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Littlesoul 
Everything is relative, they say. Then they ask you to rate your pain on the scale of 0 to 10. 10 is the worst possible pain. But really - what is that? 10 is the worst imaginable. By whom?
I avoid saying "ten." Even when it feels like any worse - and I will faint. Die. No more. I avoid saying "ten" because somewhere in the back of my mind, I suspect that it can always get worse, and if I presume that I've reached the bottom, the Fates will care to show me otherwise.
I avoid saying "ten" because I know: you never know. You do not know just how much you can endure. You do not know when it will come - the unimaginable. Or at least, the unimagined.
So, as per an old joke, I am an optimist, I guess. I say, it can always get worse.
I avoid saying "ten." Even when it feels like any worse - and I will faint. Die. No more. I avoid saying "ten" because somewhere in the back of my mind, I suspect that it can always get worse, and if I presume that I've reached the bottom, the Fates will care to show me otherwise.
I avoid saying "ten" because I know: you never know. You do not know just how much you can endure. You do not know when it will come - the unimaginable. Or at least, the unimagined.
So, as per an old joke, I am an optimist, I guess. I say, it can always get worse.
Comments
The level of pain always relates to our ability to bear it at any particular time. I find that my ability to bear it fluctuates, depending on my overall health and wellbeing, and also what else is going on in my life. You're right - it can always get worse. It can always get better, too. When I think about pain in my head, I try to use words like "annoying" or "inconvenient" instead of "horrible" or "unbearable." I firmly beleive that how you think about something effects your ability to deal with it. Even on days when the pain is really bad, I try to label it diffently and that helps me to get through.
Nicola