Defining Chronic Pain... In Class

I recently finished a creative analysis of chronic pain for my English Comp class. I enjoyed redefining what chronic pain is, how it affects people, and where my hope comes from through it. I wanted to share it here if nothing more than a new read. I hope you enjoy it!

An Analytical Definition of Chronic Pain,
Told by a Chronic Pain Patient

What is chronic pain?

Twenty-three percent of people who live with chronic pain reported that they are not sure that life is worth living.¹ According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 20% of US adults have chronic pain; this means that around 65,900,000 people in the US are currently living with chronic pain.² Out of that statistic, that means that approximately 15,157,000 people in the US believe that living a life riddled with pain is not worth living at all. So, what is chronic pain? Why are people so deeply moved by it to the point of utter despair? Chronic pain is missing out on life events, being left behind by one’s own brain and body, and is an unrelenting condition.

Each individual has his or her own view of what chronic pain looks like. Mayo Clinic provides a solid foundation of understanding. "Chronic pain is a serious health condition. Like any long-term health problem, the condition often leads to complications beyond your physical symptoms, such as new or worsened depression, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. Chronic pain can make it more difficult to keep up at work, manage tasks at home and attend social gatherings, leading to problems in your relationships and financial instability. Some research suggests that the more severe your pain, the more serious these problems."³

Daily life with chronic pain

Chronic pain is learning to miss out on one’s own life. No matter what age the affected person is, activities easily become out of the question. Physical activities specifically must be limited. A day of shopping with the girls is interrupted by frequent sitting breaks and an early end. Hitting the gym is a dangerous game to play, as it could cause a pain flare. Colorado is a beautiful state with plenty to offer, but skiing, snowboarding, and hiking may elude those living with chronic pain. Most activities including extra walking can be counted out.

More than just hobbies are affected; daily life is disrupted by gnawing and unending pain. Simple tasks such as getting groceries, vacuuming, or doing laundry turn into great feats. Everyday chores become laborious and dreadful. This struggle easily translates to work-life; many people living with chronic pain apply for disability, yet it is a hard status to achieve due to the subjective and invisible aspect of this issue.⁴ This financial stress can exacerbate the situation. For students, falling behind in class is a constant concern; trying to keep up with studies, social lives, and personal care becomes overwhelming and can sometimes seem impossible.

The social impact of chronic pain

Social lives in general are hard to maintain when living in pain. Most people don’t understand what chronic pain is, simply due to the lack of information and education on the topic. This causes those without pain to view those with chronic pain as lazy, antisocial, or overly sensitive. It may even come to the point of a relationship ending due to the difficulty of dealing with someone who is constantly in pain.

Many people doubt that the other person is truly in pain, as the invisibility of it can be frustrating. It can be even harder to believe when the affected person masks his or her pain in an attempt to make others more comfortable or to pretend to look “normal.” It can truly be difficult to deal with someone with chronic pain, but it is even harder to be the one in pain every day. Chronic pain forces its victims to miss out on their own lives.

The cognitive effects of chronic pain

Chronic pain is being betrayed by one’s own brain and body. Mayo Clinic says that fatigue is "a nearly constant state of weariness that develops over time and reduces your energy, motivation, and concentration. Fatigue at this level impacts your emotional and psychological well-being, too."⁵Fatigue is more than just being tired or drowsy; it’s an all-encapsulating symptom that disrupts every aspect of life. Clear thinking, the ability to express oneself well, and staying awake become daunting obstacles. This is not only embarrassing, but it also is a major disadvantage in life. This kind of exhaustion is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining.

Understanding fatigue using Spoon Theory

Fatigue can be a difficult concept for others to grasp, which is why Christine Miserandino created an explanation called "The Spoon Theory" in order to help her loved ones understand what she went through.⁶ Miserandino decided to explain chronic pain and fatigue in a simple analogy; she grabbed spoons from her drawer and laid them on the table. She explained to her friend that spoons were equivalent to energy, and every day she was given a certain number of spoons.

Accomplishing everyday tasks took "spoons" to achieve: getting up and dressed could take one spoon, showering may take three, driving might take two, going to work may take five spoons. She went on. When she ran out of spoons, she was done. She couldn’t continue with her day in a healthy way. Many people in the chronic pain community have related to this analogy so well that they have deemed themselves "spoonies."

Miserandino's example works well because it is applicable to whoever uses it. Everyone has a different amount of these spoons, and different tasks may take more or less than those around them. Her relatable illustration has been used by countless people to give their loved ones a way to understand and check in on them. While this analogy may be fun and lighthearted, it doesn’t change the fact that fatigue has ruined many people’s conventional lives. Chronic pain invites fatigue into a body to create chaos and disorder.

Living with chronic pain every day

Chronic pain creeps through every day. It is waking up every morning, stiff, restless, and foggy-minded. It is lying awake every night, begging for sleep to come, only to be eluded by rest and suffocated by the impossibility to lie comfortably. Chronic pain is gauging activity, tiptoeing around one’s own body, trying not to cause a flare. When that flare does come, chronic pain is exerting all possible energy just to survive through each day. It is fighting every moment, trying to detract from the pain, yet being punished for doing so. It births depression and anxiety, crippling the mind as well as the body.

Recognizing chronic pain

Chronic pain is the realization that there may never be a day of healing. It is forgetting what it’s like to have no pain. Chronic pain is jeopardizing every relationship with the possibility of the other person not believing the actuality of pain or respecting boundaries. It is watching people walk by, realizing that they likely are not in pain. Then, it is realizing that maybe they are.

People walk by chronic pain patients every day, assuming they're perfectly fine. Chronic pain is learning that invisible illnesses are still illnesses and that there is no reason to doubt someone when they convey that they are in pain. It is taking a step back from judgment and looking at the world with a fresh perspective of understanding and compassion. It is deciding to use pain as a way to reach and love others and learning to empathize with those in anguish. Chronic pain is eventually learning to surrender everything to Christ and joining Him in His suffering on the cross. It is more than pain; it is more than a mindset. Chronic pain is the most difficult journey to walk, but it can be a transformative way of life if allowed.

Yes, chronic pain is missing life events and hobbies, being betrayed by one’s own brain and body, and it is a never-ending condition. Yes, chronic pain can give the sense of life passing by and being left behind. Yes, chronic pain can feel like a lack of security in one’s own mind and body. Yes, chronic pain is a struggle that lives day in and day out.

I am not my chronic pain

However, chronic pain does not have to be the end. It does not have to be the defining factor of a person. It does not mean that life is not worth living. Chronic pain is devastating, grueling, and sometimes it even feels cruel, but there is freedom found in Christ. This does not mean freedom from physical pain, but freedom from the chains that chronic pain places on its victims. There is freedom from the lies created by depression and anxiety. There is freedom from the belief that there is no hope. I have been set free; I am not my chronic pain.