Some thoughts on Pain

Note: This is draft, I'm still working on it. But I've added it cos today I've come across 2 people who might find it helpful. Pictures and spell check and tidying up for making sense will happen eventually
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Pain is something I never really thought about before I got ME/CFS. It was something that happened only at specific times, like bashing my elbow or falling off my bike or my pony as a child. It had an identifiable cause and effect (I bang my elbow is the cause, with an effect of pain where I banged it) and was real in that it was related to some specific visible damage to my body, and acute, in that it hurt, then it healed and decreased accordingly.  In short, basic over the counter pain killers worked.

Then from around 2005 onwards I was assailed by different forms of pain. The first being random pains that either had a specific origin say my leg or arm, but no apparent cause (rather like those mystery bruises we all get sometimes, they're there but we don't remember walking into anything.)

All that 'giving up' and doing things differently

Back in 2007 when I was diagnosed, I ended up on the PACE Trial, randomised onto the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy course of treatment. The therapist was a nice enough chap, except for his habit of asking me a question, me answering and then him keeping asking what was behind my answer.  He kept doing it despite us both being flummoxed, as, seriously, I'm just NOT that deep a thinker! There's nothing deeper in my emotions than my first response, I'm really very shallow!

Anyway, one rather more useful repetition of his was - How can you do things differently?

To continue having interests in life, but that don't eat so much energy (mental and physical).

It's a small question. But a very useful one, whether you're mild, moderate or severely affected - because everyone who has this illness, they have to 'give things up'. It can be a 'little' thing like walking instead of taking the bus, going out and socialising less often, or a 'big' thing like being able to wash themselves or go to the loo, have a shower or even eat & drink.

Often it's a relentless succession of giving up. Within a matter of days, weeks, months or years, one ends up having 'given up' so many things that it feels like there's nothing left.

Belleville Rendezvous animation - can't cycle? watch cycling instead...