Life with Chronic Pain and Illness
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been told that “You’ll just have to live with it” in regards to your chronic pain.
I may not be able to see you, but I know that many of you reading this are raising your hands. I suspect we’ve all been told this at one point in time. In my case, I’ve always had the feeling that the provider doesn’t know what’s going on with me, doesn’t want to admit it, and doesn’t want to take the time to figure it out. It’s easier for them to say, “You’ll just have to learn to live with it,” and then dismiss you or pass you along to another provider who will look at the prior provider’s notes and give you the same results.Â
As we all know, “learning to live with it” is easier said than done. And the comment is demoralizing. We’re being pushed aside and treated like we aren’t already trying to “live with it.” If we were successful at that on our own, why would we be at the doctor, whom we already know is unlikely to be of any assistance? This comment is unhelpful, and it’s a reminder of how limited medical care truly is. And it’s a huge part of the reason so many people stop going to doctors and trying to find a cause for the pain and/or some relief.
Have you ever had a provider tell you this? If so, how did it make you feel? How did you respond to their comment? Is there anything you’d do differently now if someone told you to “just learn to live with it”?
I hope you have a low-pain day.
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