Chronic Pain Residue: Clearing out the Debris

I decided to do a blog to try and connect with folks who have endured a long term chronic pain experience, were cured with surgery, but who felt that they were not truly healed. Surgery and physical therapy address the obvious aspects of mending a physical situation, but do not focus on the residual damage that occurred internally during the chronic pain experience.

Let me tell you a bit about my story…..

I was born with hip dysplasia that was not diagnosed until I began walking. At that point doctors cast my hips to place them back in their sockets. As a child I just always had a lot of pain in my legs. The pain progressed through the years and when I was 40 I had both hips replaced, a year apart. By that time I could hardly face a flight of stairs and my family and quality of life was suffering.

After surgery, it felt like a I had been granted a new life. One that was painfree. Yet, there was something almost paralyzing about that. It was such a gift to be able to move without pain, but I found myself asking my surgeon did he know of any support groups for people who had been in chronic pain and were now relieved. He had the strangest look in his eyes. I knew he had no concept of what I was talking about. But I knew there were more parts of me that needed healing.

How was I now to accept the fact that the pain was gone? It had been a presence for so long that I almost thought of it as another person inside of myself. We negotiated daily on what I could or could not do, and what kind of pain price was I going to have to pay for doing a particular thing, like walking to the park with my young daughter.

It has been over 18 years since my original surgery and I have not stopped attempting to RE-integrate my body and mind. I have found several things that have worked and have spent much time writing about the experience.

I welcome any exchange of ideas with those who had undergone such an experience, or who understand that there really is a MISSING PIECE that needs to be considered along with surgery and physical therapy.