“Living with chronic pain is hard, but dealing with those who don’t care or understand is harder.”

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Chronic Pain Is More Than Just In Your Head

I have lived with pain, chronic pain, for most of my life. As a child I experienced pain to where my legs would give out and my dad would have to pick me up and carry me.

I remember when I was in my teens, I rode a train to attend the funeral of our Assistant Pastor. When I arrived I could barely stand straight. I would have to crawl on the floor and slowly work my way to a standing position.

My maternal side of the family there are many who suffer with chronic migraines. I began suffering with them after I was in a motorbike accident. As a passenger I was thrown over the driver landiing on my behind. The impact ripped everything away from my spine. Doctors told me I probably wouldn’t be able walk ever again. I have heard people tell my mother, “it’s all in your head”. Wrong, they are very real, they are debilitating. They can leave you flat on your back in bed, sometimes for days.

Living With Chronic Pain

Mental Health America Writes:

Living with daily pain is physically and emotionally stressful. Chronic stress is known to change the levels of stress hormones and neurochemicals found within your brain and nervous system; these can affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Disrupting your body’s balance of these chemicals can bring on depression in some people.

Mental Health America

Science Daily website writes in 2023, tells us the 1 in 20 people adults living in America.

New University of Arizona Health Sciences research recently published in the journal PAIN found that nearly 1 in 20 adults in the U.S. experience the co-occurrence of chronic pain and anxiety or depression, resulting in functional limitations in daily life.

Science Daily

Not Looking For Sympathy, Rather Understanding.

All my life I have heard that people who talk about having chronic pain are complaining are doing so looking for sympathy, attention getting.

If you have ever suffered with severe crippling chronic pain, I can understand what you are facing. Why, because I have been there and I know how real pain can be.

Faking It

This is another attack against those who have chronic pain, ‘You’re faking it’. What I am about to write may shock some, but there have been times that I would like to smack their face, then tell them, ‘the pain you feel, you’re faking it’!

Chronic pain isn’t fake. Oh yes, sometimes x-rays, MRI’s may show what is causing the pain, but there are other times no amount of examinations can determine the root cause of the pain.

The Toll On Mental Health

Chronic pain over a long period of time exacts a great stress on a person’s mental health. Medications can numb pain, but it is dealing with the loss of certain activities is too hard to cope. I use to be able to walk all over the city to do my shopping etc., but now I can barely walk one hundred yards to my friends home. The effects of loss, the feeling of utter despair leaves me feeling trapped.

Chronic pain causes a person to withdraw from societal events. I use to enjoy going to our local Hometown Fair. Not for the rides, but for the entertainment of music, the Four H Club displays, and just being among other people who are enjoying the event.

It is the accumulative losses that hurts the most. The other loss that takes a toll on a person’s mental health is the loss of contact between others and the invitations to get togethers. After a long period those begin to dwindle and now are nil.

Believe Them

So dear reader, when someone mentions their dealings with chronic pain, don’t dismiss this as an attention plea, but rather, believe them. Try to place yourself in their situation. Try to find ways that may help them. No, I don’t mean making them feel completely helpless, but maybe small things like doing some shopping if you are going to the store.

I would like to hear about how chronic pain has affected your mental health. Use the comment section below.