Posted by Fibro Girl on 9/22/2005, 10:38 am Chronic pain is a serious problem but is often made worse by misinformation, negative attitudes and beliefs, outdated ideas, negative emotions. It is recognized that chronic pain is often mismanaged, not because we lack adequate treatments, but because of fear and ignorance. One has to learn to cope mentally and it is not an easy task. Make sure you understand what pain really is. Acceptance After many months or even years of pain and failed treatments, it’s easy to slip into feeling hopeless and that nothing can be done. Pain sufferers are often the butts of negative treatment and it's easy to end up feeling angry and victimized. And there is justification in these feelings. You probably did not cause your pain, and you are most likely unhappy with some parts of your treatment, but guess what? Life is unfair. Blaming others for your problems turns you into a victim, which is like giving away control of your life. You are being led by your emotion but remember that you do have a choice. Take control by being informed and communicating assertively with your doctor, practicing pain management strategies and pacing yourself along with relaxation and stress management. You need to decide whether you want to be a victim or a survivor, a passenger or a driv
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Dang me, gonna take a rope and hang the dragon, high from the highest tree, and women , we all weep for thee.
Chronic pain is different to other medical problems, which can often be treated relatively easily and successfully. Chronic pain is a complex illness, caused and maintained by a combination of physical, psychological and neurological factors. These multiple causes make it difficult to pinpoint any one cause for pain, or any one treatment. Pain is also often dismissed or poorly treated because of the 'baggage' of old ideas about pain - for example, pain where the physical cause is unknown is often under-treated. This is despite the fact that the role of neurological factors means pain can occur in the absence of external causes and that such pain should not be dismissed or considered abnormal.
The medical establishment has struggled to meet the challenge of pain, and now is starting to recognize that this problem cannot be overcome without combining input from other disciplines such as psychology and physical therapies. Pain is also a subjective experience that is impossible to accurately measure. Pain involves a range of emotional reactions including anxiety, fear and depression.
Chronic pain is so awful that sometimes it's easier to escape into wishing it had never happened, or hoping for a miracle cure. If persistent, these common reactions to pain can actually become a bit of a trap. You need to face the reality of what has happened to you, and find constructive ways of dealing with it.
Acceptance means more than just intellectually knowing that you have pain, it means actually allowing yourself to feel the anxiety, fear, anger and grief that go with pain. Acceptance is a process, which requires progressively acknowledging all your feelings, and getting your physical and emotional needs.
In order to accept and go through the negative emotions associated with chronic pain, you must have adequate safety and support. Safety means having adequate control over your pain through the right combination of medical, physical and psychological treatment inputs. Support means having adequate emotional support from family and friends giving you a feeling of containment and security.
The end product of acceptance is reduced pain, inner peace, less anxiety and better coping
Taking Control of Your Pain
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