New to Daily Strength
I joined this site in hope of finding comfort, solace, and understanding in those that deal with chronic pain. I was recently diagnosed, though I have had this issue for years. I think that is also the reason that I find myself here: CHRONIC pain and that my doctor said there is no cure, no fix, no surgery, that will make me better. Even though I have been dealing with this for almost 10 years, even as I made the appointment at the chronic pain clinic, in some part of my mind I held out hope that this would be it; now I will be well. So a week ago in my car, right after my appointment, it finally sunk in: CHRONIC. In spite of my initial reaction, that was a good day for many different reasons. I finally have a diagnosis. I am not crazy. I am receiving treatment. And yes, I may need to retire the superwoman cape, or at least cut it down a bit. So here I am hoping that sharing will be therapeutic for me and helpful to someone. . .and so my journey toward wholeness, in-spite of being broken, begins.
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We are all broken in some way. The biggest issue is learning we are broken inside where not everyone can see. But, God sees and knows. We can only understand. Welcome to DS
Thanks so much! I know He does and because of that, I am able to cope and keep going. Finding a community to help, vent, and understand is important to my journey and I am glad I found this place.
Hello and welcome to DS!
I joined several years ago, as part of my conscious recovery from Bipolar Disorder and years of homelessness with my family; I picked DS as only one of my supports. I was also getting psychotherapy, seeing a psychiatrist, going to a peer support group for mood disorders, joined a synagogue, and starting a new business.
Wellness is not only physical/medical. There are varying definitions, with varying numbers of Dimensions of Wellness, but typically they include
physical wellness
emotional wellness
spiritual wellness
occupational wellness
environmental wellness
social wellness
I asked my new PCP doctor for a referral to a new psychiatrist. He also encouraged me to go to psychotherapy again. He said, \"Medicine can\'t treat everything; wellness is in your mind and soul too.\"
I also joined the Chronic Pain group, because my wife suffered from chronic headaches for more than 30 years. Now that I am in my mid 50s, I have chronic pain too, arthritis in my back and knees, and a couple of times a year, weather-related migraines.
In my mood disorders group, newly diagnosed people come, shattered, self-stigmatized with a diagnosis of mental illness. I tell them, \"Having a diagnosis is a kind of relief. Now you have a name for the problem, and you can plan what to do about it.\" I wasn\'t diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder until I was about 30, but things were very wrong sometimes since my early teens, and it scared me. Now I can recognize the patterns: \"Oh, another mood swing. I\'ve been through this before.\"
For a lot of ailments and problems we face, I think it helps to not dwell on them. Getting \"outside your head\" can be a big relief. If you sit and focus on your pain, you will just feel it stronger. Like when they say \"Laughter is the best medicine\" - sure, it releases endorphins, but also, it distracts us from our worries for a little while. Distraction can be a good thing :D
I tend to write a lot when I get started. Communicating with others on DS, and elsewhere, helps me too.
Be well, on your journey to wholeness :D