The Many Forms of Pain

I started writing this post long before Lena Dunham announced she wanted to be the “face of fibromyalgia.” Knowing little about her other than what I read in this article, I don’t really have a connection to her and don’t view her as my advocate. There are many other faces of fibromyalgia and forms of pain that deserve attention as well.

Pain takes all forms, affects all people, and does not discriminate between male or female, young or old, rich or poor, famous or not-so-famous. It can affect anyone. And everyone.

These days I feel people associate pain or chronic pain with the “opioid epidemic” we hear so much about in our daily news. It has reached such a pinnacle that Michael Bloomberg announced a $50 million donation to help fight it. But let’s not stereotype all of those suffering in pain with a drug problem that is gripping the nation.

Pain as a Disease

I recently came across this TED Talk about chronic pain. It’s a great explanation of what people experience and how their wires get crossed. If you have 8 minutes, you should watch it:

Elliot Krane talks about how our “nervous system develops feedback loops and pain becomes a terrifying disease in itself.” And while most doctors prescribe medication to treat the symptom of chronic pain, he is trying to get to the root of the pain so he can treat the cause. Hear, hear! This is what I have been saying!

The Many Forms of Pain

While this list is far from comprehensive, it highlights 20 of the most painful conditions. (Read the article for more details on each.)

1. Cluster Headaches
2. Shingles
3. Endometriosis
4. Heart Attack
5. Broken Bones
6. Frozen Shoulder
7. Slipped disc
8. Sickle cell disease
9. Arthritis
10. Migraine
11. Kidney Stones
12. Appendicitis
13. Trigeminal Neuralgia
14. Sciatica 
15. Gout
16. Fibromyalgia 
17. Pain after Surgery
18. Stomach ulcers
19. Acute pancreatitis
20. Complex regional pain syndrome

Pain Can Be Invisible

You can see from the above list that pain takes many forms. While some of the above conditions are temporary or relievable, some like fibromyalgia are chronic conditions. And not all of these painful conditions are necessarily visible. You can’t always tell from looking at someone on the outside how they are feeling. 

“Just because you cannot see a person’s illness doesn’t mean they don’t have one. Just because a person looks OK doesn’t mean that they’re feeling OK. Invisible illnesses often have no cure and patients need to take medication for the rest of their lives to help control and manage the symptoms.” From 14 Invisible Illnesses You May Not Know About

Invisible illness and chronic pain are very real. And sometimes those suffering don’t want others to know how they are feeling, so they hide their pain. They put on a happy face and go about their day, suffering silently. So my best advice is to just show kindness and compassion to everyone, because you really have no idea what may be hidden behind someone’s happy facade.

I am the face of chronic pain and fibromyalgia.

For more brave warriors and faces of fibromyalgia, please visit Fibro Blogger Directory and read about others trying to Shine a Light on Fibro.

Do you suffer from acute or chronic pain? Have you had any of the 20 conditions listed above? (I have had 8!)

Author: Cynthia, My Inspired Fibro Life

Wife. Mom. Fibrowarrior. Joy seeker. Picture taker. Coffee drinker. Blogging about living with fibromyalgia and finding inspiration in every day life. Welcome to My Inspired Fibro Life. View all posts by Cynthia, My Inspired Fibro Life