3 ms·

Hey, fellow chronic pain guy here, though "only" 8 years and counting so far! I have CFS and Small Fibre Neuropathy, which pain-wise means I have constant neuro

Hey, fellow chronic pain guy here, though "only" 8 years and counting so far! I have CFS and Small Fibre Neuropathy, which pain-wise means I have constant neuropathic and muscular pain in my limbs. Unless someone has lived with chronic pain, they won't be able to understand what it does to your mental health. Living in constant pain is hard - fucking hard. I've really struggled, and if I didn't have a family, without a doubt I'd be dead by now. Even with my family, I spent a lot of time fantasising about suicide, and one time I almost did it without l even thinking about it. It also turned me into a pretty horrible person, who slowly pushed away many friends, and made life difficult for my family. Thankfully, I'm finally coming to terms with it, and I now have meds that actually help. I use an opioid and ketamine. The opioid helps a little with the pain, as does the ketamine - but really, the ketamine improves my mood, a lot. For the past couple of years I've also been using cannabis - this has made a huge difference to my mental health, general well-being, and family life! Having the ability to be essentially pain free every evening after hitting a nice heavy indica is... amazing, in a way that only someone who'd been in constant pain for years could understand. If you have access to legalised cannabis wherever you are, I can't recommend it highly enough. Christ, even if it's not legal, it's worth thinking about.

Mezzie 3y ago
> Unless someone has lived with chronic pain, they won't be able to understand what it does to your mental health. Living in constant pain is hard - fucking hard. And specifically chronic pain that will never get better and can only get worse. A lot of the platitudes and reasoning we use to get people to not commit suicide don't apply. It can get better? Bitch, I have Multiple Sclerosis. Yes, hopefully science can do something about it, but right now it's an incurable, progressive illness. I primarily stay alive from a combination of spite and the ability to be a living cautionary/memento mori tale: I did everything 'right' and this still happened. It can happen to you. Work as hard as you like, make all the right choices... you can still fail. Have some grace or be eaten alive when you fall.

Mezzie 3y ago

> Unless someone has lived with chronic pain, they won't be able to understand what it does to your mental health. Living in constant pain is hard - fucking hard. And specifically chronic pain that will never get better and can only get worse. A lot of the platitudes and reasoning we use to get people to not commit suicide don't apply. It can get better? Bitch, I have Multiple Sclerosis. Yes, hopefully science can do something about it, but right now it's an incurable, progressive illness. I primarily stay alive from a combination of spite and the ability to be a living cautionary/memento mori tale: I did everything 'right' and this still happened. It can happen to you. Work as hard as you like, make all the right choices... you can still fail. Have some grace or be eaten alive when you fall.