A painful request for help

By Virginia Winder

I live in a painscape now.

It's colourful and filled with jagged shapes. 

Getting out of a car yesterday in hideous agony my sister asked me "what colour is your pain?"

Eyes scrunched up I saw white stars. 

Today, lying on my bed, I see red shards in my calves, hot orange in my gluteus maximus and red in my pelvis. 

Sitting on a chair I see silver needles down my legs. The pain in my foot and ankle is yellow with pink points. 

All of this from sciatica, which is getting worse not better. Some days I've hit 10 on the pain scale. 

There is a treatment plan though. I will be going to Wellington for CT-guided injections into my lumbar spine to ease the pain. 

Now, this is important, I don't want your sympathy. This just is. 

However, I do want advice on living with pain. Or even better, how to get rid of it. 

So far I've tried acupuncture, physio, prescribed pain relief, stretches, mindfulness meditations and distraction. A generous man has also given me a special nana's massage oil (jury is still out on this) to try. 

So far, nothing has helped much, not even the prescription pain relief. So what are your suggestions? 

This is an interactive blog - fire everything at me. Pain has made me 100% open-minded and I want to know your ideas.