I have just posted a comment on a chronic pain forum that I subscribe to, in response to a woman saying that she is so tired of the pain and fatigue. There then followed about 30 negative responses from other chronic pain sufferers about how they felt the same, etc., etc. So I posted a response. It makes me realise how far I have come, despite having had another tough couple of weeks.

*POSITIVE POST ALERT*

It’s not just ‘tired’ though, is it? It’s treacle and fog, and deathliness and pure utter crappiness. I have fibromyalgia/chronic pain/fatigue/anxiety and depression – call it what you will, with no proper diagnosis,this has been my life for the last 6 years since my dad died and I had a bad jarring to my body on a speedboat ride on holiday that same year. But you know what – I have decided to get fit, despite the pain and fatigue. I have lost weight (over 2 stones) with the 5:2 way of eating, mainly cut out sugar, alcohol, potatoes and legumes, started an hour long dance class once a week, and dance every day to 3 tracks (usually honky tonk woman, love shack and brown sugar). I also walk my dog every day over 2 miles. I rest when I need to, ‘pace’ my days, and now have regular psychotherapy as I don’t want to go back on AD’s (I was on Prozac for 18 months, but they gave me an ulcer). Do you know what – my legs are getting quicker in the dance class, my body is moving again, it had definitely forgotten how, and I am not so frightened of moving it any more. Yes I hurt, but no more than before, so I am bloody determined to keep going! I also meditate and practice mindfulness, (the realisation that hating having pain is actually worse than the pain itself), and work on keeping ‘present’. Don’t get me wrong, I struggle, BOY how I struggle! But, I keep coming back to all the positive stuff as soon as I am able. If I have one of ‘those’ days, I sort of let it have me for a while, and then change the energy when I can with some movement based activity. Good luck. Let’s live our lives, despite the pain, life can be good. I believe that my pain has taught me an enormous lesson. I was a physiotherapist for 20 years, helping people in pain, and would never have believed that this would or could happen to me. Unfair? Yes! But who ever said life was fair……….. X