Living in chronic pain

Something that is very hard to explain to someone is what living with chronic pain is like.  Everyone has pain now and then, sometimes it's even frequent.  Maybe an asprin or two will take care of it. But true chronic pain is ALWAYS THERE, IT NEVER GOES AWAY.  it is there in the morning and it is there when you go to bed. Pills can ease the pain, put it a little in the background but it is always there. I bring this up because one, I am very familiar myself with this but I know several people who suffer this day in and day out.

Unfortunately for most of us it is so hard to quantify, it is hard to get Dr's to believe and hard to make family and friends understand. No one I know who lives this way wants sympathy just understanding. Whether it is like my leg cramping and feeling like my feet are trying to fold. To CRPS which is Complex Radiating Pain Syndrome, which continues to get worse and is debilitating. Sometimes drugs help, sometimes not but most of us do not want to go through life under the influence of drugs. Most try to just push through the pain as much as possible taking pills only when it gets to bad. I does however prevent people from doingmany of the things we would normally do.

It like many other things are unseen medical problem. No different than say depression. It is so easy to judge and not believe, I was guilty of that myself but lucky me I get to learn about it myself.  Karma I guess. Thing is I know of no one who lives with this or makes claim of this to "game" the system. Believe me most would give almost anything to be back to normal.  Disability insurance does not come near to a normal jobs pay or the loss of a lifelong career that was a dream.

Constant pain.
Loss of sleep.
Loss of income.

It is not a choice anyone would make. So please be a bit more understanding and a little less judgmental.