One out of three people suffers from some form of chronic pain. Acute
pain, by contrast, occurs suddenly and serves as the body's warning
signal that something may be very wrong. In general, acute pain almost
always has an end, a certain time when we can expect it to be totally
over. CHRONIC pain, on the other hand, persists long after we would
expect it to go away. It can disrupt virtually every aspect of our
normal pattern of living-work,play,sleep,sex,family,social,emotional,
and faith life. It may ultimately require us to make some major,
long-term changes in our life-style. All pain is real, whether or not
physicians can find a clinical reason for it. It's your body and you
know if something hurts. You don't need to apologize for your pain or
to question your judgement about it. Doubting your own perceptions will
just add emotional pain to the physical pain you are already
experiencing. A support group for sufferers of chronic pain may help to
give validity to your personal experience, as well as allow you to vent
your feeling of depression or anger. Talking about your distress will
help you to cope with it more creatively in the long run. Sherry Marie