Can You Live With Chronic Pain?

Being a chronic pain sufferer for many years I saw countless doctors. They could mask the pain with drugs, but no one could cure me. This was not the way I wanted to live my life. I decided to find another way. Although there isn't a roadmap for how to cure chronic pain, there are some things you can try to reduce your suffering.

Don't Beat Yourself Up: You didn't ask for this pain. You are not a bad person because you are in pain. If you can't do everything at once, don't worry. It will be waiting for you when you can. Don't anticipate the pain. This can actually increase your suffering and stop you from doing things you enjoy.

Talk About How You Feel: I wrote in my journal everyday, no matter how bad I felt. You can say whatever you want to a piece of paper. When I got angry I wrote it down. When I was in so much pain that I didn't want to talk to anyone I wrote it down.

Find out about your disease: The internet is a great resource. You won't believe how much information you can find. Don't believe anything that you have to purchase to treat your pain. If someone had a cure you know it would be available to doctors.

Change Your Attitude: My attitude was fine before I began suffering. So, how could I use my attitude to change my pain? This seemed stupid to me. But, even though I resisted at first, I kept looking into what others were saying worked for them.

Read stories of others who are suffering: You are not alone. It is hard to believe, but it is true that there is always someone suffering more than you. I guarantee it.

Join a support group: It will surprise you how many people who suffer with chronic pain actually live life to the fullest. They don't all cry and complain. They can help you learn to take control over your pain.

Prayer and Guidance: I talked to my priest. Was I being punished? He told me that sometimes we are called to suffer. This irritated me at first, but again, I listened. I pondered the thought and began to thank God for my suffering. Was I thankful for the pain? No. But, if God thought I could handle it. Who was I to disagree?

Do Something You Love: I love all kinds of music. The depression that comes from suffering can be reduced by listening to music. I still keep my ipod with me when I am having a bad day. It helps.

There is no cure for chronic pain. A positive attitude is hard to have when you are suffering, but if you can get yourself to that place, you may find that you can cope better. You have to take control and not let the pain control you.

I am Suffering...why can't I be angry?

I don't know if all chronic pain sufferers challenge with this but I have lately.

Sometimes I feel like screaming.  I didn't ask for this pain. I don't want this pain.  I just want to be able to get through my day without playing the mind games I do just to be able to accomplish a simple task.

I try to be sweet.  I try to be loving.  Most of the time this is effortless.  However, when the stress is overwhelming and my legs are on fire, my hands are swelling and my pain is at the threshold tolerance I want to get nasty.

I am not nasty by nature.  Believe me I am not.  However, I see where it could come to that.

For now, I just sit and wait for the next break from the pain to come.  This time of year is the worst for me I guess and I had such a grip on the pain that I thought that maybe I had been healed.

I guess that was not the plan for me.  I can accept that.  I just hate to see myself acting in ways that I don't approve of.  I usually don't have to put forth effort to be loving. 

I don't want to be angry at anyone.  No one wished this for me.  I guess the best advice would be: to get angry at the disease and get ready to fight it.

Chronic Pain: Does Your Attitude Really Make A Difference?

Attitude. Everyone has it. Some have negative attitudes. Some choose to see things positively. Does it really make a difference?

Suffering from a painful disease known as fibromyalgia can be devastating. But, you don't have to suffer unrelentlessly all the time. It is possible to enjoy life. The key is finding a way to develop the attitude that the disease is not going to take over. Easier said than done. I know.

For awhile I suffered so badly I prayed God would take me if not the disease. I got tired of the doctor; I got tired of all the drugs. I finally decided to face the disease head on instead of complaining and trying to escape. Up until that point I felt like I had no control over anything. This was not helping me feel any better. When I decided to take control, things began to improve. It didn't happen overnight. 

I began by looking into how other people said they controlled their pain without medications and doctors. To tell you the truth, in the beginning I thought it was impossible. But, no matter how much pain I was in, I kept looking for answers.

I also began joining chronic pain support groups.  At first I thought that it was going to be a bunch of complaining, tears and anger.  I was surprised to hear about all the things these people could do!  They had smiles on their faces and they were living their lives!  I wanted to do the same.

Someone told me that music could be helpful.  I always had a diverse collection of music and love to play it loudly. I loaded my Ipod up with all the music I had and began to listen to it when my pain cropped up. It didn't take the pain away but it helped me to cope. It took my focus off the pain.

From there, anything I tried with the intent it was going to help did just that. Changing my diet, exercising no matter how bad it hurt, playing word games with myself when things became overwhelming were just a few. I had tried many of these things before, but my attitude was negative. It was stupid. It wasn't going to work. How could it? But, when I told myself that it had to help a little, or I didn't let my mind go to that sea of negativity things felt better.

Attitude to me decides whether I will lie around suffering or get out and live my life. Not that I never have pain. I still have days where there is nothing I can do. But on those days I don't wallow. I plan for what I will do when I feel better. I am able to see my friends, my family and participate in activities with my kids. I can clean the house and do the laundry even though it takes a little more time and effort. But the boost I get from knowing I did it myself helps me to feel better overall. If I hadn't decided to change my attitude I shudder to think about where I would be right now. In the hospital, in bed, dealing with the side effects of all the drugs, or stuck on my couch watching the rest of my friends and family live while I contemplate dying.

I choose life. Not pain.

Suffering with Fibromyalgia?  Click here for information and support!

Suffering with RSD?  Click here for information and support!

Nice To Meet You!

Hi!  Thank you for visiting my PNN Site.

I hope that the writings you come across inspire you, and encourage you as you read them.

I am a person who LIVES with chronic pain.  Notice I said Lives.  I do have chronic pain, but it doesn't have me!

Although it is a struggle each day, I refuse to let it run my life.  Sure, I have good days and I have bad days.  But I thank God for each and everyday that I have and try to live life to the fullest.

In Wellness,

Vanessa

Are You Coping? Or Are You Cured?

Just because someone is learning to cope with their chronic pain does not mean that they have no pain.  Hopefully it means that they don't still suffer every minute of everyday.  But that is not always true.

Coping is learning how to deal with the pain. Being cured is having no pain.  Unfortunately this is RARELY the end result for a chronic pain sufferer.  But it does happen for a chosen few.

Most chronic pain sufferers do not want to draw attention to their suffering.  Who wants to be the source of worry for others?  Who wants to feel like a burden all the time? Who wants to be in pain?

Taking the kids for a walk, holding a child, playing with a toddler, washing the car, doing laundry, cleaning the house, making the bed, tying their shoes....this all can bring pain to a chronic pain sufferer.  Yet, when coping with the pain, a chronic pain sufferer does it in a way or in a time frame that minimizes the brunt of the pain.

Unfortunately, this works as what has been called a "double-edged sword." (Well put, Ed)  It leads others to believe that the person no longer has pain because they are doing all these things.  So in the minds of others they are normal again. You can't fault those who think this way because this is what they want for the chronic pain sufferer!

Then come the expectations.  From the sufferer and others.  The next thing you know, the pain comes and others are confused because a week ago he/she was perfectly fine.  That is such a misconception!  They weren't fine.  They were coping.  They were concentrating so hard on appearing well, that now they cannot concentrate at all!  They were enjoying the ability to do the things that they want to do so badly all the time and can't.

When the sword goes the other way, and the chronic pain patient is in pain and they say something it seems like they are tagged as "complaining."   Or "Here we go again."  What the people around the sufferer don't take into consideration is that this person lives with pain everyday, more pain than the normal person couldn't even begin to bear.

If you really knew what that person goes through on a daily basis, you might stop and think about these kinds of labels.  Most sufferers I know don't complain unless they feel pain that is just absolutely unbearable.  And even then they still look for ways to cope.  And when they can't they sometimes feel like they have failed.  This includes myself.

I know that I don't speak for all chronic pain patients.  However, I use my situation and write about the things that I go through hoping that I can encourage another sufferer or someone who knows one.  Pain is very misunderstood.  But it doesn't have to be.  We just have to talk about it and try to understand.