Life with Chronic Pain and Illness
Life with chronic pain and illness is a challenge. September is Chronic Pain Awareness Month. So in light of that, here are a few truths that people living with chronic pain are all too familiar with:
- At least 20% of the world’s population lives with chronic pain.
- Pain is considered chronic if it lasts more than 3 to 6 months. Short-term pain is common and normal. Living with daily pain for over 6 months is not.
- Chronic pain can, and often does, impact every aspect of someone’s life.
- Chronic pain is considered an invisible illness, which means you can be standing next to someone and not know that they may be in immense pain. They may look “normal” on the outside.
- Chronic pain can be absolutely debilitating.
- Many people living with chronic pain receive no treatment at all. For those who do receive treatment, it may be ineffective and take many years to receive. In some cases, the advice given makes the pain level even worse because of a lack of understanding of the condition.
- According to providers I have spoken to over the years, the amount of training they received in medical school pertaining to chronic pain—including migraines, which are one of the most common forms of chronic pain—is very minimal. In fact, one doctor told me that it was perhaps an hour, at most, in one class. He told me that the medical profession “needs to do better.”
Is there anything that you can add to this list?
If you’d like to read more Life with Chronic Pain and Illness posts, click here.