My Pain Is Real

Written by: Traci Patterson, Founder, AdvancedPathways

 

As someone that has been on both sides of the coin – diagnosed with type 2 CRPS, gained long-term remission, and now treating CRPS and chronic pain – I know firsthand how important it is for chronic pain patients to be heard.  Instead of feeling misunderstood, disregarded or isolated, chronic pain patients need to be understood, validated and provided with viable treatment options.

Many chronic pain conditions do not have a specific test that will detect, direct or convey the complexity of a condition. Much less conveying the impact that chronic pain has on each individual. When something like pain can’t be put into a medical box of test results and data, then patients start to feel as though their doctors aren’t able to wrap their arms around the full breadth of their situation. And if the doctor isn’t getting it, then how can you possibly get the treatment you need?

This is an excerpt from my book “Stepping Outside the Box: A Journey from Invisible Pain to Invincible Living” (Due out June, 2020):

“Pain is real, and patients are searching for the solutions that will help them regain their lives. People of all ages are diagnosed with chronic pain every year. Pain does not discriminate. In the United States over 100 million people are diagnosed with some type of chronic pain.  This is greater than cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined.  However, pain reaches far past our borders and affects an astonishing 1.5 billion people worldwide.  Pain is a universal experience, serious and costly.

Chronic pain patients want to be heard and understood. Their pain is real, and they need solutions. They don’t want to be told not to worry, that they don’t look sick or that it’s all in their head.

Everyone’s story of how their pain began is unique, but there are common threads. There are times when we know what causes chronic pain and other times it’s a mystery. Regardless, it’s important for the individual to be heard, to find the help and resources they need that can help them regain function and regain their lives.”

No one can walk a mile in a chronic pain patient’s life.  That is not possible.  But, when physicians, clinicians and healthcare providers do their best to understand what it is like to walk a mile in your shoes it can help shift things in a positive direction.

Here are some tips to help:

• Connect with other chronic pain patients. Make the connections and share information on what is or is not working. Making connections with others who have had similar experiences can be very empowering and provide valuable social support. Whether it be in-person or online, look to build bonds that will boost you up, not bring you down.

• Remind yourself that you are not your pain. At the end of the day, you can only do so much to help doctors or important people in your life understand what you are going through, so don’t let your sense of self-worth and self-esteem get too wrapped up by how others see your pain. There is so much more to you than your diagnosis. Start to reconnect with your interests, passions, and hobbies again, or branch out and start new ones that can help propel you forward.

• Don’t obsess about a test. Too many times patients and/or their doctors put too much emphasis on test results. Diagnostic findings on x-rays, MRIs, or blood tests should not be viewed as a way to rate how much pain a person is in. Some diagnosis and co-existing conditions don’t have a specific test that can adequately diagnosis it, let alone pinpoint a way to treat it. Therefore, it is important to treat the patient not a test result.

• Find a doctor or clinician that does understand the diagnosis and is willing to step outside the box to help you regain your life.

It is important to focus on the positives and take the steps necessary to gain the life that you truly want. Never give up and always know there is hope and help.