Thank you,

Louise

"There are stigmas and problems associated with pain. The worst stigma occurs when people look at you but see nothing visibly wrong. Then there is the friends that vanish. The isolation and loneliness. Even with a family people talk of their loneliness. Suicide is a very sad end.

There are people that want to help and try to understand. But there are never the correct words to understand or to relate what the Chronic Pain Syndrome is all about. People look blankly and shake their head.

RustyDreams

I've survived many things - sexual abuse as a teenager by my sister's husband, poverty in my first marriage, divorce, single parenting, care giving for my dying father, caring for my mother until she went into a nursing home, and many physical injuries. In spite of all this I feel that I have so much to be thankful for. I am now married to a loving kind understanding man, who supports me in everything I do. I live with pain every day and yet I can still drive a car, go grocery shopping, dancing, and I don't have to use a cane, wheelchair or crutches. When my legs get sore I think about the person who has no legs and I'm ashamed to complain. A few years ago I was going to the hospital for physiotherapy, as I was sitting in the waiting room I was watching people going by in wheelchairs, some with and some without legs, and I told my physiotherapist that all you have to do is sit in that waiting room and you would be ashamed to complain. I thank God every day for all my blessings even though I complain at times about this long Canadian winter. I know that there are so many people that are far worse off than I am.

I am definitely a survivor!

Sugar

I guess for me the worse thing about my illness isn't the pain, the dizziness or the nausea, it's the isolation and loss of independence. You see we moved here (back home for me) after living for many years in the north. I worked at first but the job I did was a special one involving sick children and I worked from my home so I never had the chance to get out there and meet people. We met a few people but really between working and running the farm and looking after a bunch of teenagers we didn't get out much. Then I started getting sick. Simple little things at first but it rapidly progressed and I was soon not able to work. Soon after that I wasn't able to drive either. (I can sometimes now) And I guess that somewhere I got left behind. Not by family, but by the few people we HAD met. Not being able to accept invitations for lunch or movies or shopping makes a difference.I guess those with no limitations find it hard to be tied to someone with them. But I do what I can when I can and am thankful for it. Smile...it makes them wonder what you're up to,

Wynter Grace