Ask HN: dealing with chronic pain

Without going into more detail than is necessary, I have been dealing with a chronic pain problem for the last couple of years. I've been down the standard medical route, (doctors, pills, a surgery) and so far, the results have been suboptimal. In the meantime, my hacking and learning ability has suffered substantially because I have a very difficult time concentrating on something else while the pain is present. Has anyone here had similar experiences? If so, how have you dealt with it?