A little about me.

Why blog? As someone who has lived with chronic pain, studied chronic pain, and helped individuals manage chronic pain, I possess a unique perspective on the experience of living with chronic pain. And yes, most times, it is a pain in the arse! Plain and simple. You manage the pain the best you can and make changes in your world to increase your quality of life. You prioritize, pace yourself, and hopefully come to accept where your mind and body have taken you. That is a process. A long one. A challenging one. An ongoing one. But, before I get ahead of myself, I should provide a little background.

I am a 42 year old woman who lives with daily chronic migraines and fibromyalgia. My journey of acquiring these ailments has been a life long one, expedited by a concussion I endured 8 years ago. A smuck to the head. At the time, my biggest concern was the potential need for stitches. Puh. If I'd known then how miniscule that fear was in comparison to what has transpired since that bonk on the noggin...but hindsight and all that. I'll get into more detail about my own journey later.

Professionally speaking, I studied psychology at the undergraduate and graduate level. I acquired a BA in Psychology, and a MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology. It took forever. 16 years to be exact. I'll get into the nitty gritty of that at a later time. Part of my training was in chronic pain management and I practiced helping others manage their pain in both the public and private sectors. Due to the disabling level of pain I experience, I am no longer practicing.

On a happy note, I am married to an incredibly supportive (and I am forever grateful for him as I know not everyone has the same support at home) husband, Andrew. Is it all marital bliss? Heck no. I'm his biggest pain in the arse. We have our moments. My chronic pain has been difficult on him. No doubt about it. But, we are still in love and living in the same house so all is well. We have a sweet 10-year old boy named Patrick. He's the only incentive we need to continue working on the management of my pain and enjoying our lives. I'll get into the specific areas of difficulties we have encountered along the way because of my pain in later posts. Much the same as everyone living with chronic pain, it's a challenge.

My goal in writing this blog is to provide a real, candid account of someone living with chronic pain. I will infuse my lived experiences with my professional knowledge. I've been told all my life by family, teachers, and friends that I'm a straight shooter. I tell it how it is. I sometimes cross that line that most people stay on the other side of but, that's ok too. I'm human. I'm also fairly neurotic. A colleague of mine once told me I was "refreshingly neurotic". I question just how refreshing it is but I digress. I hope the combination of frankness, neuroticism, and education will make for an interesting, informative and entertaining read. If not, well, it's therapeutic for me. That, in and of itself, is meaningful.

So enjoy the read, comment when you like (agree or disagree), and, as we like to say in Newfoundland (oh yeah, I forgot to mention I'm from Newfoundland), "fill your boots".

Lucy