Constant and Continuous: Chronic Back Pain

It is all too often that we may underestimate the symptoms associated with chronic conditions, especially when acutely symptomatic individuals seem to be in more distress. This week we aim to shed light on chronic pain which is all too often overlooked. 

Chronic Pain: Several factors can affect an individuals feeling and perception of pain including physical and psychological factors. Chronic pain is known to arise from various stressors to the body including trauma, infections, or autoimmune conditions. With ongoing chronic pain, significant impacts on the quality of life can be experienced by individuals usually at the expense of their own enjoyment and ability to function. Chronic pain is not something to underestimate as merely a "feeling". Several neurological changes in the body cause the body to become more and more sensitive to an ongoing pain stimulus. And often the progression of this sensitivity never recovers with individuals finding themselves combating the pain for the rest of their life. 

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"As an adult in their early 30s, I wake up feeling like I have been hit by 80 years of life. I am exaggerating, but some days it truly feels like so. 

In my late teens I was part of a car crash. Everyone in the car, including myself, survived. However, that day on the cold pavement I lost my "normal" youth. I broke several bones including a couple of vertebrae. The bones healed, the bruises faded, and eventually one day I looked "normal". But, I had changed. I had chronic pain in my back. 

My dream had been to travel the world in my twenties. I wanted to explore this planet we call home, go on back packing trips across Europe, relax on a beach in a tropical country and visit historical sites globally. With this accident, the recovery and back pain, this dream became bleak. 

After my recovery I visited my family doctor, numerous ERs, and urgent cares, but honestly I found no relief with medications, chiropractors or massage. At one point, I started to realize that my consistent visits to ER might come off as drug seeking even though that is not my intention. 

I spent numerous months on a wait list to see a physiotherapist that wouldn't cause me to go bankrupt, as I was barely working. Once I started the exercises, I found that relief I was looking for. I feel that I truly needed motivation to keep up my exercises and fight the demon within me that kept yelling "stop trying, what is the point". I do feel broken some days and that life is unfair. I was a healthy person with no illness, I rarely went to see a doctor but this accident changed my life by taking away my good health that I used to flaunt. 

Today, I feel better but there are days when the pain is bothersome. At this point I have decided to make my peace with "chronic back pain". I am a healthy individual. This pain can not stop me from continuing to live the life that i dreamed of for myself."

                                                                            - Anonymous

Sweet to the touch: Type 1 Diabetes

You must have heard of diabetes. Its incidence and prevalence is increasing in North America. But did you know there are two very distinct types of diabetes. Type ONE diabetes mellitus and Type TWO diabetes mellitus. Our story today is from an individual that has conquering the highs and lows of a type one diabetes mellitus diagnosis. 

Type I diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition in which the body mounts an attack against itself. The pancreas is the prime victim where destruction of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas cause the body to have difficulties with automatically managing blood glucose levels. Insulin is a key player in managing the amount of sugar molecules present in the blood after meals, and when this player is MIA, external precautions are needed to prevent blood sugars from going into the DANGER zones. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in early childhood. The diagnosis brings with it increased risks for several neurological, heart, kidney and eye complications down the road along with a dependence on insulin therapy and strict monitoring of everything you eat. We can only imagine the discipline and strength one must need to tackle this beast of a diagnosis.

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"I was 13 years old when I was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. After that life was a whirlwind of diabetes education, numerous follow ups and INSULIN. I want to take this opportunity to focus on how my experience with this diagnosis has been and my point of view on living with diabetes. 

As a teenager with diabetes, I was angry and scared. Angry that I got diabetes; angry that I couldn't be a "normal" teenager; angry at my fate. Alongside all the anger, I was petrified of what this disease could do to me. I have seen family members on dialysis because diabetes ruined their kidneys, I have seen my grandma deal with diabetes related nerve injury and I have seen her hospitalized for too low and too high blood sugar levels. I woke up most mornings anxious how my day will go, will I remember to take my insulin, will I eat enough, did my mom calculate the sugars in my meals for the day. It felt as if diabetes and blood-sugar levels were the center of my life. I prayed for a miracle to wake up one day and be healthy and that all this was just a terrible dream. 

Although I was headed towards a hollow place of self pity and loathing, my family and diabetes nurse prevented me from becoming a diabetic grinch. My nurse advocated for me to receive an insulin pump so I no longer had to worry about giving myself the insulin injection. My family started doing daily dinners that were friendly to the diabetic diet for my sake. I don't know if my dad truly enjoyed his meals but the smile on his face during dinner gave me so much comfort and took away some of my anxiety in that moment. 

As I got older, I created a routine for myself that helped me manage my diabetes and live my life. However, a change in life occurred when I started university. I stayed at home and drove to campus daily, I decided not to move cities or provinces for post secondary to maintain my support system. With that, I did not realize that there would be changes. I made new friends and no I did not disclose my health issues to them. I watched my friends eat out carefree and I wanted to fit in so I went out too. I stared at menus and noticed vegan, vegetarian, gluten free options but I had no idea what on the menu was diabetic person friendly. So simply put I ate the tiniest bit of salads while my friends devoured their pizzas or burgers or pastas. I did not want them to know I had diabetes which is why I never bothered to ask about the nutrition values or calculate the carbs in a potential meal. I know to some this may seem so minute, but to me it was a reminder that I am different because of my disease.

Now as an adult (-ish?), I reflect back and realized how much at first I allowed my diagnosis to take over my life. As I grew to understand diabetes I became more in control of my life. How you may ask? Well understanding what is diabetes helped me understand the purpose of my management plan and this definitely reduced my anxiety surrounding my treatment and helped me realize that with good control I have low chance of those scary hospitalizations. I obviously would not be able to achieve this huge milestone without the supports that I have gained during this journey. 

The one main take away I want to get across is that, YOU are in control of your body, you diagnosis or whatever the circumstance. At times you definitely might not feel this to be the case, but with support and change in perspective and a little tweaking of your definition of quality of life, it is possible to regain that control!

Now my diabetes does not control me, I control it!"

                                                                                                    -Anonymous

Resources:

1. https://www.jdrf.ca/

2. https://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/type-1