I’m writing this post about chronic pain not for sympathy it’s to help the people who know me — and anyone who wants to understand — see what living with chronic pain is really like.

Chronic pain is hard to imagine unless you live with it. From the outside, it can look like nothing at all. There’s no cast, no bandage, no obvious sign that anything is wrong. And because of that, people often misunderstand it.

Sometimes chronic pain sufferers are seen as complainers. As lazy. As unreliable. At worst, as exaggerating — or even making it up.

But chronic pain isn’t just “being in pain.” It’s waking up already exhausted because your body never truly rests. It’s pain that doesn’t clock out at the end of the day. It’s having to measure your energy in small portions and constantly calculate what you can afford to do.

It’s knowing that if you push yourself to have one “normal” day — to show up, to socialise, to get things done — you may pay for it with several worse days afterward. It’s living in a body that keeps score.

So if I seem distant, cancel plans, move slowly,  it isn’t because I don’t care. It’s because I’m managing something you can’t see.

I don’t expect everyone to fully understand. I just hope this helps explain a little more of what life looks like from this side of it.

On a more happier note. I’m lucky to have a wonderful husband who is very supportive and kind, a nutty dog who makes me smile, some lovely friends, and my art. I like doing art now that makes people smile and is optimistic.

Richard and Fred

The Great Chip Heist

Fred and musical squirrel

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