Chronic Pain Stories

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Brittany’s Fight Like A Girl Story (Chiari Malformation)

by 1 Comment
May
22
2013
Brittany's Story (Chiari)LR

My name is Brittany and I’m 24 years old. Since 2007, I have had four brain surgeries; my most recent two being this year in February. I spent most of my life with health problems that the doctors and specialists could not ever figure out. They ran test after test and would prescribe several different medications to try and help with my symptoms but nothing ever worked. I missed a lot of school because of my health, and as you can imagine I missed out on a lot of normal things, especially normal things teenagers do. My parents never stopped trying to find the cause of my health problems, and for the longest time neither did I. However, the day that a doctor told me that I should probably see a psychiatrist because my symptoms might be emotional I gave up. That day changed me forever and I was never the same. I was fifteen when that happened, and with the decline in my health and with that being said to me my depression began. Around that time I was starting to have kidney … [Read more...]

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Siobhan’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Fibromyalgia, CFS)

by 12 Comments
Dec
15
2012
Fibromyalgia / CFS Power Story

I am a silent sufferer of fibromyalgia and CFS. People think I am lazy. When I tell them that I am a sufferer of these disorders, they roll their eyes, let out a chuckle , or just try to appease me by saying "oh, really?" I would like to give these disorders more publicity. I think people think that they are fake. I struggle to get through each day as the fatigue takes over. I am close to tears by 3 pm. I have to still perform the duties of mother and wife. My husband and kids get angry with me because I am always tired. I am fighting like a girl every day to do normal activities. There are probably 2 people in my life who understand and ask me how I am feeling. I need to bring some awareness of the pain and fatigue that I am suffering to all the people in my life. Siobhan Massachusetts Submitted 2-9-12 The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a … [Read more...]

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Dependent

by 14 Comments
Apr
10
2012
Endometriosis

One of the things I've noticed in all that I've read about Endometriosis, whether it be a    medical journal article or a blog from a fellow fighter, is the hard topic of  a struggle for  someone who lives in chronic pain, is the dependency that you develop of prescription pain  pills. On a side note, being dependent and being addicted are two completely different things.  Being addicted is to use, in this case, pain pills in a non-prescribed way. To take them when they're not needed, to use them abusively. To be dependent is to depend on these drugs to function normally - in our case, to take a pain pill to get through a day full of pain. Being a dependent can lead to addiction and if you feel like you may have an addiction I strongly urge you to seek medical help from a doctor you trust. They in turn may send you to a counselor, which I again strongly urge you to do. I've been thinking about this topic lately because of something that happened to me a few weeks ago. A … [Read more...]

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Ebony’s Fight Like a Girl Story Part 2 (Chronic Pain)

by 13 Comments
Feb
20
2012
Ebony's Fight Like a Girl Story Part 2 (Rheumatoid Arthritis)

So, I have been here before…sharing my FLAGC story about RA. Since that post, my story has changed. I received a phone call from my doctor that left me in tears, then ready to press on. As of today, I don't have answers as far as my diagnosis, but I'm finding my way back from square one! The following is from a blog post in September; I decided to continue sharing my story so others won't be discouraged by their present situation. " I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders." This was one of the first quotes I clung to when I first made the choice to speak up about my illness. I knew it was going to take a lot of God's guidance, faith, and guts. I have reached many cross roads over the last year: raising my son, getting laid off, losing insurance, my condition getting worse, finding "the right doctor", trying to uncover the best pain management, looking for work, applying for this and that while keeping a smile on my face and saying "I'm okay". This … [Read more...]

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Kim’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Chronic Illnesses)

by 2 Comments
Sep
18
2011
Purple Ribbon

My name is Kim and I'm 27 years old. I'm not sure where to start with my story since there are so many facets to it. I grew up as the "super sensitive kid" who was labeled a hypochondriac. This was due to always complaining about hurting and being sensitive to smells, sounds, and touch (which caused pain). I was always falling asleep in odd places (even standing up), frequently feeling tired for no reason, feeling faint with a rapid heart rate with strenuous activity, and chronic sinus infections. I had my first root canal at about age 11. I had a sensitive stomach and GI tract. I kept complaining but my family was the kind that rarely went to a doctor and both my parents had problems of their own so no one noticed. I learned to just live with my various issues and dealt with them the best I could. In my early twenties I had a couple of car accidents and falls down stairs. I started to have chronic pain pretty much everywhere, I couldn't eat anything. I fell asleep very frequently, … [Read more...]

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Sara’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis aka ME)

by 25 Comments
Sep
03
2011
Sara's Story (ME)

I don't look sick. Often, I don't act it either. "I'm okay" or "I'm fine" are common responses of mine. It's easier for me to block out what I can of this disease than to focus on what's wrong with me. That's why it's also so hard for me to write this post describing M.E. M.E. stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis (pronounced, ”my-Al-jik en-SEF-uh-lo-MY-uh-Ly-tis”). This is more than just a crazy long name. It's a title, a burden, a curse; it's my disease. It's a battle every day to not let this ultimately define and defeat me. This is the sickness that turned my entire world upside down. Everyone has a struggle they are forced to deal with everyday, mine just happens to be in the form of a mysterious disease. I never forget that it could be worse. I try to forget how I used to feel and function, and I try not to obsess over the future. I'm forced to focus on now because I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Most of what I'm going to try and explain is … [Read more...]

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Claudia’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Chronic Pain)

by 8 Comments
Jul
09
2011
Chronic Pain Purple Ribbon

Hi! I am Claudia, from Romania. I’m 17, 158 cm, 55kg. I had a happy childhood with minor, but frequent, health problems. My story started 3 years ago. I was operated for appendicitis in March. In April I woke up in a morning with a pain on the left knee.  It was swollen. It hurt more when I went. I said: “Nothing wrong!”, thinking that I hit it without realizing. It was before Easter, so I continued to be normal. No doctors, no meds. During a week, the pain continued, moving to the right knee, than to the right ankle. They were swollen too. I went to the doctor and she said: “I’m sure that this is rheumatism. You’ll have tests to confirm, but anyway you have to do injections of Penicillin!”. I was shocked because I didn’t felt sick. I went there just because my mother said to and then I found that I have this. I took the treatment, but when the test came, the doctor realised that all are normal.  She said: “Oh! I think that there is a mistake from the … [Read more...]

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