When you suffer from chronic pain of any kind, sometimes it’s hard for your friends, your family and even you to fully understand exactly what it is you’re going through.
That’s why it’s so important that you remember these five things. You can also share this knowledge with your friends and family so they, too, understand:
- Chronic pain is not “made up” – Sometimes, people just assume that others who suffer from chronic pain are either lying about their pain or exaggerating their condition. What many don’t know is that the pain people are feeling is very real and very serious, even if you don’t know what’s causing it. Because of this, it’s important that loved ones of those who have chronic pain don’t criticize and don’t say things like, “Get over it,” or “it’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be.”
- Chronic pain often causes a lack of physical activity – When you suffer from chronic pain, often, you’re unable to exercise or do the things you used to love to do. Long-term lack of physical activity is also known as disuse syndrome. When you have disuse syndrome, it can affect a long list of functions – including musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, neurological, psychological, and emotional. When you’re not well, you can feel – and be – debilitated. It’s important to know that this can happen, and it’s equally important that you talk to a doctor about ways to avoid disuse syndrome and ways to keep your chronic pain from getting worse as time goes on.
- Chronic pain can impact your sleep patterns – If you have chronic pain, you know what it feels like to try and shut your eyes with debilitating pain getting in the way. The worst thing about losing sleep over chronic pain is that not getting enough sleep can often worsen your chronic pain. It’s a vicious cycle. If you suffer from chronic pain and your sleep patterns are interrupted by it, you need to make sure your doctor is treating you for both at the same time.
- Everyone’s chronic pain is different – Even if you feel like your pain can’t possibly be any worse, it’s likely that somewhere, someone else is feeling pain more severe than yours. That’s because chronic pain is vastly different for each person. Two people with the same condition can experience very different levels of pain.
- Chronic pain can affect your concentration – Many people who suffer from chronic pain find that they sometimes have a hard time focusing on the task at hand, or remembering what it was they were supposed to do that day. Memory and concentration problems are common side effects of chronic pain, and sometimes those side effects are a result of other issues that go with chronic pain.
If there’s one thing to take away from this, it’s that chronic pain is both very real and very serious. If you or your loved one suffers from chronic pain, call Louisiana Pain Specialists today for help.