The Cactus Couch

Photo from Bing

 Do you think you could ever get comfortable on a cactus couch?  I saw this on a post a friend put up talking about chronic pain.  The minute I read the caption, I knew this was a great analogy for sharing just what it is like to live with chronic pain.

I have been blessed to be able to control the pain I have from arthritis and fibromyalgia for many years now without prescription medication. Unfortunately, the last thirteen months has increased my stress levels to the point that I am out of remission. This means, I hurt...all...day...long.

I cannot take pain meds. I react badly to them. I take extra strength Tylenol and sleep.  Usually, that gives me the edge I need to keep going forward. The past two weeks, this isn't working well, so I have returned to what I did almost 15 years ago, now, and that is cut back, regroup, rest, and try to be gentle with myself.  A lot easier said than done!

Thing that really causes people with chronic pain, or invisible diseases, is that they don't "look sick."  Therefore, those around them can't understand why they aren't running around doing all they usually do. 

Yes, chronic pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, MS, IBS, Epstien-Barre and all the rest are like trying to sit on a cactus couch and get comfortable. 

If someone you know suffers from chronic pain or one of the hundreds of invisible diseases/syndromes, remember this the next time they say, "Gee, I can't do that right now."  

Blessings

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