I'm a little over 30 (a little less than my profile says; I never tell the truth about my birthday, online ). So... youngISH. Creakier and in more pain than seems right for my age, anyway.

I am 27 been dealing with chronic pain for 4 years. have been told by doctors that I am too young to be in so much pain ( I have issues with my back) I do yoga most days of the week. I have found that if I keep moving that helps.

I'm 22 and I've been fighting with my pain since I was 18. I lost a great job 2 years ago because I wasn't dealing with my fibro very well. The thing is, when you feel sorry for yourself and ask, "why me? why does this have to happen to me?" every twinge and ache is magnified tenfold. At least that's how it was for me. I will never know why, and I had to accept that and force myself to do a little exercise at a time and add more as I felt I could handle it. I found that the key is to build muscle. When we're in pain, all we want to do is be still, take a nap, try to relax the pain away; but what we're really doing is relaxing our muscles away and it's making the pain worse. Work on muscle building, low impact, and a little cardio every day. Build up to using more weight and doing cardio longer. If you need it, physical therapy will teach you invaluable tools. Whatever you do, don't give in to the pain and the fatigue. It can be like quicksand, if you give it an inch, it'll suck you in a foot.

I've been dealing with chronic pain in both feet since I was 19. I'm 42 now so I'm not young but I was very young when I got it. It was the result of a work accident where both feet were crushed by a 5000 lb generator. I'm actually still recovering from yet another reconstructive surgery to my right foot I had in July last year. My profile pic displays the swelling. I've had 22 operations to my right foot and 15 to my left. I'm scheduled to have another reconstruction for my left next month.

So after 23 years of living with chronic pain & numerous surgeries, I can offer a lot of advice: despite all the pain, keep looking up, always, always stay positive. It doesn't do you nor your loved ones any good to feel sorry for yourself. It'll get you down then you don't want to stay healthy and can lead to overeating. Keep moving. If you can walk, then do so. Even if it's only a couple steps at a time, do it. If you're sitting on the couch watching TV, still think about moving if it's not too painful: leg raises, ankle flexing, twiddle your toes, move your arms.

Have you tried swimming? To help prepare for my latest round of surgeries, I did DDP Yoga for 6 months. It combines a few yoga poses, with cardio, isometrics and strength building. You raise your heart rate while standing still.

This is a quote from a children's novel that I've posted in another forum here at MFP:

"Take pride in your pain. You are stronger than those who have none." - Lois Lowry, The Gathering

The same is with me, people don't see the pain unless I show them my feet. Most times I put on a happy face and act like nothing is wrong. If you have chronic pain, own it but don't let it own you. All of you are strong having to continually deal with it. Don't ever forget that

I'm 22 and I've been fighting with my pain since I was 18. I lost a great job 2 years ago because I wasn't dealing with my fibro very well. The thing is, when you feel sorry for yourself and ask, "why me? why does this have to happen to me?" every twinge and ache is magnified tenfold. At least that's how it was for me. I will never know why, and I had to accept that and force myself to do a little exercise at a time and add more as I felt I could handle it. I found that the key is to build muscle. When we're in pain, all we want to do is be still, take a nap, try to relax the pain away; but what we're really doing is relaxing our muscles away and it's making the pain worse. Work on muscle building, low impact, and a little cardio every day. Build up to using more weight and doing cardio longer. If you need it, physical therapy will teach you invaluable tools. Whatever you do, don't give in to the pain and the fatigue. It can be like quicksand, if you give it an inch, it'll suck you in a foot.

This is almost exactly what I had to say. I'm 25 and I've been surviving Fibro since I was 15 1/2. Sometimes it's so hard to move when you are in pain, but move you must. I've spent a lot of free time in pools in my life. Swimming works the muscles and reduces stress on them at the same time. I always sleep like an angel after a good swim.

I'm 26 and was diagnosed in February with psoriatic arthritis in my S.I. joint, knee, wrists, and elbows. I just assumed for the longest time that the pain in my knee and S.I. joint was due solely to being overweight.

I'm 31 now, but I was diagnosed with fibro when I was under 30. I've been suffering from pain ever since I can remember - but didn't know what it was before about 5 years ago.

I definitely recommend exercising in water - either swimming or aqua aerobics. I did physical therapy in a pool and it was a lot less painful than regular PT.

Know you are not alone, and try to stay positive no matter what happens! It really does help.

I'm 22, diagnosed with chronic back pain at 12 and fibromyalgia at 20. Also I'm currently adding "pregnancy aches and pains" onto the list, but I'll get to scratch those off in a couple months

Feel free to add me as well!

Hi. I'm 27, had chronic pain for about three or so years. I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I used to train a lot more intensely until I developed fibromyalgia. Now I have to exercise lightly, which is frustrating. My goals have changed a bit. I still want to lose the weight I've put back on, but for the time being my goal is pain management. I think staying motivated is a big challenge every day for me, but I think that setting small goals for your self and being organised/planning ahead helps.