Chronic Pain...

The Stigma It Carries

The stigma of chronic pain is so hard for others to understand.

Those who are suffering or who have a disability you will understand these questions.

Do you have a handicap placard or license plate on or in your car?

Have you ever encountered someone questioning you about parking in a handicap parking place?

Or, ask you "Why are parking there, you're not handicapped?"

This all goes back to people not understanding chronic pain.

They can't see it, feel it, touch or taste it, so it must not be real.

Measuring our worth with an invisible disability can be extremely difficult. For some, the pain is well taken care of with medication. They are still able to work and live fulfilled lives. They are able to go on vacations, take long walks, play sports or whatever. They do not classify themselves as disabled.

They have a place in society.

But.... The severe chronic pain sufferer is a different story altogether. It isn't because they are lazy and don't want to work.

Quite the contrary.

I know this from experience. My husband tells me quite often that, "If I could only get out and go back to work again I would feel so much better". This makes him feel inadequate, angry, and not a real man. Thus, his self-esteem plummets. People have no idea what is on the mind of pain patients. There are those who think they are just collecting tax payers money. They feel, surely there is something these lazy people could be doing to make it in today's society.

They do not realize that being able to work and have that feeling of contributing to society is a blessing, not a curse.

Ask anyone in chronic pain if they could work, would they? The answer would most certainly be yes. By living off the government, that may sound luxurious but you only receive enough to get by and nothing is left for the luxuries. As a matter of fact, people with severe disabilities, who can not work would give anything to be productive again. No one chooses to be in severe pain, unable to use their skills and talents to make a better life for themselves and their families.

For people who have worked throughout their lives and has looked forward to a grand retirement, only to have it cut short by an injury or onset of illness has a right to be angry. This is the American Dream gone down the tubes. People need to realize that everyone is valuable, despite a disability. Just because they can not work doesn't mean they do not want to. Ask anyone of them and they would trade places with you in an instant.

Everyone has a gift they can share. Everyone has a purpose and can still make an impact on other's lives.

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