Receiving a chronic pain diagnosis
Many people who are newly diagnosed with a condition that causes chronic pain go through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. They grieve over the loss of life the way they imagined. They grieve over the loss of their health. If this is you, you are not alone and there are ways to live full lives with these conditions, probably in less pain than you’ve imagined.
There are many ways to effectively manage the symptoms of chronic disease, but you should be aware that you may have to work through some feelings of grief and despair before you’re ready to find out what they are. So, what should you do first?
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Find a way to lessen the emotional impact of your diagnosis
In the first stage of grief – denial – you are likely to feel “numb.” This is perfectly understandable. It’s the mind’s way of shielding us from the initial shock of loss. Give yourself time to get through this stage, but try not to allow yourself to bottle up your emotions.
During this stage, it’s vital to start practicing some various relaxation and calming methods. While you may not be experiencing extreme anxiety yet, it’s the perfect time to learn these techniques to prepare for times when you start to feel overwhelmed. Some effective techniques are:
- Deep breathing
- Guided imagery
- Progressive relaxation
Make a Plan
The anger and bargaining stages are the best times to start to implement a plan for dealing with your symptoms. Use your frustration to push you to take charge. During the anger stage of grief, it’s completely normal to feel out of control and planning a way to handle this challenging situation is a good way to get some of that back.
An effective pain management plan should include some of the previously mentioned techniques, such as deep breathing and guided imagery. At first, it is easier to achieve the desired results when you work with someone. It should also include educating yourself about any prescription medications that your doctor recommends to you to control pain. While medication may be completely necessary in your situation, it’s important to know the high risk of addiction to these drugs even while under a doctor’s care. According to one report from Harvard, physicians don’t always have a good grasp on where to stop a patient’s dosage when the patient’s body starts becoming immune to the painkilling effects. Because of this, there are thousands of people who die from prescription overdose every year.
Exercise
If you’ve reached the stage of depression, you know that the last thing you want to do is to get moving, but now, more than ever, it’s important to do just that.
The appropriate kind of exercise for your condition has been proven to reduce chronic pain for a couple of reasons:
- It increases mobility and reduces joint and muscle stiffness and weakness.
- It causes your body to release endorphins or “feel good” hormones into the brain.
Walking, swimming, stretching and strength training are all extremely effective exercises to create in your routine. Just remember to start out slowly and consult your physician before you begin any new activity.
Once cleared by your doctor, consider short, effective home workouts to help you start out. You can easily incorporate body weight exercise like push-ups or squats into quick routines, though be sure to maintain good form to avoid injury. As you gain strength and endurance, slowly add to your routine or consider finding additional activities.
Whenever you’re introducing healthy lifestyle changes, you want to make sure these changes are sustainable for the long term. Instead of focusing on the goal, put your energy into developing a routine that you can maintain each day.
Accept
Acceptance sounds like it should be the final resting place for your grief, but truthfully, many people make the circle between all five stages more than once. While this is the best stage to be in when your thoughts and emotions are more stable, be prepared to experience the other stages at various points.
It’s crucial that you learn to not only accept your illness, but also to accept yourself. Find a good counselor and/or a support group who understand what you are going through. Surround yourself with people you love and on whom you can rely. Take this opportunity to use your diagnosis as the starting point for life changes that will put you on a better path to health and longevity.
Sometimes, a difficult experience can be the beginning of an important and needed change in one’s life. It can also be an opportunity to learn something that can change your life in a meaningful way.