HURT FEELINGS
How Pain Is Like Ice Cream
Both are indescribable
They say, “Write about what you know.” I know pain.
In fact, when it comes to pain, you could conclude I’ve got a Ph.D. (Personal history of Disease).
Diagnosed at age 6, I suffer from a rare genetic condition called multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (M-E-D), which caused my joints and bones to deform as I grew. I’ve had eight joint replacements (both hips twice, both knees, and both shoulders) plus had both my ankles fused.
As a result, I have High-Impact Chronic Pain (HICP), which is severe pain that lasts longer than three months and interferes with daily living. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 17 million American adults contend with the same condition.
Every day, I ache head to toe, mostly with osteoarthritis in my legs, torso, arms, and neck. I also have stress headaches due to constantly girding my body against the pain.
It’s tough, though, to precisely describe pain because each person who lives with chronic pain has a unique experience. Your pain is not like my pain. It’s impossible to compare exactly what each of us feels as nerves carry signals to our brains, which interpret whether we should fight, flee, or freeze.
