I just heard that people who suffer from pain feel powerless. Does pain take away your control and power. Do you feel hopeless and non empower? How does pain take away the basic aspects of adult life? Do you belong dependent on everyone and doctors and drugs? Does pain take away your happiness? Do you have to struggle to see or be happy or have a positive outlook? Do you wish you were dead, do you hope you could die since my pain will last until the day I die.

It varies from person to person. For me I am still mostly a happy person despite being in pain. When I don't get enough sleep and with the combination of others, doctors, insurance company, supposed friends and those busy body family members who undermine what I am going through. Oh, it can't be that bad, you smile a lot. Or didn't you go to the doctors last week? See you got out of the house for that then you can for....here we can vent with out judgement.
Yes, this has robbed me of a lot. I don't dwell on that. I focus on my accomplishments and try a little more each time my body allows it. My mind does get sad....I feel jipped but I try to keep up the fight. And let it be known even down to the end....it didn't beat me, I just needed the extra rest.
So keep fighting my friend(s) and may to day be you pain less day for a good long while.

I understand well how pain can rob you of many things, including the will to live. But staying in that place of dark, helplessness is not mandatory.

I suffered a devastating nerve injury that changed my life. Many of us have stories of deep tragedy, but hope remains when the human spirit prevails. Strength, resilience, resourcefulness, grace...we all carry these within us. Sometimes they get buried in despair and we need help to find them again.

I had help from a therapist versed in chronic pain, illness, and traumatic life change. This woman helped save my life, helped me find myself and helped me learn skills to cope with the pain better. She worked with different modalities including EMDR and hypnosis.

Don't give up. don't relinquish your power. Find someone who can help you with your sadness and grief. It is still a beautiful world.

I'm 77 and since hip replacement in 2010 I have never been in so much pain from this trauma and side effects I deal with....they are many. OA first came on when I was 18 and I worked all those years to manage with many alternative protocols....including acupuncture and chiro and osteopath and PT and Prolotherapy injections...

I use many supplements to manage pain along with minimal harder pain med like iburpofen...I take herbal pain stuff and MSM which helps calm pain a lot.

Lately, I'm feeling a bit better and even going out more with friends...so whatever I'm doing more is helping me. I post a lot in the vitamin/supp area as I've worked with alternatives for over 25 yrs.

I keep looking at the half full glass vs half empty. I've had a good life all in all, lots of bumps but who hasn't. Hope you can find more comfort. C

I hear ya.

Hi Dancinglady,

I have had chronic pain for 30+ years now.
I have needed to stay on morphine for the past 13 years, due to the severity of pain. I am not in favor of continuing to increase my pain med dose, and morphine does not work well on all types of pain. Thus, despite the morphine, I am often in some degree of pain. (I am sure it would be worse without the morphine.)

Pain has stopped me from participating in sports/athletic activities. Pain has also stopped me from going some places, attending some events, and has stopped me from traveling as much as I would have otherwise.

However, pain has never stolen the core attributes of my identity.
I have learned to love more deeply. I have learned deep compassion. I have learned to accept "the human condition" and have realized how fragile life can be.

I was at the local teaching hospital this past week while my husband was having an emergent procedure. I was in pain, as we had been to the ER for several hours the night before and we had to report to outpatient surgery early in the morning. My pain gets worse when I lose sleep, when there is stress, when I have to walk more/further, etc.

I was there, concerned about my husband, and in significant pain myself.
Yet, several people had approached and were telling me their stories, explaining their own medical situations in detail. My pain became simple "background noise" as I had listened and had focused upon the stories of fellow human beings. These people were going through situations we'd all consider a form of "hell," yet, their eyes, their auras were all light and joy-- deep inner peace.

I had asked them about their attitudes. They had told me they were basically "happy go lucky" people prior to the onsets of their tragic medical conditions and plan to remain as joyful and as peaceful as possible through to the end of their terminal illnesses. Each of them had made firm and conscious decisions to override the pain and any fear as much as possible.

Despite the pain and any fear associated with pain and/or illness, I feel we can decide to be our best selves, despite any limitations placed upon us by chronic pain. I fully believe we can decide to learn to transcend pain enough to continue to grow our most cherished attributes.

As Littlepaw had written (and I adore Littlepaw's posts), "Don't relinquish your power."

We may have to give up some things due to chronic pain. We are much more than our pain and much more than our physical vehicles. Pain cannot make our hearts and souls relinquish a thing. We can use pain to strengthen the core of our Beings. We can use our experience with pain to expand our love, our compassion, our sense of joy and our sense of inner peace.



DejaVu

how did you guess
me

accepting the things we cannot change
don't i know it
a gorgeous day to be at the pool
physically challenged
hoping afternoon meds will help
i just want to scream
the relentless throbbing never ending
pain
love
me

Hi Eva,

I hope you enjoy the afternoon at the pool.

Several hours after I had written the above post, I went through several hours of extreme and relentless pain. I was tempted to remove my post from this thread. I had suddenly realized the temptation to remove my post was created by some of the distorted thinking I can sometimes get caught up in when I am in relentless pain.

We are all wise to fully enjoy ourselves whenever we can do so.

I wish you much Joy!

DejaVu

Feet calves
Hands won't let up
Pool not today
The pain in the feet
Just take them off
Why don't we
Indescribable
Love
Me