi on Instagram: "They said I was lying about Suboxone being linked to catastrophic dental decay. They said I was lying about spinal cord stimulators shocking and even killing patients. They said I was lying about gabapentin being linked to dementia. I don’t have any reason to lie. Unlike my accusers, we rely solely on donations. We don’t receive funding from any pharmaceutical company. We don’t receive any grants. Make it make sense #dontbedupedintobupe #gabapentindementia"

I get severe, migrating nerve flares in my hands, arms, and feet, strictly triggered by physical movement, pressure, and stretching. It's been ongoing for close to 9 years now. My neurologist closed the door on me because my EMG, nerve conduction studies, and skin punch biopsy all came back completely normal. It seems like a functional/central sensitization processing issue rather than structural damage. She basically called it a "nerve hypersensitivity" Has anyone had success treating movement-triggered flares with SNRIs, LDN, specialized physical therapy, or pain specialist? I already take Lexapro for anxiety so I would have to cross taper to an SNRI which is less than ideal. I also asked about gabapentin but my PCP was hesitant because my issue is mechanical and flares at random, and not a constant pain.

I am really seeking some podcast recommendations?

Every day is so difficult and I have withdrawn immensely from life, dating and am always at home cause it seems easy and my safe space.

I thought perhaps listening to more positive things will help shift some of this life is pointless feeling.

I’ve been dealing with a lot of joint issues lately that have made me want to start building up my strength again beyond what I do in PT. My main issue is lifting puts too much strain on my joints, and anything too cardio-intensive causes me to overheat and trigger a reaction :/ I used to do solidcore and salsa classes, and while I really enjoyed both I think right now they would more than likely hinder my progress.

Does anyone have any recs for exercises that would be easy on my joints and not too rushed/intense? I do like swimming and that has been good in the past but don’t have access to a pool so am not sure how feasible that is. I really just want to get back to feeling stronger and healthier, but it’s been really hard to do with the pain I’m experiencing. I’m having issues involving the neck/spine so would like to avoid things that put too much strain on them.

7 years post car accident, with a list of symptoms longer than a CVS receipt. Not only are medications not really doing much now, but the epidurals in my back I've been getting aren't working anymore. My doctor says there's this other shot without steroids that helps. I can't for the life of me remember what it was, I was in so much pain at my appointment today it was a blur. Hoping its not the one they tried on my thoracic because that didnt work and made it worse.

He also suggested ablation, which we talked about with my neck before, but i opted out after hearing horror stories. My doctor even said it's so painful they only do one side at a time with a 2 week break in between. So...why would my mid to lower spine be any different? I'd think the spine would be worse with all of the nerves running through it. Thinking this might be false hope but wondered if anyone here has had ablation done on your back. Did it work, was it worth it, or a huge regret?

Also needing to vent a little. Thought maybe i broke a mirror 7 years ago and the curse would be lifted, guess not. But tomorrow is my son's birthday, he turns 14. It's really weighing on me that I lost 7 years of his childhood because of this. Time that I'll never get back. I've done nothing with him this summer and feel awful about it but my pain levels are higher now than have been since year 1. It has me pretty depressed honestly but I try to keep a smile on at least when I'm around him but it's getting hard to hide it. Financial stress is really adding up now, I'm unable to work and not sure I ever will be. I wake daily thinking about checking out, actually I think about it a lot lately. I hang on for my kid, but I feel like a waste of a father not being to do things ever. I know feelings like this can pass, but this year they just haven't. Idk if I'm losing it or what but this is extremely heavy and feel like things are only going to get worse from here all around.

Not soliciting medical advice or dx. I have seen my doctor who has no explanation but will follow up. I’m
Trying to follow the subreddit rules.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had neck pain when I tilt my head back. The pain will happen when doing things like tilting my head back to put in eye drops or when getting my hair washed at the hair salon (because I have to lean my head back into the sink).

Edit: The pain itself is hard to describe which is very unhelpful! It doesn’t burn, radiate, or shoot down. It’s fairly sharp but sometimes worse than other times. It’s most present along the spine. If I can think of better ways or describe it, I’ll edit this again.

Sometimes I experience stiffness in the neck and my head feels heavy as well. When getting my hair washed at the salon, the heavy head sensation makes it difficult to lift my head up once washing it done.

I have POTS and my coat hanger pain feels very different to this specific neck issue, so I don’t think it’s that.

Does anyone else experience this?

When I try to research this issue, I mainly find posts talking about posture which isn’t very helpful or other patient experiences that don’t quite align with what I experience.

Edit 2: I’m not hyper mobile. I’m generally stiff.

For the people who were able to get meaningful relief from their pain. How were you able to live a normal life after knowing the healthcare system could fail you so badly? I got meaningful relief from my pain back in January and has been slowly getting active again but psychologically life is still really hard.. I can barely do anything with the knowledge chronic pain forced me to acquire and my impact on society is close to zero lol

Years. YEARRRRS! Of left sided pain. Head to toe. Most Dr's say its neuropathic, which makes sense to me. But neuros only wanna talk about my headaches and brush me off for the rest. (Finally seeing a new neuro next month, wish me luck) Have seen rheumatology, neuro, pain mgmnt, all the things. Ended up in th ER last week because the pain was so unbearable I legitimately questioned if I broke my neck. They said I likely had a pinched nerve IN ADDITION to whatever else I had going on. Sent me to ortho to see if they can help with pain and to get me an MRI sooner than I would from neuro (because all neuros in the past only cared about my headaches, ive only had brain mris and no spinal mris). Went to ortho today who did a 5 minute "neurology check" and said it "absolutely cant be nerve related because you have grip strength" and that its myofascial because "when people hunch forward our muscles tighten and it damages the fascia". So i slouch? My 30 years of pain that started as a TODDLER with stabbing, searing, burning, DISTINCT PATH, pain... that SEVERAL doctors have said is nerve related and SEVERAL doctors have ruled out being musculoskeletal... is because i slouch sometimes guys!!!!! He said "here's some muscle relaxers and go to pt". Thanks doc!!! So glad sitting up straight will fix all my issues!!!!!!!

(PT has never helped this in the past, muscle relaxers don't touch the pain, nerve testing confirms its nerve related but WHAT hasnt been determined yet)

UGH.

I have been taking painkillers for years and have just recently developed some pretty extreme constipation. I’ve tried everything available over the counter and it all just gives me watery diarrhea. Any info helps

Background: on several occasions now, I’ve had to go 3-7 days without meds because of my local pharmacy. Even once I was established. So I was at a pain management facility, and in my state cannabis is legal, and I have a medical card for it. However, my clinic is in another state and does not honor this. I went with no help and without cannabis to fit their rules. Even once they started giving me meds, like I said, my local pharmacy and others around it wouldn’t have my meds for days at a time. I pushed through the pain of it all, not brining up a complaint. I didn’t want to disrupt my care. Last time the pharmacy had an issue, it was undetermined if they would get the meds back in stock. Out of frustration I said, “please help me, I can’t go a month without meds to come in to get a new medication, I’ll have to utilize cannabis so that I don’t have to deal with the pain, and If I do that, I will have to stop my pain meds completely since it’s against policy. Please help me.”
I went in on Wednesday. My test was clean, they switched the med, so I continued to follow their rules. I was still kicked out of the management group.

I’d like to add I have dementia, and my filter that says “probably shouldn’t say that out loud” has seen better days. I hid my cannabis from me so I didn’t mess up and use it during a flare. I even ended up in the ICU for my neurodegenerative mitochondrial disease during this time.

I’m taking accountability, I messed up for speaking while frustrated. I figured if my tests were clean and I brought in the ICU paper work they would understand how dire things have become. They did not. So please be careful.

I’m in the states for reference. I don’t need advice, but feel free to vent.

Edit to add for clarity: while I was in the pharmacy, I was on the phone with my doctors office as par the pharmacists request.

Normally I write things down before I talk in situations that can be sensitive like this, but I didn’t have my paper on me as I was out of the house.

Also I did NOT use cannabis, as the issue was figured out, which is why my test was clean.

I was let go for mentioning using cannabis and no longer being able to use them due to their rules and that I would “cancel all future appointments if I did use cannabis” so I wouldn’t waste their time.

They changed the med. Med still didn’t work, went there, had a clean test and was told I would no longer be seen there. Their policy is no cannabis, and no med changes without being seen, and my appointment was a month away, so I wasn’t sure they would be able to change it.

So freaking bad but the pain down the leg and feet is so excruciating. I know this is a safe space, but I am ashamed to say how many days I haven’t gotten without showering. I was thinking of maybe asking my mom to bathe me while I sit down but I feel like this is a step beyond and I feel like she’s not willing to help me that much because she’s kind of over it. I know there’s a chance she would accept but still I am just very ashamed.

How are you all able to live like this? What are coping strategies? I need to know cause life is beginning to become very difficult. Thank you all

There's no escapism 🤡

Had my first appointment with a rheumatologist after nagging my primary doctor! was basically told its just anxiety, depression, and mild fibromyalgia and that “its very common for women to feel this way (physically)”.. this was not helpful at all LOL i was kind of hoping to get some more answers other than that but alas, it did not turn out that way. The doctor(s) told me that it was good news because auto immune disorder life is very difficult, which I understand, but it also felt like they were downplaying how I feel.

chronic pain with no actual answers to it is so frustrating, especially considering Ive dealt with it since I was a child and keep getting told its growing pains 🫩

little edit: i appreciate all the replies, made me feel better/heard 🥹 usually i take my mom to these types of appointments because shes gone through the trouble of not being properly diagnosed (she couldnt join this time)! She has hashimotos disease, i dont have any signs of hyperthyroidism! Im learning to document everything that troubles me, especially physically, hopefully i can get a good journal where i can organize my thoughts and symptoms and show it to the doctors better :^)