Chronic Pain Perspective

July is Chronic Illness Awareness Month. A time to bring awareness and support to those with chronic conditions. A chronic illness is one that lasts for at least 6 months (but often longer) and requires continuous and ongoing medical care. Part of my life’s story is that I have a multitude of these conditions. My first condition that I was diagnosed with 14 years ago is called CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome). This condition is characterized by its extreme levels of chronic pain. In honor of this condition, I wrote a poem that I would like to share with you.

Chronic Pain

Chronic

A word meaning long lasting

An endless stream of days

When you hurt in a variety of ways

There are days you spend with those you love

Who ask when you will get better

But the truth is the answer is never

So its often easier to pretend everything is fine

There are bad days

Days that you dread

When the thought of getting out of bed

Takes more courage than you care to admit

There are good days sprinkled in

Days you look forward to

You try to do more than you should

But its worth it

Many days are stagnant

Days that fall in between the good and bad

When the aches persist and you get mad

Because you want to get back to normal

There are days when you feel like a fighter

But even more when you feel like a failure

When you might as well be a pile of manure

Because no matter what you do, you can’t beat it

The worst days though are doctor days

Doctors think you are lying

So you wonder why you keep trying

And you contemplate not going back

But you have to keep going

You have to keep pushing

You have to keep doing

Because you want to overcome the

Pain