Let’s try to do this one. I’m someone who is asked how is your pain quite enough, and sometimes I ask myself the questions, but I often don’t get the answer. You have the physical pain, which, unless you have chronic pain, therefore, you experience the same pain often or on a daily basis. It can be seen. I can’t explain it, but over time, the body gets used to it and shows less. I was lucky not to experience as severe a chronic pain as in the last two years.
It started with a hip inflammation; the reason it has lasted so long is that I needed to wait for the steroid injection to be administered. Then, the issue with my hand started. I’m sure I’m not the only one having a hard time getting officially diagnosed to access the specialist I need to help me. The current medication I’m on is a gamble whether it will work. Hence, I will share tools I use outside of medication.
Books, especially fiction, the kind that takes you somewhere else, the genres I would pick are easy-going fantasy or a fast-paced thriller, because they will keep your mind going on something other than pain or issues related to the moment.
Music, I like to use this when I’m not in the room alone, late at night, so the light from a screen can bother other people. So, I typically I pick a random playlist and play it until I fall asleep.
A show that I don’t mind not fully understanding, what is happening if I’m having focus issues from anxiety or the pain that makes it really challenging mobility-wise.
Rest, it’s a simple concept on the page but in the life we live in, it’s not that easy. *Resting isn’t working for me, as in the sleeping kind. *
Breathing techniques, which for me never work, due to my condition, trying to relax muscles can be compared to a full session at the gym, to the point where, during anything medical, I advise them not to tell me to relax because my body does the opposite.
I don’t know if this post will help anyone or if anyone wants to read it, since it turned out very different from the one I had planned.
Alex
Alex, thank you for sharing such an honest and deeply personal reflection. Chronic pain is often invisible to others, yet it demands extraordinary strength every single day. I appreciate your openness in describing not only the physical challenges but also the emotional reality of living with uncertainty.
I especially liked how you shared the simple tools that help you cope—books, music, comforting shows, and rest. They may seem ordinary, but they can become lifelines during difficult moments. Your honesty about breathing techniques not working for you is equally valuable because it reminds us that healing is never one-size-fits-all.
So true, as in nothing is one-size-fits-all.
I hope your wheelchair is finally fixed and you can get around a bit. I think all of the things you mentioned are wonderful ways to distract yourself. I’m sorry you’re in pain.
Thank you
thank you
welcome!