Taming Chronic Pain by Amy Orr

Author:Amy Orr [Orr, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781642500387
Publisher: Mango Media
Published: 2019-07-17T14:46:09+00:00

Chapter 12

Strength Euphoria and Setbacks

Here’s an important note on strength euphoria. You might have a different name for it, but you know the feeling: the one that comes when suddenly, maybe because of extra work you’ve been putting in, maybe due to a new treatment, or maybe for no reason at all, you feel stronger. Better, more capable. Activities that caused serious pain in the recent past are now manageable; when you push, it delivers results rather than setbacks. This is a wonderful, surprising feeling, but don’t let it go to your head. Jumps forward are as unpredictable and as undependable as setbacks. Feeling better or stronger is great, and if you are able to do more, then do more. But beware of the easy trap: “I feel good, I feel well, I am better. I can do anything.” Suddenly you are Wonder Woman again, and it’s all the more wonderful because of the relief from pain. Staying level and calm during these times is trying but necessary. In order for the improvement to even have a chance of being more than temporary, continuing to pace yourself and monitoring your pain is essential.

If you’re prepared for strength to come and go at random, to just let it be and take full advantage of it when it arrives without concern for long-term improvement, that is a perfectly valid choice, but it does come with a greater emotional tax. You have to be fully prepared, when and if things deteriorate, not to blame yourself or what-if all over yourself. If you can do this, then great, have at it. The smoother, less taxing option is to gratefully accept any improvement, but not pin all of your hopes on it. You might be better permanently. It might be a small movement in a generally upward-trending curve. It might be a reprieve before a worsening. The point is, you can’t know. Only time will tell. A Zen attitude of acceptance is important so as to not upset your self-management progress or begin to ignore re-emerging signs of chronic pain. The euphoria from feeling better, even partially, can be overwhelming, so just be mindful of how you let it affect your continuing pain management efforts.

A similar point must be made for setbacks. Setbacks are hard to accept and, in the moment, can feel like absolute failure. Something got worse—it’s the end of the world. It takes perspective and practice to come to see these as minor data points in a much larger, more complex picture of your health. It might be the start of a worsening, it might be a reaction to something temporary, it might be nothing at all. Again, only time will tell, so don’t let it define your mood or your management strategies. Only when a change persists should you, calmly and with your doctor and family, choose to reevaluate your ongoing plans.

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