I bought H and D portable TENS units that provide some limited pain relief. It’s also available for purchase online.
One of my friends found cupping and massage very helpful and allowed her to avoid surgery and helped get rid of the numbness she felt.
I’m disabled and have RA and fibromyalgia, so I understand the position you’re in. It really sucks. 
For me, no alternative methods have given me any sort of lasting pain relief. No supplements were helpful. Massages were too painful. TENS machines did little to nothing. Acupuncture helped in a little bit in the moment, but the effects wore off after 15 or 20 minutes. For me, schlepping all the way to the clinic wasn’t worth it. That said, some people swear by it, so I think it’s really individual.
The only things that have really helped are an immunosuppressant medication for the RA and an SNRI for the fibro. And even those only do so much. Lifestyle changes (getting accommodations, using mobility aids, reducing stress by taking a less work-heavy courseload) have helped me better manage my pain, too.
Thank you all so much for the replies. I’ve been traveling all day so haven’t had time to look through them. Just at a quick rest stop and wanted to say thank you 
@ChasingMerit I’m so sorry you’re going through this too :(. Abatacept infusions have (until recently) kept my RA pain mostly under control. It’s only been in the last month or so that it’s stopped working as well. It hurts to even type now
Hope this is an allowed link…
https://www.craniosacraltherapy.org/what-is-bcst
I, and numerous other people, have had amazing results with this approach. Long term issues have resolved within a few sessions. Just be sure to go to one of the practitioners on this list and not someone who has taken a weekend course and now hangs out a shingle claiming to be a cranial sacral therapist.
Good luck to all who are dealing with chronic pain. Acupuncture really works for some folks and conditions but not others.
Have you been tested for sleep breathing disorders and upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS)? There’s been a lot of recent research linking UARS to the somatic disorders such as fibromyalgia, particularly in women. Here’s a couple of references:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24680565
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26797925
I had great success with acupuncture for sinus problems @sseamom. I slso had a friend who had great success with it for colitis and postoperative pain (major surgery.)
The key, though, is finding a really good practicioner. The range is sort of like that for masseuses. Being licensed and being amazing are not the same. I hope it works for you; your situation sounds really wearing.
These alternative methods usually do not cure the problems that cause the pain… but they help make the pain more tolerable while the body is trying to heal. Some problems do not resolve on their own with time. That’s why these methods “cure” things for some folks and do nothing more than temporary pain relief for others.
I want to start with telling you that I am not a doctor, and I also don’t know your history, so you may have already tried this, so I am not trying to make assumptions. But I did want to offer my limited personal experience.
I did NOT have any serious genetic conditions, but I did start having random pains - very, very minor, compared to yours. Changing my diet was what changed everything for me. It was a slow, gradual change, but the number one thing was cutting down added sugars, gradually over two years and cutting out processed foods. Getting rid (setting low, strict limits) of the added sugars (including in breads, yogurts, etc.) did wonders for my overall body inflammation, to the point where I saw physical signs that I did not expect of inflammation going down. The pain has gone away. And I get sick noticeably less. I am happy to go into more details, if you like. I just figured I would throw it out there!
My dog gets acupuncture, but I obviously can’t ask him just how much it helps!
When I had frozen shoulder the physical therapist did Dry Needling. I worked for me. It’s works on trigger points which is different than acupuncture. I hope you find something to help you with your pain.
@romanigypsyeyes - just tacky from the pain meds. I would freak if I got chest pains.
@NYMomof2 - I would love to know the 2 trigger point locations that helped you open your hip. I have the same issue.
To all: I am going to try the self-hypnosis thing. I’ve never heard of it before this but it looks/sounds super interesting.
Thank you all so much for the suggestions. As a student, my funds are limited but I’m hoping I can get insurance to try covering at least something. I cost them probably somewhere around $20k/month (more if I’m in the hospital) so maybe they’ll take the risk to save some money.
@oregon101 I was using marijuana for a while but when the pain started getting really bad, my body started reacting really strangely to it. I was taking it in pill form though. I’m going to try going back to edible form and see if my body reacts less strangely.
@prezbucky the pain meds don’t work at all for me anymore. The weak/standard ones do nothing and the strong ones send my body into like panic mode.
@conmama that’s how I am- extremely skeptical. I’m glad to hear it made at least one skeptic a believer!
@NYMomof2 I’m not sure if I’ll be able to tolerate that but I’ll definitely look into it, thanks!!
Also I am in MI- I will PM you!
@JustGraduate I’ve never heard of that but it looks like a few people recommended it so I’ll definitely look into it. Thanks!
JustAMom (I can’t tag you haha)- I will definitely look into that. Lots of people have suggested yoga and I really should try it. I’m very weak and my joints tend to hurt after staying in a position for any period of time. However I’m sure someone trained could help me avoid that!
@Bromfield2 thanks for the head’s up about touching the floor and whatnot. That is my fear but we’ll see!
@ClassicRockerDad thank you for that recommendation! I’ll double check with my PCP that it won’t interfere with any of my meds and look into it. She’s been very open to me trying anything that I think might help as long as it’s not contraindicated with any of my meds. My inflammation markers have been very high since I got sick last year. I get my sed rate and CRP tested every month or so and it hasn’t been anywhere close to normal range.
@HImom my FIL has a TENS device that he uses for his back. I will try it next time I’m over there (which will be later this weekend). I used to use one at my PT but I don’t know if it helped or the PT.
@dietz199 I’ll look into that. Thanks!
@audiophile I haven’t been tested for that specifically. My doctor is actually sending me for a sleep test in a few months after I go to my new cardiologist. She’s afraid I might’ve developed sleep apnea. I’ll see if they can test for that too. I don’t know how sleep tests work lol. The fibro is basically just an off shoot of the lupus.
@BunsenBurner yeah I know :(. Unfortunately there are no cures for any of my conditions so the best I’ll ever be able to do is treat the pain. (I have no confidence that autoimmune diseases will be cured in my lifetime given how (relatively) little research is conducted on them.
I’ve developed anemia (the exact name escapes me) that is the result of chronic conditions. The cure? Cure the underlying condition. Gee thanks 
@Pterosaur Ha! I love that your dog gets acupuncture. That is one spoiled pup I’m actually set to meet with a dietitian at some point during this semester. I’m hoping it’s someone that is familiar with inflammatory conditions.
@Kajon I was luckily in the hospital already when the chest pains happened. I have never screamed from pain but I was yelling in the ER. They immediately rushed in and connected all the things to me and drew my blood to make sure I wasn’t having a heart attack (also how I figured out that your blood can show whether or not you’ve recently had a cardiac episode).
I’ve never seen Mr R scared but he had tears streaming down his face watching me.
Needless to say, morphine is not entering my body again unless it is an absolute last resort and I have nothing to lose.
Romani, my comment was not directed at you. It is that the web is filled with stories of cures attributed to accupunture, Feldenkrais, etc. techniques that provide pain relief. I know that you are looking at pain management, not a “cure.” I hope you will find something that will help.
@BunsenBurner I figured it was something like that. I realize my response to you wasn’t quite what I was trying to get across lol. (It’s been a long day of travel and my body does not travel well!)
It scares me how much misinformation is out there. If I had a dollar for every time someone mentioned essential oils or a detox diet to me as a “cure” because their friend did it and now magically they don’t have lupus 8-| , I’d be able to pay off at least a month’s worth of prescriptions
I will probably have to go through an MD to do the acupuncture because I simply can’t afford it without insurance and I’d guess that insurance is way more likely to cover the MD in the U of M health system than a “traditional healer.” (I use quotes not to denigrate but to show how they are viewed by insurance companies: as people outside of professional healthcare.)
My H was referred by the internist to an osteopathic doctor. Who referred him to physical therapy which helped him.
Some medical plans DO cover SOME alternative treatments. You may wish to ask insurer if your plan generally does or does not cover these. You may also wish to ask which providers in your area are in network for such services.
We may be asking Medicare and insurer to find out if we can get some coverage for H–he has chronic back pain (more noticeable now that the shoulder pain is better).
BB, even conventional approaches are often stop-gaps, rather than cures.
R, the body is complicated. So much of medicine is intuitive. While I’m skeptical of essential oils doing more than relaxing some, diet (sensitivities, foods that may cause some individuals inflammation or interrupt normal digestive or even the background hormonal cycles,) as well as sleep patterns and more, can have impacts we don’t understand. So while I don’t buy snake oil, sometimes simple changes do work, for some.
I know you know that.
@BunsenBurner …the first thing my acupuncturist said to me…the very first thing…was that she couldn’t cure me, but make me feel better. I do think the quality of the person is the key. This lady is Chinese, and has her degree from China. Her DH is a doctor that practices here. She doesn’t advertise and my aunts doctor referred her to Dr. Amy when there was nothing more she could do. I had already been going to her, and my aunt didn’t believe in it…until her doc sent her. I see athletes, businessmen, teenagers, all ages walk out of her office. Her calendar is packed.
I just don’t think people would go if it didn’t work. I sure wouldn’t waste my hard earned money. I read somewhere that the needles placed in the correct pathways release the bodies own pain killers.
@romanigypsyeyes .Here is one of the simplest meditation / breathing exercise/ calming techniques i know. Try it and practice it often. I guarantee it will help everyone. The more you practice the quicker you will find yourself in a better place.
Close your eyes. When you breath in silently count one. When you breath out silently say “and”. Breath in again silently count two. Breath out silently say " and." When you get to 10 start back to number one and so on. Over and over again. If you find yourself at "15 " just start back at one. When you start you might get a bit anxious but take a deep breath ( count it) and keep on counting. One …and …two …and …three …and …etc. visualize the numbers if it helps.
Practice this technique enough and you will quickly be able to center yourself, to calm your mind. It can work when you’re alone in your bedroom and it can work in a crowded, chaotic ER waiting room.
It might help you manage your pain. Try it.
Guaranteed to work for everyone. Just practice.
@romanigypsyeyes, that’s how it was with her (pain meds not working or at least not working well). The dilauded – i’m not sure that actually “worked” or if it was just the fact that it would basically floor her – she could hardly get out of bed on that stuff.
Anyway, I hope you are able to find other means of dealing with it.