Chronic Pain

I wake up every morning and lay there silent and not moving. What kind of day am I going to have???? I slowly start moving and I am reminded that today may be a good day but there is pain from sun up to sun down. Once I start moving a bit it is time to make the hardest step of the morning.......the first one. I can feel the joints try hard to move and stiffness is sometimes unbearable. I keep telling myself that I just need to make it out of bed and move around a bit and if it is a good day, the stiffness will subside but if it is a bad day it will be hard to even walk up a down the steps. It is like rolling the dice and you just hope you are lucky today.

I, along with so many others suffer from chronic pain. It is a debilitating part of my disease and can make the simplest tasks seem like giant mountains. I wake up every morning intending to climb that giant mountain and some days I am lucky but most days I may only get up half way before my body decides to make the long trek back down the mountain. It is not only hard for us as patients who suffer from chronic pain, it is also very hard for our families to see us in so much pain. It can be devastating to ones life and life changes are needed in order to make life a bit easier. 

Recently Tim and I made the decision that I would go on short term disability in order for me to focus on my health. It was such a life changing decision and one I struggle with everyday. I miss my independence as a woman and as an individual. Tim and I both understand it was necessary in order for me to be able to actually have a fighting chance at increasing the quality of my life. I won't lie, it is a hard choice but for me it was the only choice. My Lupus is "sleeping" right now but the pain is still there and will always be there like my shadow. I will always have a shadow and I will always suffer from chronic pain. It is a part of life, my life and one that I must come to terms with.

An amazing women decided she was going to fight for individuals with chronic pain. Barby Ingle has given all of us a voice and because of her drive and compassion September is officially Chronic Pain Awareness month! I am so thankful for her and her perseverance. We all now have a voice and those who do not suffer from chronic pain may understand a bit more about this debilitating issue that affects so many. So, if you do not suffer from chronic pain thank your lucky stars but please research it and understand it because I guarantee you that you know someone who is affected by chronic pain every moment of every day.

Here is your factoid of the day:

CNP, pain that lasts six months or more and does not respond well to conventional medical treatment, affects more people than any other type of pain.  Thirty-four million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and most are significantly disabled by it, sometimes permanently.

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