Epilogue: Forward
From these stories, I hope you can recognize the immense diversity of the chronic pain experience, as well as the underlying similarities present in many of these stories. The lack of concrete answers; the presumption that it’s “all in your head”; the cost of health care; the dismissal from certain medical providers; the uncertainty of pain that comes and goes; the isolation of having chronic pain while you’re young.
In the “less serious” cases that call for exercise or ergonomics, personal accountability also emerges as a sticking point. As much as I try to stand up every hour and work on my core exercises, I know that I, perhaps in equal part, work against my interest in preventing my pain as well. As I write this, I find myself sitting in criss-cross-applesauce in my desk chair.
To accommodate this extremely un-ergonomic position, I’ve pulled my lumbar support cushion, the very thing I bought to help with my back pain, around to the back of the chair where it hangs uselessly over the floor. I know full well that this is an act of self-sabotage, that my day-to-day pain management regimen is my individual responsibility. Still, it can be exhausting just to be able to get through the day pain-free; sometimes, it feels easier to just let the pain linger.
After all, it’s not like the pain will go away anytime soon; the only way forward is through.