Health Beat: Finding Ways to Deal with Chronic Pain
Health Beat is a feature at LGBTSr promoting health and well-being.
By Mark McNease
There’s something psychologically debilitating about walking with a cane, or wearing sandals that can accommodate an ankle brace. Two sizes too large? I had no other choice if I wanted more than one pair of shoes I could wear, which has been the case for a week.
When the mighty fall
Chronic pain affects millions of people, and we can find ourselves dealing with it at a moment’s notice. For me, it was a very sudden fall in the yard just over a week ago. I was dragging a hose across the lawn, walking sideways, and suddenly …. SNAP, my ankle bent sideways and every overweight pound of me went falling to the ground. I’ve had this happen before, but never so seriously. I also landed on my chest, and a week later I’m dealing with both the ankle, and, to a lesser degree, rib pain.
We’re going on a cruise next week. Between that and simply wanting to function—I don’t know how anyone stands being bed or couch ridden for more than a day—I went to an orthopedist. Now that I have Medicare there’s no reason not to, but old habits of avoiding doctors die hard.
Chronic pain is caused by any number of reasons, such as injury, illness, aging, or stress. It can, and does, have a negative impact on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, as well as your quality of life. There’s something psychologically debilitating about walking with a cane, or wearing sandals that can accommodate an ankle brace. Two sizes too large? I had no other choice if I wanted more than one pair of shoes I could wear, which has been the case for a week.
Take heart: there are ways to cope with chronic pain and manage its symptoms. Following are some tips and strategies that can help, or at least inspire you to find your own ways of coping.
What’s up, Doc?
The first step to deal with chronic pain is to seek professional help. While I know my ankle misery is temporary, it wasn’t until I saw an orthopedist and got an x-ray that I knew the extent of the injury. Surgery won’t be necessary, but it may take up to six weeks for my foot and me to feel normal again.
Professional help can also include medication, therapy, surgery, or alternative treatments, depending on your condition and preferences. For me, luckily, it means an ankle brace and more Advil than I want to take … and a LOT of patience!
Knowledge is pain relief
Another tip to deal with chronic pain is to educate ourselves. This means learning as much as we can about our condition, treatment options, and coping strategies.
Educating ourselves can also help us cope with the emotional and psychological aspects of chronic pain. It can help reduce the fear, uncertainty, and stigma that often accompany chronic pain for people whose situation is more permanent than mine. And if that’s the case, educating ourselves can also help us find hope, motivation, and inspiration from other people who have overcome or are living with the same condition or other problems resulting in chronic pain.
You first
A third tip to deal with chronic pain is to practice self-care. This means taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional needs, as well as our personal interests and goals. Practicing self-care can help us improve our mood, energy, and resilience, as well as our overall well-being.
Practicing self-care can include eating healthy, exercising regularly, sleeping well, meditating, relaxing, journaling, expressing our feelings, spending time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies, or learning new skills if that’s part of coping with long term pain. We can also practice self-care by setting boundaries, saying no (I’m not working in the yard today, I’m not going grocery shopping, I can go out to dinner some other night!), asking for help, or delegating tasks and chores.
Getting on with it
Chronic pain can be a challenging and debilitating condition, but it doesn’t have to ruin our lives. There are ways to deal with it and live a fulfilling and meaningful life despite it.
Remember that we’re not alone, and that we’re stronger than we think. We can overcome chronic pain, or at least learn to live with it, to enjoy life as much as possible, and in some cases even live more fully. Be well..
Comments, suggestions, encouragement? Leave us a message!