Embracing life with chronic pain and illnesses.

Posts tagged ‘Chronic Pain Disorder’

A Glimpse of the Unknown

Chronic illness and pain often leaves us feeling like we are driving a hazardous road in the blackest of nights in blinding snow.

I hear the tumultuous waves crashing nearby. My knuckles are white as I clinch the steering wheel ever tighter.

My body is overwhelmed, yet again, with increased stabbing pain and extremely overly sensitive skin…I am counting hours to my appointment tomorrow. A much needed refill to my pain pump and discussion of my latest MRI.

In the early morning hours, as I laid in bed feeling the pain ramping up, I prayed for a touch of relief…tears could not help but fall. I was granted a little more than an hour’s fitful sleep during which I was given an awesome dream.

I dreamt that I was clinging as tightly as I could to a rock as a storm raged around me…pounding pain, large hail stones striking exposed skin, winds whipping and tearing around me…every pore seemed to be screaming as the pain within was rising to the symphony around me. Then I opened my eyes to see that I was clinging to Jesus, his back taking the brunt of the forces.

I awoke with a renewed sense of hope…looking forward to tomorrow’s appointment…knowing that I am truly not alone…that my prayers are being heard.

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chronic pain, hidden conditions, hidden illness

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Backwards

Chronic conditions take such a toll…stretching us to our breaking point…like a tennis ball on an elastic cord…we are tossed about without rhyme or reason.

We are bombarded by new or worsening symptoms…as we start a medication, deal with interactions between medications, struggle with adjustments to our prescription(s).

Add new diagnoses that further complicate our all ready complex situations…we truly push our medical teams…as they are thrust into the unknown.

The inevitable “Flares” that strike…some we know are coming due to choices we make (like going out to lunch with a friend…attending Parent Night to meet our son’s teachers…a simple short ride in the rig)…others strike for no apparent reason…forcing us to cancel plans…to retreat to the safety of our homes.

It is no wonder that we often feel that we are going backwards…despite our best efforts.

Yet I caught a glimpse of something precious when I paused with my eyes closed…in that short time, I took time to review the past few weeks…months…and saw progress!

I am speaking of those little changes…sitting through a rented movie –actually being able to focus and watch it…no recent falls…sleeping in a four hour block at night.

Take heart! Even when we feel like we are going backwards rather than forwards, we are progressing.

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chronic pain

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Another Tangent

As if our body’s aren’t under enough stress with our hidden illnesses and conditions, there always seems that more gets added to our plate!

I have been absent in dealing with “new” pain affecting my lower back and both legs. Results of the MRI showed Herniated discs (L4 and L5, S1 and S2) and arthritis in same area. So yes, definitely Sciatica.

I will go in for steroid injections next Wednesday. I do hope they provide relief. It would be SO nice to go back to my “usual” pain!

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chronic pain, hidden conditions, hidden illness

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A Glimpse of the Unseen

Chronic illness and pain often leaves us feeling like we are driving a hazardous road in the blackest of nights in blinding snow.

I hear the tumultuous waves crashing nearby. My knuckles are white as I clinch the steering wheel ever tighter.

My body is overwhelmed, yet again, with increased stabbing pain and extremely overly sensitive skin…I am counting hours to my appointment tomorrow. A much needed refill to my pain pump and discussion of my latest MRI.

In the early morning hours, as I laid in bed feeling the pain ramping up, I prayed for a touch of relief…tears could not help but fall. I was granted a little more than an hour’s fitful sleep during which I was given an awesome dream.

I dreamt that I was clinging as tightly as I could to a rock as a storm raged around me…pounding pain, large hail stones striking exposed skin, winds whipping and tearing around me…every pore seemed to be screaming as the pain within was rising to the symphony around me. Then I opened my eyes to see that I was clinging to Jesus, his back taking the brunt of the forces.

I awoke with a renewed sense of hope…looking forward to tomorrow’s appointment…knowing that I am truly not alone…that my prayers are being heard.

Category:

chronic pain, hidden conditions, hidden illness

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A Flare Like No Other

Unrelenting pain

Coursing through every cell

The slightest touch exacerbates

Pressure from the softest cloth

Becomes a knife with serrated blade…

Skin crawling

Interrupted by nausea

Hunched over by the cramping

Right arm and shoulder on fire

My body a living pin cushion…

The light is overwhelming

Yet the darkest room offers no relief

No comfort to be found

A headache begins to form

Sensations are racing to and fro…

The intensity of symptoms

Raging and fighting…vying for attention

My brain is on overload

Waves of pain bombard me

My body sinks into the depths…

I take pause

To breathe deeply

Soft spoken words

Pleading for the slightest of relief

Peace comes to my mind…

My symptoms still enraged

As I am enveloped

By a sense of calm

Like a thick blanket

Renewing strength and focus…

 

 

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chronic pain, hidden conditions, hidden illness

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Pictures Tell Why

These pictures reflect the reason that we choose to join our families…our chronic conditions would prevent such moments.

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chronic pain

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Another Scan Completed

Halloween morning I was scheduled for a Gastric Emptying Scan to see if my stomach is also involved in my GI issues.  I can hear the question all ready…”why did it take so long”?

Like so many with chronic conditions/illnesses, we are dealing with a number of disorders/syndromes that have a lot of overlapping symptoms.  In my case, the precursor was fissure trouble from a very young age.  These fissures were just the beginning of a long, hard path of acquiring diagnosis after diagnosis.  Strewn with procedures, further testing and surgeries.

This latest step is a “gift” from my current pain pump.  My GI Specialist would not have ordered today’s scan without my being able to specifically describe my continued GI issues with him.  This ability to determine (or better word — guesstimate) what condition/illness is the forerunner led to my realization that there is something going on that has not been addressed!  These continued issues of bloating, stomach pain, abdominal cramps were subtly different.  It was almost camouflaging itself as an IBS flare…yet, again…there was a nagging difference.

Fast forward to this morning’s scan.  This test was quite different from others in the past. No clothing had to be removed…would have been able to keep my coat on if I felt more comfortable in it!  It started with eating some “radioactive” eggs.  By the second bite, my body remembered that taste…albeit in a different format — thick shake and also a more liquid variation.

I remember looking at the bowl, afraid that I would not be able to eat it all.  I asked the technician how much was necessary for the scan.  His response was a few more bites.  Yeah!!  I managed to get enough down to head into another room for the scan.

Lying flat on the table, arms close to my sides, I was slid into position.  A boxlike piece was then lowered (which required some self talk to calm my PTSD).  The images were gathered in minutes.  I didn’t have to hold my breath or alter it in any way!

This scan process was performed roughly every 50 minutes.  So in between scans, I was wheeled back out to the waiting room (thankful that I had my comfy wheelchair)!  It can take up to 4 scans…thankfully, I only required 3!

The hardest part of this scan was not being able to take the oral pain med.  Thankfully my pain pump was doing its job! Would have never made it through this without it.

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chronic pain, hidden conditions, hidden illness

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Tummy Trouble

It is amazing how far I have traveled on this path of chronic pain and illness.  The pain pump has been a major milestone!  It has given me the ability to determine where my pain and discomfort is coming from…rather than the symptoms just shouting over each other to be heard.

Almost two weeks ago, I was able to explain to my GI Specialist my abdominal issues with specific symptoms! With my complicated history which includes Pelvic Floor Syndrome, rectal prolapse, spastic colon, permanent colostomy (sigmoid colon and rectum removed), and IBS, it provided the glimpse that he needed to best determine the next step.  I will be undergoing a Gastric Emptying Scan next week to determine if my stomach is working properly…must determine just how much of my GI tract is involved.

I am anxious to find out if the malfunctions of my lower GI tract are “isolated” or if my upper GI tract is also involved.  Another crucial piece of my medical conditions will be better understood!

As so many of us with chronic conditions know, it takes time to put all pieces together.  It takes so much effort and energy to get diagnoses due to whatever symptoms are screaming the loudest!  Living with Fibromyalgia, Polyarthralgia, Chronic Pain Disorder, Somatic Symptom Disorder, Neuralgia, Postherpetic Neuralgia, Paresthesia along with the above referenced GI disorders make determining the origin of symptoms extremely difficult.

So many years…so many doctors…so many appointments…not to mention the tests and imaging/scans!  This path of chronic illnesses and conditions is not easy…there are no easy fixes…it forces us to rediscover ourselves while it strips us of the lives we had.

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chronic pain, hidden conditions, hidden illness

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Morning Majesty

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Viewing the awesome landscape of the early morning with the chorus of “Amazing Grace” playing in my mind…

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.”

The gift of a new day with just a hint of God’s power and majesty on display.

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chronic pain, hidden conditions, hidden illness

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A Sense of Humor

Struck by the irony

I couldn’t help smile

Another lesson learned

With laughter from my mouth…

I knew this flare would hit

That it was going to overwhelm

No matter the preparations

No amount of rest would change it…

This morning I was given a gift

Unexpected and of great impact

Providing a brief window

To step outside of the intolerable pain…

I had done my part

Resting as much as possible

In anticipation of riding in the rig

To enjoy some time with my hubby and son…

There is truly no way to prepare

My body is its own prison

Yet it will not prevent me

From holding tight to opportunities with repercussion…

This path of chronic conditions/illnesses and pain

Is fraught with boulders, sheer cliffs, downed trees and more

Obstacles unimagined from the mind of health

It becomes the ultimate learning tool…

With overwhelming pain

Stabbing, searing, burning and tearing

Stomach cramping, blurry vision and headache

Lying down and praying for relief…

This flare will ease in time

Symptoms will once again manifest

In a more “orderly” fashion

Depending upon the combination of conditions…

I had gone to bed early

Anything touching my skin

Exacerbating my pain level

Simple prayer to beg for rest…

I knew I would be home bound

Legs heavy with slow methodical gait

Symptoms scream at the top of their lungs

A brief thought of riding in the rig…

Images immediately flash in my mind

Like viewing a video

I see myself saying a simple prayer

I am reminded of my promise to rest…

Caught and called out

I laugh and nod my head

Again amazed by an awesome God

Who shared some humor with me…

 

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chronic pain, hidden conditions, hidden illness

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