Understanding Chronic Pain

There is pain and than there is PAIN. Chronic pain is mild to severe, can be constant or sporadic, may cause inconvenience or be total incapacitating. Chronic pain is pain that lasts more than six months.  



The most common of chronic pain are:

• headaches
• joint pain
• backaches
• pain from an injury

Most of us can understand the physical side of pain but what we don't often understand or recognize are the emotional side effects of chronic pain.  These side effects are often more damaging to us than the physical pain and cannot be ignored.  

If you, or someone you love, suffers from chronic pain be aware of these emotional side effects and symptoms:

• Anxiety:  Now we all experience anxiety occasionally,  (I experience it more often because I cannot understand why my husband can walk by the dishwasher to put a glass in the sink...but that's for another day,)  so be careful not assume emotional problems for the occasional anxiety attack.  The anxiety for someone in chronic pain will be more often and last longer.
• Stress:  Again, we all experience stress.  Some stress is good for us.  A person who is in chronic pain will experience stress more often and more extreme.

Here is a link for more information about stress and anxiety from MedlinePlus.

• Depression:  Please note that depression is NOT sad.  Depression is an on-going emotional experience that the person cannot seem to overcome.  
• Anger:  Okay lets face it we all get angry (again when my husband passed the dishwasher to put the glass in the sink) but this anger will appear longer or in rages.
• Fatigue:  We all get tired but this goes beyond "tired."  

If you, or someone you love, has chronic pain and is experiencing any of the above symptoms it's time to see your doctor ABOUT the emotional side effects.  Your Doctor (hopefully) knows about your pain but unless we TELL them about these....they may never know.  We are so good about "pretending" when we need to.  We can all be "normal" for 30 minutes.  TALK to your doctor about these....there are ways to eliminate or decrease these symptoms.

This information is not to be construed as medical advice.  Please consult your Physician if you are in chronic pain and are experiencing one or more of these side effects.

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