To live with chronic pain is rarely done. Most afflicted with chronic pain will at one time or another suffer from depression or emotional problems of some kind and also family issues and community issues as well as health care and economic issues. I have been in chronic pain with several medical conditions for over 20 years now but I have only been living with chronic pain for about 2 1/2 years.

There is a huge difference here. Once I accepted the pain and how to keep it managed I started to live again. I fought taking pain medication and fought hard against narcotics especially. I am not advocating anyone take pain killers at all. This type of pain management plan is between you and your Doctor's. For nearly the entire time I was having chronic pain I barley existed until I finally decided to get with the program and accept my life and limitations for what they are.

I used to break my pain medication in half for fear of becoming addicted but once I realized that I might actually be addicted even if I break them in half I started taking them as prescribed. I had always feared being a medicine head type of person in a fog all the time but that didn't happen. When I followed Doctors orders as prescribed I found that even though pain was still present it was not nearly as bad as it had been before I decided to follow my Doctor's plan for managing chronic pain. Notice I use the word manage and this is because the pain is never gone all the way and wouldn't be no matter how much medication I took. Therefor I started down a path of managing the pain so I could have a semblance of a life.

I took charge of my health care and found the best way to manage my chronic pain was with the care and advice of a Doctor while some find many other ways helpful. I suggest joining support groups for your particular chronic pain and then get some suggestions from others as to how they deal with it and what has been working for them. You and only you can decide to be in chronic or to manage and live with chronic pain. Be your own best advocate and educate yourself on your illness or causes of your chronic pain to be able to share with your doctor what you have learned.

No one else lives in your body or mind but you and therefor it all starts with you. I wish there had more outlets and media communications, articles and support groups years ago but people attempting to live with chronic pain at this time more than any time can be armed with lots and lots of pertinent and crucial information to help you live with chronic pain rather than just being in chronic pain.

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