Has anyone else found that chronic pain slowly takes over your whole life?

[Wajeehakamran]

I don't think people realise how exhausting chronic pain can be. It's not just the pain itself, it's constantly planning your day around it, cancelling things, pretending you're fine, and feeling guilty because other people can't always see what you're dealing with.
Some days I wonder if I'm just expected to accept that this is my life now, but that feels incredibly hard. I'd really like to hear from people who are living with chronic pain. What has genuinely helped you cope, physically or mentally? Have you found anything that made everyday life even a little easier?

It is absolutely physically and mentally exhausting.
How do I cope? Well honestly, partly by never feeling guilty for stating my needs or worrying about other people (I'm going to caveat this with I don't have anyone other than my husband).
Depending on why you have chronic pain, acceptance is actually a huge part of it. Accepting my limitations (I can't climb that tower because the stairs would be too much for me) is somewhat freeing, if sometimes frustrating.

I'm also exceptionally bloody minded. I have hEDS and an opioid allergy, so I have to put up with all that that entails on paracetamol, ASMR and heat patches. But, I'm not going to lie, I do have days where a rib has slipped and a joint doesn't want to go back in, and it's Just Shit. Allowing yourself to have days where you do just bewail can be good in a way.

Chronic pain is a condition which cannot be ignored but not something considered worthy to pay attention but the one who goes through it knows it better. I believe a few lifestyle changes can help a great deal. Adding a healthy balanced diet, performing physical activity for a few minutes everyday, and performing relaxational exercises can help you get better or relief.

I take oxcodone for cancer pain and THC oil at night, from Curaleaf. I’m also going to try Pilates and yoga to see if that helps.

You are right, chronic pain is awful and really has the capacity to grind you down.

Understanding chronic pain helps. Knowing about central sensitisation and different types of pain helped, because we can tackle each factor individually.

Developing a pain kit with the little things that make a difference has helped. Paced breathing and other techniques that calm the nervous system is useful. Reading

• Explain Pain by Lorimer Moseley and David Butler and
• The Explain Pain Handbook Protectometer by Dr David Butler & Prof Lorimer Moseley

was helpful. Knowing about neuroplasticity has given us hope.

I’m feeling very fed up with it. I feel my life has changed beyond recognition since February this year. I’ve had up and down back pain for two years, but it was manageable before February. Since then I’ve had long patches of not being able to walk outside my house because of the pain. I recently started improving and even had a pain free day and then messed everything up and regressed because on a good day I walked longer and faster than the usual snail like five minutes. On bad days like today I feel my life is ruined and feel so envious of all my friends and family who can do normal things like walk to the local shop or walk along a beach. I’m in limbo because I’m still trying to get better with physio, so am not yet at a stage where I’d accept needing a wheelchair. But this means my life is so small! I’m not managing any positivity right now, but when I can manage it, I focus on enjoying the things I can still do. Reading, audiobooks, creative writing etc. I need to get better at not feeling so angry about my situation!