Living with Chronic Pain: An Invisible Fight
BY: Jennifer
P a i n.
The never-ending and relentless monster that is always hovering over your shoulder. It masquerades in a million different forms. Burning, stabbing, dull, achy, sharp, throbbing, and so much more. But all of those are just words to describe something deeper. Chronic pain strips us of our identities, and who we are. It takes away our jobs, our friends, our physical abilities, essentially, our entire lives.
Can you imagine just waking up one morning, and suddenly being in excruciating pain all of a sudden? If you’ve never experienced chronic pain, then it may be hard to imagine. It isn’t the kind of pain that gets better, either. Imagine trying countless treatments, medications, and therapies, siphoning countless amounts of money into the hope that something will provide the littlest bit of relief.
Imagine being looked down upon by those who don’t understand, and instead of trying to, just telling you to ‘stop being lazy,’ or ‘get over it.’ Imagine being accused by doctors of the pain being “all in your head,” and being called a “drug addict,” for merely wanting a small respite from the never-ending pain.
This is the reality that millions of people, all across the world live with, every day. But what can cause such pain, you ask? Injuries, illnesses, stress, trauma, and more. But pain isn’t even the extent of what we feel. In addition to pain, we also feel extreme fatigue, feeling as though we’d lost a whole day’s worth of sleep when in reality we just woke up from an 8-10-hour sleep.
And still, they persevere on. They still wake up each and every day, taking that one courageous step forward. One foot in front of the other, each and every day. Like every other person on Earth, we greet the sun every day, we take a deep breath each morning, and start our days with hope.
There is something to be said about those living with a chronic illness. We possess a special kind of strength, we are a certain breed of fighter. While we may not be in a physical battle with another human being, we are fighting an internal war within ourselves, and we’re giving it one hell of a fight.
We still enjoy doing the same things that others enjoy. But the difference is, that we may have to go about doing them in different ways, ways that may seem strange to you. But please do not judge us, we are trying to adjust to our new lives, living with chronic pain. Instead, be there for us. Please be kind.
You cannot see our pain outwardly, this is something that many call an “invisible illness,” but despite that unfortunate moniker, our pain is very, very real, and very intense. The pain can manifest in many ways, in the forms of burning, stabbing, throbbing, dull, achy, tingling, and so much more. In addition to the pain we feel, we may also experience other symptoms such as cognitive impairment (more commonly known as brain fog,) digestive issues, vertigo, muscle cramps, and swelling, among many others as well.
Living with chronic pain every day can wear down our emotional well-being. At times, we can feel like we’re falling into a never-ending pit of despair and depression. But, this isn’t by any means us feeling sorry for ourselves, but us genuinely mourning the life that we used to have, or could have had before chronic pain struck us down and knocked us out of the playing field. But we don’t stay down, we get back up, albeit slowly, but we do it, nonetheless. All because we have hope for better days, everyday.
Life, even without a chronic illness, is simply a constant learning process, and with chronic pain, we are always learning what we can do to improve our quality of life. We’re not going to let the pain defeat us, because we’re going to come out the other side of this, fighting. Not one person’s battle is the same as another, and we’re all fighting something different. Because that is truly what we are, fighters, each one of us.
Jennifer has been a writer for over a decade, writing everything from blog posts to buying guides. She is the author of the 2015 book, “Positivity In Pain: Finding Joy & Happiness Despite Chronic Pain.” She has written primarily for parenting websites like What To Expect and Moms.com and currently writes for PassportHealth.com. She founded Positivity In Pain in 2008 after realizing there was a need for support and help online. You can learn more about Jennifer by visiting Our Contributors page!
Excellent!!!
This is such a powerful and raw expression of what it’s like to live with chronic pain. Your strength and honesty are incredible. Thank you for giving a voice to so many who are silently fighting this battle every day.
Living with chronic pain really isn’t something to be taken lightly. This is such a difficult problem to live with.
Chronic pain truly is an invisible fight. I can’t imagine the struggle that folks living with this type of agony must be going through on the daily.
I imagine this cannot be easy. I know people who fight through the pain and I always say I am there for them.
Thanks for sharing this. It’s so important to be mindful of what others may be going through.
I have a very good friend who has a chronic pain condition, and it’s so hard on her. She told me the worst part is that no one can actually see it.
Living with chronic pain and/or fatigue is so hard. For people who don’t understand it, you look lazy. That’s the worst part for me.
You’re right. This hits deep. Living with chronic pain is a daily challenge most don’t see, but it teaches strength in ways we never expected. We learn, we adjust, we fight—and we keep going.
So glad to have found a site like this. While I personally don’t live with constant pain or illness, I know many people who do. I am the founder of a community where we share real-life inspirational stories to promote positive living and life transformation. I am always amazed and inspired by those who share their stories of pain while finding peace and purpose through it all. To have a resource like your site here dedicated to the topic is brilliant!
My daughter suffers chronic pain and I know too well how it can affect those who suffer with it. Often others do not realise as it is not visible
This is a thoughtful piece – thank you for shedding light on this important topic. I hope those living with chronic pain have access to all the support and resources they need.
a very thoughtful and raw piece for shedding like on chronic pain. I know its not easy because my uncle has for most of his life, not easy. Its good to get support and as much resources as needed.
I suffer from an auto immune disease called nodular vasculitis and I am constantly managing my pain. It’s difficult to explain an invisible illness to others. Just because other people can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t incredibly painful.
This is such a great post and an on point one at that. I suffer from Chronic pain due to a back injury back when I was a nurse and somedays are horrific. I’m thankful for my husband and family that helps me, but some people really don’t understand, this type of pain is truly debilitating and affects my daily life.
I cannot imagine the pain. It’s really not easy. I pray for healing for these people.
oh wow, thank you so much for sharing. I have a friend who suffers from Chronic pain, but as you said, no one knows what they deal with, the daily struggle, as you said, this is an invisible pain and it does wear you out.
Living with chronic pain is no doubt a significant challenge. Thanks a lot for educating all of us!
This beautifully captures what so many of us live with quietly. Chronic pain doesn’t define us, but it certainly reshapes everything.
So sorry that you are having this ongoing struggle. I hear strength as you describe yourself in facing it every day.
You mention invisible fight and that is so true. thanks for sharing these struggles. I can’t imagine how tough it must be so laud your strength everyday
I had a parent that dealt with chronic pain, and it was a difficult struggle. It definitely is an invisible disabililty.
Thank you for sharing this—it really hit home. Living with chronic pain can feel so isolating, but your words are a reminder that we’re not alone. I admire your strength and honesty, and I’m sure this will bring comfort to so many others going through the same thing.
I don’t have chronic pain myself, but someone close to me does, and this helped me understand a bit more what they go through. Your strength and openness are inspiring!
This is such an eye-opening read. It is so difficult getting use to pain and it being your every day, all the time. Thank you for sharing.
This was so gently and beautifully written. It really opened my eyes to what living with chronic pain can feel like, especially the parts no one else sees. Thank you for sharing your heart — it’s a reminder to be a little more tender with the people around us.
I am hooked and amazed in the title you have there. I didn’t expect that it is all about oneself sad emotion. I salute you!
Thanks for sharing your experience of living with chronic pain, I had no idea so many people suffered.
I truly respect each and every person who fights this battle every day. True fighters indeed.
The biggest adjustment for me has been how I approach workouts at the gym. Knowing your limits is so important and recognizing that these limits may differ greatly from earlier times is a must.