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during exercise.complaining. Klimas says that
by the time most of her patients
walk into her office, they, like Sara
Drenner, have been told by multiple
healthcare professionals that they’re
just exaggerating the normal side
effects of a busy, multitasking life.
Non-doctors have an even harder
time understanding chronic pain:
a fact patients know all too well.
Many can’t stand the “Oh, this
again” looks they get from friends.
Others are afraid to speak up at
work, worried they’ll be labelled
incompetent. “I mostly keep quiet
about how much pain I’m in; my
colleagues just wouldn’t get it,” says
Brooke Sahker, 34, a publicist with
chronic neck pain. Problem is, says
Darnall, “the frustration and anxiety
over not feeling heard or believed
only amplifies the physical pain”.A WORLD
OF HURT
“Every two to three hours, I get
a headache so painful it forces me
to stop whatever I’m doing. I feel
like I’m always just waiting for the
next excruciating wave to start.”
Lindsay Kirsch, 31, cluster headaches£ It’s not just others’ judgey
behaviour that can sting. You might
be beating yourself up without
realising it. Constantly ruminating
over your discomfort can snowball
into a phenomenon that doctors call
catastrophising. “Whether or not
someone catastrophises is one of the
most potent indicators of how quickly
they’ll find relief and how well they’ll
respond to treatment,” says Darnall.The takeaway: think the worst and
you’re less likely to heal; stay hopeful
and there’s a better chance your
therapies will work. This is especially
true for non-drug, integrative
remedies. There is some evidence
that acupuncture can help relieve
lower back pain. Other research
points to yoga, biofeedback, and
massage therapy as excellent tactics
for quelling all types of chronic aches.
It’s also nearly always a good idea
to share how you’re feeling with
others, says Darnall. Just remember
that this likely won’t be a one-stop
convo. “Because people can’t see
pain,” she says, “it may take time for
them to grasp what you’re saying.”
Try to be as specific as you can:
“I have recurring migraines that last
two days” versus “Sometimes I get
bad headaches.” Coming out to
bosses or colleagues is generally
recommended. “Once you
understand how hard it is for people
to know how much pain you’re in,
it gets easier to brush off insensitive
comments,” says Brooke Sahker.
Finally, despite the fact that
everyone’s chronic pain is different,
there are a few healing steps all
sufferers can take: get plenty
of sleep, at least eight hours
a night; load up on inflammation-
fighting foods such as salmon and
blueberries; and do whatever you
can to keep stress levels in check.
When all else fails, Lindsay Kirsch,
like Ashli Stempel, focuses on what
she can do. “I’ve spent way too
many hours scaring the crap out
of myself reading about cluster
headaches online,” Lindsay says.
“Now I try to take advantage of
the times I’m not in pain.” WHspecial report
“None of my
friends
understand how
painful my
cluster
headaches are.”- Lindsay Kirsch