Chronic Pain: Coping Strategies

Pain is the body’s way of sounding our internal alarm. It says, “Stop, you’re going too far, you’re doing too much, this is dangerous.” Without these warnings, you could be in serious trouble! Everyone’s pain tolerance is different- some can handle more bodily stress than others. When pain supersedes your tolerance with a daily or triggered experience due to a past injury or unidentified condition, chronic pain is usually a suspect.

In my previous blog, we identified chronic pain. UNDERSTANDING chronic pain is actually the first coping strategy with this every day battle. If you don’t know you have it, you can’t cope! Side note, I am not a doctor and this blog is not to be used to diagnose or suggest that you have chronic pain. If you have not been diagnosed with chronic pain, and suspect that this may be the case, please see your doctor. Grab some materials and resources and learn how your body is reacting to this pain. Get to know your body, your pain tolerance, what you can and can’t do. This first step of understanding is sort of like getting to know an irritating friend! Knowing your patterns, your triggers etc. will all help you live a fuller life with chronic pain. You are not isolated, you are not alone, and you are not helpless to this condition.

The second coping strategy is REST: mixed with finding peace and managing your stress and emotions. The big bad monster called stress causes muscle tension, mental tension, and a myriad of intense chemical reactions within the body. Take care of this monster, and your tension will melt away. Deep breathing, stretching however you can, and most of all- resting! Chronic pain is not an excuse to avoid action- it’s the opposite! Even on the days you can’t walk or get out of bed, work on your inner stress. Prayer, meditation, peaceful music and journaling are all great ways to getting started on the journey to inner and outer peace. Leave your worries, your pain and stress at the foot of the cross during prayer. Leave them there, don’t take them back. The more you give your pain away, the more emotional room you are creating! You’d be surprised how this positive reaction to pain will help physically and emotionally!

The third coping strategy is a mix of relational and physical activity, but more simplified: ACTION. Once you’ve rested up, supporting yourself with other’s company and encouragement is a necessity. It’s so easy to isolate yourself during spells of pain, not only can it be embarrassing and humiliating, but it can also be an easy excuse to separate yourself from the one’s you love. Be willing to keep a strong connection with someone. Every superhero needs a sidekick. Any sort of relational interaction lifts the spirits. I spend a lot of time with my dog, a boxer named Indiana Jones. Even when I’m in pain, he gets me up to walk him, play, and even get silly! The second area of this coping strategy incorporates physical activity. Please consult your doctor for specific advice on your activity level. Anything active gets your dopamine levels (the “feel good” chemicals) to raise and help ease the pain. Get out and have a good time with a friend, your pet. Get outside and enjoy nature, rejoice in something beautiful. One of my best coping strategies is LAUGHING!! Laugh; laugh some more, and laugh even more after that. Just remember that positivity can kill stress, negative thoughts, and even help with pain management.

Finally, HOPE: Never give up! There are so many new drugs, therapies, and studies going on continually regarding different aspects of chronic pain. Don’t give up hope for new therapies. Also, chronic pain can sometimes drag you down in the dirt with it. Don’t give up hope for yourself- fight depression, stress and anxiety. Teach yourself new ways of thinking and coping. Don’t waste away! This life is precious, so, so precious. Your body may be affected by pain, but do not let your life be wasted because of it. You can do it!!

Chronic Pain: A Series. Pt. 1: What is it?

Chronic pain is a wide spread problem mainly among older adults. However, over the past five years chronic pain has been statistically proven to be prevalent in younger adults. I have my own definition, but academically let’s define chronic pain. The American Academy of Pain Medicine defines chronic pain as, “Pain signals keep firing in the nervous system for weeks, months, even years. There may have been an initial mishap -- sprained back, serious infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain -- arthritis, cancer, ear infection, but some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage.” Yikes! This is an area inside of medicine that is not fully understood or quickly able to diagnose. Just to give you a better perspective: 76.2 million suffer from chronic pain in contrast to 11 million from cancer!

So, enough about the clinical stuff. If you are one of the 76.2 million who suffer from chronic pain, you’re probably tired of definitions, doctors, medication trial and error, and the financial strain. In fact, you’re probably sick of feeling sick! Maybe you’re tired and depressed from the strain chronic pain has put on your body.

My story with chronic pain is lengthy and would require a 10 part series by itself. So, I’ll shoot for the abbreviated version. For years I saw doctor after doctor, tried medication after medication with no return. I even started to doubt if my pain was even real. Some days, I was just fine. I could go to my college classes, be active, and even feel normal. Other days I couldn’t get out of bed, had to use the dreaded cane to walk, and missed many college classes. I don’t know how many MRI’s, Nerve Conduction Tests, X-Rays, blood tests it took for me to realize that this pain was stress related. No two doctors told me the same results, many of them telling me my pain was not related to anything physically diagnosable.

I could say that I found answers but none of them the remedy to the pain. I think the majority of what I’ve learned about chronic pain is accepting the good and bad days. Thank God for my family, my employer, and my friends for understanding this as well.

As stated earlier, chronic pain is not easily understood. Most of the time it’s triggered by an injury or an event in one’s life thus causing a mishap in the nervous system. Neuropathy, fibromyalgia, migraines, edema and fatigue are all chronic pain mysteries.

I wanted to go ahead and introduce this subject before continuing.The next part in this series of chronic pain will discuss key components coping with this every day battle.

References

American Academy of Pain Medicine. (2011). AAPM Facts and Figures on Pain. Found online March 18 2011 at http://www.painmed.org/patient/facts.html.

Coping with Chronic Pain Intro

Pain is a mysterious thing. Especially if it's not something you can control. Mystery turns into frustration, then agony, and ultimately depression. For those of us dealing with chronic pain, this cycle of remorse is nothing new to us. I've began to label days not by the day of the week (Monday, Tuesday etc). but simply into Good Day or Bad Day. Before I begin this journey into such a widely effected issue, I want to say have patience with me and my writing. This subject in particular is ever present- almost like the air around me. For me to interpret these sensations, thoughts, emotions, and conflicts is a little harder than I thought.

So for now, I'm putting my 'feelers' out there to try to sort out this messy topic.

More to come....

How’s Your Body Language?

How’s Your Body Language?: "3 Mar 2011"

Check out the above link for tips on Body Language from Pendaflex!