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
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