I would not wish it on my worst enemy. It is easy to sit back and judge other people who claim to be in pain.
Pain is not something that is obvious to everyone. You can't always just look at a person and see the pain.
It is subjective. I hear so many people who look at a person and say,
"There's nothing wrong with that person........they are faking.....etc. How do they really know what a person is feeling?
Do they know what it is like to be unable to sleep at night due to pain??
Do they know what it is like to be unable to function normally, to be unable to perform normal daily tasks,
to be unable to walk through a store to shop for necessities? Do they know what
it is like to be unable to enjoy their family, their grandchildren, their friends??
When they see us, it could be one of those rare moments when we are not suffering from excruciating pain.
Maybe we had taken prescribed medication that may allow us to feel a little less pain at that moment?
Sometimes others label us as drug seekers. People who suffer from severe chronic pain
DO NOT use medication to get "High". They are used to alleviate pain long enough to attempt to function normally
or to feel as if we can get through one more day and not feel so much terrible pain that we are suicidal.
Nevertheless.........the next time that you encounter a person who lives every moment with chronic pain......
try to be more understanding and less judgemental!
Still can see beauty in a Flower!
-1994-Three knee surguries, the last being a total knee replacement
-1997-Lumbar surgery-Fusion with instrumentation (meaning screws & plates)
-1997-Cervical Spine surgery with instrumentation
-1998-Diagnosis-Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
In all fairness, my neurosurgeon never promised he could make me painfree,
but little did I know that the pain following these surgeries would be far
worse than it was prior to the surgeries. Whereas my surgeon promptly dumped
me. Since then I have suffered with excruciating pain, severe depression
due to unrelenting pain and inability to continue work, which is a whole
other story in itself. Nevertheless, I am only one of many people who live
with pain on a day to day basis and if you are one of these people or know
someone who lives with Chronic pain, there are a lots of email groups out
there who provide information and support. Below you will find links to
these areas and if I can help in any way, please email me. If I cannot help
maybe I can direct you to an organization who can.
Thank you!