1 in 5 Canadians live with persistent pain? Pain is the top reason why people seek medical care, and it accounts for approximately one-third of the patient load for family physicians. (University of Fraser Valley)
And 1 in 4 Americans live with chronic pain.
The theme for Pain Awareness Month for the US Pain Foundation this year is Unmasking Pain: Because Pain Is More Than a Chart. It’s a Life
“Behind every statistic is a person—often unheard, unseen, and disbelieved,” said Nicole Hemmenway, CEO of the U.S. Pain Foundation. “Unmasking Pain is more than a theme—it’s a call to action. We must confront the full scope of pain—how it reshapes lives, burdens families, strains caregivers, and challenges even the most compassionate health care providers.” Pain Foundation
I used to say that pain has a radius- that it affects all those around me, in so many ways. And this theme they have does dig into that. How it can affect caregivers, doctors, mental health providers, family, and friends. The evidence for its impact is there. Even if the full awareness of the impact may not entirely be present. How it impacts our lives and radiates outward to those around us, is not always seen or known or understood. Not all the time.
Looking at the impact and unmasking how it affects our lives personally is important. How it impacts those around us is equally important.
Statistics on chronic pain
- 87% of adults have lived with chronic pain for more than five years
- 93% say pain significantly limits physical activity
- 88% report anxiety or depression directly tied to their pain
Source: US pain foundation
I have lived with chronic pain for most of my life. Some of my childhood, my youth and all of my adult life. It had impacted my school life, university, my work life and my relationships with others. It can affect my mobility. My ability to get proper sleep. My ability to function. Focus. Concentrate. Yes, it limits physical activity in ways most people do not understand for my age, no matter the age. I have had depression directly related to the pain since I was a youth. Two episodes of chronic pain. One lasted a couple years. The other endured over a decade and complicated my treatment and capacity to cope.
Healthcare providers
- Only 50% feel adequately trained in pain care
- Just 17% have strong trauma-informed or culturally responsive training
- 92% want more education on pain management
Source: US pain foundation
It is difficult to deal with doctor about chronic pain. And after a long history with a few doctors it is apparent some of them had little concern over my chronic pain and didn’t know what to do about it or care one way or the other. While others sought to investigate it. While others sent me to a pain clinic to get adequate treatment. Or specific treatments like physiotherapy for various things or cortisone injections my shoulder or botox for chronic migraines. And various medications specific to pain like pain killers or triptans for migraine attacks or adjacent to pain such as things for nausea or sleep. While some did very little aside from telling me I must be depressed or have anxiety- others did a great deal. While others listened not at all- others were intent to my body language and what I said, knowing people mask chronic pain quite effectively.
Because Pain Is More Than a Chart. It’s a Life
We all live this theme. A number on a pain scale. A notation in a chart. Are nothing compared to the inches of pain minute by minute, day by day, week by week.
This is one of my favourite quotes:
“Pain is always new to the sufferer, but loses its originality for those around him. Everyone will get used to it except me.”
― Alphonse Daudet, In the Land of Pain
This is not the sort of thing where you talk about the minutia of your pain and symptoms. It is not something you want to worry others about. Or concern them about. Or even bore them with. So the majority of that suffering, day by day, stays internal. At least for me. And always has. It comes out in various ways, just not anticipated behaviours. And not normal pain behaviours.
It isn’t intentional. Hiding it, or masking it. I can drop the mask if I want. And I have. It isn’t intentional. It is simply- functional for many reasons. We mask our pain for so many reasons and one of them is to be functional. And another is for a distraction. And I do it for both. I got so very used to it I don’t even think about it. I used to think showing pain was a weakness but trust me, I do not now. And as I said, it comes out, the pain, in Other behaviours and Other ways. In fatigue, in concentration issues. In my art. In my writing.
But as a consequences others forget that I suffer because I am so very quiet. And that is just the way I am. Many are. I could talk about the pain and difficulty sleeping. And how I sleep only 3 to 4 hours. Get up for a bit. And go back to sleep. That a sleep specialist told me if the pain was interfering like that that breaking up my sleep was the best that could be done. That getting up is costly. I need rest. That pain is one place one day, another place another, but sits for long durations in others (ribcage, shoulder so on so on). And that if it isn’t the pain that gets to me, it is the fatigue.
And I forget that sometimes we need to be a bit louder. Tell a little bit more about our pain to those around us. Unmask a little bit. Maybe just what we are comfortable with. They know more than I think or know. See more than I think or know. That radius is there. But just share a little bit. It goes a long way.
Chronically Nikki 
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