It is 3 am in the morning, and my nasty pain gremlin awakes me as it does as this time just about every night. This monster is a master at its craft, its voice is vicious and persistent- so here I sit, writing this blog. Why this chronic pain blog?
Chronic pain personally impacts my life everyday, and this"challenge" has hit me like a proverbial 2 x 4. Chronic pain has shaken my world to the core in so many ways. I hope anyone who reads this blog will also share their stories as well as we all learn from each other.
I am a trained executive coach and given my training, this should all be easy for me to deal with emotionally, right? Nothing could be further from the truth, but my training has finally given me a different perspective on all of this. I can now see this as an great opportunity for learning and giving back.
I meet lots of people who suffer from chronic pain triggered by different reasons:, back pain, surgery, PTSD, cancer treatment, chronic fatigue,fibromyalgia, you name it. I seem to be a chronic pain person magnet lately.
There are no clear easy "take a single pill, one size fits all solution" for any of us, and I certainly don't have a magic fix nor have I found anyone who truly does. I don't have the answers for you, and am constantly seeking them for myself, trying new things, asking questions, researching...
And I do fully believe in creating a plan of action by trying various options and integrating them into a plan that works for me . I won't give up or give in. I do lots of research, and also ask questions of my health care providers and will not tolerate a brush off. I just find a new doctor.
People can and should take action for themselves to regain their power and create a better, happier life should they choose to do so. I refuse to be a victim to my chronic pain. I stand in a place of hope and courage to move forward, in it, despite it.
Christopher Reeves was and is still after his death a wonderful role model of incredible courage, personal strength and creativity, who took a similar stand with his life challenges.
I have suffered from extreme chronic pain from back injuries for over 5 years and have finally accepted it as part of my life. I done just about everything I can from a western medicine approach, and yet I still hope for advances to come.
The pain is becoming more manageable and my life is more enjoyable, and productive because I created a plan for my life that is working.
I have been athletically inclined since very young, and trusted my physical body to always be there for me, and I learned early on to not listen to pain. This belief has served me in the past and has also been my downfall, in not listening to the signs that I was" literally breaking my back".
Now, what I absolutely won't accept is that I have to give up my life, my dreams and becoming this "chronic pain".It is part of who I am but not what I am. Nor is living life as a drugged out zombie going from doctor to doctor for more surgery or meds or isolating myself.
This is not an option for me and I don't believe it has to be for anyone, if this is not how you want to live your life. You are not alone. There are people and resources there for you, who understand how you feel.
Every day I am consciously re-creating a life plan to accommodate my challenges, and given I am a data junkie, I am always out there seeking solutions and networking. It is fascinating, stimulating, and exhausting. I feel a great need to give back to this community of fellow chronic pain survivors, as they have given back so much to me. My hope is that this blog may prove helpful.
Ciao,
Wendy
*I am not a physician or trained medical health provider. Before you go off or on any medication or drug ( which can be very dangerous if unsupervised by a physician), or consider a new therapy or treatment, please consult with your medical health providers. I am not here to provide medical advice. Any statements are my opinion alone unless I post a medical article. Do your research, know your options, and be in choice around your treatments.
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