Never seen Patch Adams, but after reading the intro, I think I will.
I’ve been in constant pain for decades. As part of the letter I’ll leave for my family when I eventually pass on (due to whatever disease finally wins, unless it’s time itself), I plan to include the phrase “at least now, the pain has passed”. I have any number of wraps, braces, compression thingys, and sometimes they help dull the pain. I’ve learned to live with it. I’ve joked that if there was ever a real “freaky Friday” thing, the first thing the person jumping into my body would have to do is figure out how to deal with the constant 2-3 on a 10 scale pain. There was this one test I took where they tried to find the source of pain that was the worst torture I ever endured. 2 hours of being stuck constantly with a pair of needles and then shocked as they tried to find what nerves were firing so they could treat it. I would have given them my PIN number and anything else they asked it hurt so much. They found nothing.
Gareth, it sounds like your pain is far worse than mine, but I can relate a bit. I’m glad you’ve learned to live with it, rather than…well, not. Long ago I decided that the pain was just going to be another resident of my body. It hangs out with my self-loathing and depression, trying to surface, but most of the time the optimism I keep hidden smacks it around and holds the door shut. Every now and again though, the pain gets really annoying and pushes through. I acknowledge it and move on.
I am not the pain, and I’m glad you’ve learned you aren’t either.
