Depression and anxiety are a normal part of the experience of anyone who experiences chronic pain. But that’s just the beginning. There are so many other aspects of your life that start getting affected. It’s the terrible triangle of pain, lack of sleep, and sadness. Depression and irritability lead to fatigue and bone weariness.  You are so sleepy all the time but you can’t get a good night’s sleep. You want to stop the pain and you want to get to sleep. All this trouble tends to lead to alcoholism, drug abuse, getting surgeries which are unnecessary, and family misery.

Your appetite may be gone or you may eat yourself silly with the pain and depression. It’s almost impossible for you to have any kind of social life because you have to be medicated to do much of anything.  As a result, you are no longer a part of your former world. You are less active and perhaps you start to gain weight.  You can’t exercise like you used to because it hurts too much. Then your clothes don’t fit.  Your life cannot be planned because you don’t know when your pain will flare up into a situation where you can’t know if you will feel up to going somewhere. That’s when you start to feel that there’s nothingbetter to look forward to. You are tired, irritable, and isolated.

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Anyone who has suffered with chronic pain, the pain that becomes your life partner and then stabs you in the back, knows how easily it becomes to fall into a really bad depression.  The pain that never quits leaves you wondering if living is as great at you thought it was. Depression just gets in line and follows the pain leader down that lonely road. Believe me, I’ve been on that road and it’s a mean, dead-end.

Pain is a normal. It’s a bad sensation triggered by your brain to let you know there is something wrong and you need to do something about it. Chronic pain is different. It stays with you and makes itself at home.  Pain signals keep firing at you for weeks, months, and maybe years.  This is caused by many illnesses such as arthritis, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel, spinal degeneration, and so many more. Pain is the not same for everyone. It can last for months or last a lifetime. It takes a toll, both physically and emotionally. It can lead to depression, anxiety, anger, insomnia, and irritability.  Some chronic pain sufferers cannot work or even do the pleasurable things they used to do. It can cause problems in relationships. Everyone who is around the person with chronic pain suffers. It can lead to the over use of drugs and alcohol. Chronic pain is toxic and can ruin your life.

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