Back in 2018 I wrote a blog titled 5 Things You Should Know About Living With Chronic Pain, 3 years later I’ve learnt a lot more so I thought I would do an updated post with 5 more things you should know.
Yoga doesn’t fix chronic pain
Please don’t suggest yoga, I can’t take any more suggestions of yoga. It might work for some but it won’t ‘fix’ us.
Medication isn’t taken to be pain free, it’s to be able to function
There seems to be an idea that medication makes us pain free or we like the feeling it gives us. This is so not true. Honestly, medication normally has some pretty awful side effects if it even works. I tried a lot of medication over the years and didn’t have much luck.
Someone may start with one condition and be diagnosed with others
There’s a lot of overlap with chronic conditions, we don’t always know why but it happens. Symptom crossover is a bitch. So while it may seem like people with chronic pain also have a list of other issues, it’s not for the fun of it I promise you.
Naps aren’t a luxury, sometimes they literally stop you from passing out
I have to nap. Before I worked for myself I’d get so sick that I’d go into the staff car park and try and get half an hour on my lunch break. Even last week I was really, really struggling to the point I felt faint. I gave myself an hour between calls and it turns out I really needed it.
A lot of people joke they wish they were that ‘lucky’ enough to take naps or joke about laziness. I honestly wish I didn’t have to nap, that I didn’t just crash out or have fatigue so bad at times I can’t focus on anything.
We don’t have many silver linings, but there are some!
This will vary from person to person. I find standing still for long periods of time incredibly painful which means going to theme parks/gigs etc can be really tough BUT with a letter from my doctor I can get support. It’s because of this, I can usually get a pass (some places are better than others) to go into shorter lines or be able to take seated breaks when possible. Also, having a radar key for a disabled toilet is a life saver when you’re bursting to pee. Small things that make life with a long term illness a bit less shitty.
Are there any other things you’d add? Let me know below.
Chloe Metzger 
Wonderful post!
My mother has lived with kidney failure most of my life, she thanksfully got a transplant almost 6yrs ago now— but the medication one is one I can understand!
She used to take some morphine, and even then she would ONLY wanna take them when the pain reached the unbearable point —and she was saying it wasn’t even « enough » to give her any sleepyness or whatever effect it should have, it was just enough to get rid of maybe 3/4 of the pain.
My mother also was quite the happy woman (still is!) and one I gotta add, not sure if you had mention it or not, is that it’s not because the person smiles/is positive or lovey dovey all the time that they aren’t hurting!! It does NOT erase the pain.
We sadly encountered that one too, where people would almost not believe my mother was si k because of how upbeat she was..
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