The experience of chronic pain. Every. Single. Day.

If you don’t suffer from chronic pain, you can only imagine what the experience would be like. How to explain in a way that others can understand?

I think there are three types of pain:  acute, chronic, and terminal. Every human being will experience acute pain within their lifetimes. As an example of acute pain, let’s look at grief.

Everyone will also experience grief in their lifetime. When a loved one is lost, the first day of grief is acute. The pain is raw and overwhelming. You feel like things will never get better — that this incredibly strong pain will last forever. That pain can bring you to your knees… You feel like there’s a hole in your soul that will never heal…

But for most people, the acute pain of grief begins to subside with time. Of course, that doesn’t happen when you suffer from chronic pain (or depression and other chronic illnesses).

Just imagine what it would be like to suffer the acute pain from grief… Every. Single. Day. Imagine how it would feel to live inside that bubble of pain, with no way out. Just an ever-expanding bubble of pain, enclosing your body, heart, and soul…

It’s hard to find things to live for when you live inside this bubble of pain, yet it’s something that pain patients struggle to do…  Every. Single. Day. We’re not always successful, and the struggle is often ugly and depressing. But it’s the truth.

17 thoughts on “The experience of chronic pain. Every. Single. Day.”

        • I’m no doctor, but I’ve read a lot about the different conditions that cause chronic pain. I’ll visit your blog to get the details, but if you’re interested, I would be happy to help you solve your diagnostic puzzle.

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        • I wrote a little about it a while back. About 6 months ago, I started having a constant pain in the lower back of my head, just above my neck. Not so much a headachey pain as just pain. It is always present, although sometimes better or worse than others. It gets worse after drinking alcohol (but I don’t have any other lymphoma symptoms). We thought maybe it was emotional/stress induced with a family event I had to deal with in October, but that has come and gone and the pain continues. It does not travel to my temple, in fact in stays in the same place. It is not migraine nor tension headaches, as I know those well already. My DR is confused because it is on both sides and not just one. My next step is a neurologist and an MRI but I don’t have the extra money for that right now. It’s just frustrating, especially once I realized it’s been 6 months so far. 😦

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        • Can you give me the link to this post? I know the kind of pain you’re talking about. I have a lot of head and neck pain from TMJ (my jaw joints), especially in the back of my head, above my neck. Lift both arms above your head… Does this make the pain worse in any way? Does the pain travel to your shoulders or anywhere in your upper body? Does this motion cause tightness in your muscles? Are you taking medication for your headaches, and if so, does the medication help with this specific pain? Have you tried ice packs?

          Well, that’s enough questions for now… thanks for sharing. 🙂

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        • I also have spinal stenosis, multiple bulging discs in my neck, and trigeminal neuralgia, so I’m never sure where the origin of any specific pain begins. Have you seen a picture of the trigeminal nerves? They cover both sides of the face, and sneak around to the back of the head.

          Do you have any pain, itching, or ringing in your ears?

          There’s not much that can be done for stenosis or bulging discs, except surgery. At least with TMJ, there are a few non-invasive treatments that you could try.

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  2. I don’t like that you’re in pain every single day. I don’t like that anyone should be in chronic pain. But I liked the way you explained that. Thank you.

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  4. I would like to express our concern and our sympathy and wish you and the other family members for the way in the funeral and the cemetery a lot of strength, a lot of support and a lot of good ideas.
    I hope that your grief is too loving memory soon.
    Power monitoring and good thoughts, love also beyond it rich one day and help you to experience the next time do not ease of understanding and letting go after this so suddenly zugemutetem farewell and accept.
    While I can not feel your pain, but I share your grief.
    Much has moved up in recent days, has dragged on you, took you, scared you, much has worked in you. Now seeking distance. Now you will find yourself between all the requirements. The silence is good. The head is free. You begin to breathe normally again.

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  6. Whew…Chronic pain is something I know quite well. I’ve had pain in some part of my body for so many years it’s kind of faded into a background roar. Something I’m aware of but don’t think is worth treating because it’s always there. When my RA was diagnosed, my doc said ‘chronic’ and ‘virulent’ – two words you never want to hear put together. You have my FULL empathy. ❤

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