Any experienced devs with chronic pain experience around here ?

Posted by blitzkr1eg@reddit | ExperiencedDevs | View on Reddit | 11 comments

I need some tips. How do you manage a programming job (and all it includes) with chronic pain?
I feel very unmotivated to learn anything new, read books, tutorials, etc.

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prh8@reddit

Is this chronic pain related to your job (wrist, back issues, etc), or chronic pain unrelated (autoimmune, long Covid, etc) ? That determines most of the answer IMO

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I had a degenerating disc in my back and spent months in a lot of pain waiting for surgery. My job performance during that time was poor and it led to me getting included in a layoff. I should have taken medical leave rather than trying to grit my teeth and continue working.

Its better to take leave if pain is really impacting your performance at work.

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mnemonikerific@reddit

been on strength training and partnered long term with a tele-physio for a regimen to handle and/or off the various posture and RSI. but there’s till a lot of reading and strain. there’s the constant new version treadmill across the stack and the constant upkeep.

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chaoism@reddit

I found a PT and she asked me to stretch. Stretch often

I now do yoga a lot. It helped me, but I have no idea what kind of pain you're having, so it's best to find your own PT

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wilsonblu@reddit

Honestly? I abuse OTC painkillers. I take Excedrin Migraine almost every single day for my chronic migraines.

Sometimes even that doesn't work and then I just shop or browse Reddit the entire work day and get out of work as soon as possible (like 3pm). If stuff is urgent, I wake up the next morning at 2am to finish stuff it on time.

I haven't found a good solution yet.

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GongtingLover@reddit

My back has been awful from sitting lately 🤣😭

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scragz@reddit

yeah I busted my wrists a few years back. I tried voice and eye tracking for a while but that was messing up my jaw and I thought I was gonna be out permanently. the main things that got me back in the game were:

auditing my workstation ergonomics and maxing them out as high as possible with a kinesis advantage keyboard (not just split but also concave) and big trackball
similarly auditing my software ergonomics to minimize the mouse use that aggravates my disability, installing apps like homerow to make keyboard nav easier
delegating as much as typing as possible to AI

this is going to be a controversial statement, but the AI part was crucial and ironically has made me more productive than I was before I was disabled.

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Reddit_is_fascist69@reddit

What kind of chronic pain?

A good chair + posture helps me.

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heelek@reddit

I manage by having very little life. I find it an acceptable trade off, I even feel blessed in a way that given my condition I can still work remotely, contribute and earn a very good salary. I also save and invest aggressively so that I can FIRE once I no longer find the trade off as acceptable or my health forces me to resign. I think a lot also depends on the type of pain you experience.

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VisAcquillae@reddit

How do you manage your pain? At the end of the day, your health (physical or mental, doesn't matter, a decline in one rarely leaves the other unaffected) is your most important asset.