Managing Chronic Pain

Do you struggle with chronic pain?

More than 50 million Americans suffer with chronic pain, say Joanna Katzman, and Rollin MacGallagher at the start of their study, PAIN: THE SILENT PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIC.

They also note that many patients receive ineffective care; that indigenous and POC populations are also burdened by the trauma (past and current) of racism in the healthcare profession. In my research to understand my chronic migraine disease, I've also read about and heard from many women who say they're patronized and dismissed, as in, the pain is all in your head kind of responses.

Given these facts, what can we who suffer from chronic pain do?

There are many resources online. Google "managing pain at home," or "diy remedies for pain," and you'll find a lot of suggestions.

For now, I'll share my own skills and tools for managing chronic migraine pain:

1. Fighting the pain, stressing out about it, or desperately wishing it would go away ONLY MAKE YOUR PAIN WORSE. As strange as it sounds, I've learned that the first step in managing pain well is to accept it's happening.

2. That doesn't mean to give up. It means stop fighting, denying, or worrying and turn to positive strategies that give you comfort.

3. Experiment with heat and cold therapy: use a heating pad or microwaveable pillow; always have ice compresses in the freezer for when you need them; a simple washcloth soaked in warm or cool water can help.

4. Indulge yourself in whatever comforts you: when a bad migraine strikes, I make a cup of tea, put on loose and comfortable clothing, snuggle under my weighted blankie (fall and winter) or soft blankie (spring and summer), wear an eye mask, and listen to Golden Girls on Hulu.

5. You will struggle with people who don't understand the toll chronic pain takes, who will find some way to give you a hard time about it. This is especially true of those of us who have invisible pain. I've learned to ignore them, although sometimes I do snap out a pointed reply. "You look fine," someone will say to me in an accusatory tone when I have to leave a gathering or party because of a migraine. "Thank you!" I say with a big smile as I turn my back on them.

6. Most pain advice I read and hear includes staying hydrated, and that's true for me and my migraines.

I could go on and on about managing pain, but will conclude for this post and plan to write more about it in the future.

For example, a regular meditation practice is essential for me, as is daily stretching. I'll write about these strategies in later posts.

In the meanwhile, please be kind to yourself. It's hard to keep cancelling plans, being afraid to make plans, feeling like we're letting people down.

You're not letting people down - you're taking care of yourself.

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I coach people who have chronic pain.

Click the button below, then scroll down the page to
FOCUSED PROGRAM: LIVING WELL WITH CHRONIC PAIN

Living Well with Chronic Pain

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