My New Life: A Pain Connection

When I was on my way to physical therapy this week, my legs and back were hurting a lot. I took a pain pill for some relief. It helped a little, but after therapy I felt nauseated. My therapist had given me an ice pack and a TENS unit for my pain and soreness. A TENS unit has sticky electrodes that are placed on the skin around a painful area. It delivers a light current through electrodes to the skin and tissues just beneath it. It feels like pins and needles. It is one of several treatments that my therapist uses on me for my pain.

I was sitting in one of the wonderful massage chairs after therapy, but the vibration from the chair was not helping with my nausea. I finally turned the chair off and took a Zophran. Zophran is often given to cancer patients to help prevent nausea and vomiting. I felt better for a little while.

By the time I got back home, I was extremely nauseated again. I just wanted to eat a little something and go to bed. Before I went to bed, I took another Zophran. I went to the bathroom right before I went to bed because I thought I was going to throw up. I guess the Zophran helped enough, so I didn't have to after all. Although, sometimes after I throw up, I feel better.

My week was not off to a good start. I struggled throughout the week with extreme exhaustion, sciatica, back, bottom and leg pain. Thursday evening I asked my husband to do some trigger point releases on my bottom. He also did some stretching on my legs. I think that combined with lots of extra sleep and rest finally made me feel better by Friday. It takes me so long to get over being tired now that I have Interstitial Cystitis (IC) and other related conditions such as fibromyalgia.

I once met an amazing woman who told me she has fibromyalgia. She talked about how hard it is for her to work and to even walk sometimes. Fibromyalgia is widespread pain in the muscles. It causes chronic fatigue and sleep difficulties She says it causes her to miss work, but most of the time she just works through the pain and extreme fatigue. She was truly an inspiration to me.

I felt a connection to her because she has some of the similar pains that I do. As I struggle with my pain, I seek comfort from the Lord. I feel a pain connection to Paul as he writes:

⁷And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor. 12:7-10

Our difficulties may or may not be removed from us. Paul could have resented the fact that God did not heal his affliction. Instead, he saw it as a strength because it made him rely on God more. As frustrating, stressful and lonely as our pains may be, we can find comfort in the fact that when we trust God more we are made stronger in Him.

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Share MayFlowers is a public health and awareness campaign focused primarily on the under-discussed topics of female pelvic and perinatal health, launched by Women's Action Initiative.