Pain is a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes you can prepare yourself for the pain. Surgeries or the beginning of an illness send signals to your brain that pain is coming. Other times, like after an injury or when something happens quickly your body can’t prepare itself but still you know where and why the pain is present. Nevertheless, pain is a monster that can be difficult to quell.
Then there is the other kind of pain. The ever present reminder that your body is not normal. Whether it be a headache, backache, stomach/abdominal pain, or leg pain, chronic pain is a monster at a whole different level. Like a “friend” who clings to you, regardless of what you do to “shake” him off. A popped Tylenol or heat/ice pack may make him “shut up” but he’s still there clinging to you.
Each morning you wake up and check to see the status of your clingy “friend.” Sometimes you think it’s clear and you begin to celebrate, only to find that he’s not only present, but brought more clingy people.
I think it’s important to note, that people with chronic pain do an excel at “masking” their pain, and you do not know they are in pain simply by looking at them. The pain is always there, sometimes it’s a good day or even an hour, but there is always an expectation of payback for that good time.
Chronic pain is something I struggle with each day. While it’s mostly in my head/back/abdomen/leg, it can be present anywhere. It exhausts me. Sometimes, the only thing I can do to quiet the force is sleep. I’ve tried injections for my back and head. While I enjoyed telling people I got Botox, I didn’t see great results. I now give myself 1 injection a month for chronic migraines and another once a week for Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Along with the injections, I supplement with ice/heat as well as some minerals like magnesium.I also use braces or compression garments that seem to help. I try very hard to not take pain medication on a regular basis, unless I feel that I have lost the battle and need to get relief.
Pain medications are funny things. Not only to you have to practically promise your first born to get a prescription, but once you have a prescription you are viewed as a “user” if you actually take them. I am changing my pain management care from a medication free practice (didn’t know this at the time of starting with them), to a mixed use type of practice and hoping for the best.
I hate taking pain medications! Besides the side effects, I feel like I have given up. I hate that I end up in bed anyway. I especially hate asking for them in the emergency room or hospital setting.
So, what are we to do? Chronic pain is here to stay. I can accept my clingy “friend” or chase him away with pills that leave me feeling worse than before at times. I choose to fight this battle, using meds only when I need a “time-out” to quiet the monster.
