I have 2 adult daughters and a couple of friends who don't seem to "get" it. They know I need to use a walker, that I cannot do stairs, have to spend lots of time on the couch, spend a few days a month going to doctors' appointments, refilling scripts, etc. But mothers/old friends are usually strong & healthy, aren't they? Didn't you used to be able to walk, shop, cook, travel, work, ride the subway, drive?

I guess the friends who don't ask me to the movies or to dinner don't want the hassle of having to help me into or out of the cab. Or of having to find a spot for the walker in a restaurant. Maybe they're not really the friends I need. I have kept friends who knew me before PN & I'm grateful for that. But new acquaintances seem to think of me as so "different."

I wish they'd read this letter. It would maybe clarify chronic pain for them.