{"id":1783,"date":"2015-08-24T19:06:47","date_gmt":"2015-08-24T19:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1783"},"modified":"2015-08-09T19:18:32","modified_gmt":"2015-08-09T19:18:32","slug":"chronic-pain-feeling-the-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/08\/chronic-pain-feeling-the-heat.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Pain: Feeling the Heat?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image Courtesy of Simon Howden\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Searing. Exhausting. Oppressive.<\/p>\n

These and other words are often used to describe the high heat of the summertime. And they’re also words that we use to describe pain, especially the kind of pain that is chronic and unrelenting.<\/p>\n

This summer has been a very tough one for high temperatures and<\/em>\u00a0chronic pain, and one of the things that I’ve been trying to do to “cool off” is return a bit to my childhood, especially the fond memories I have of escaping the heat (we didn’t have air conditioning when I was growing up) by cocooning in the local library and devouring book after book. How I loved going to all those interesting places, meeting amazing characters, and diving into stories woven in different times! \u00a0No “hard-hitting” novels, then, but rather “juvenile” fiction – the Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis, the Wizard of Oz books, Misty of Chincoteague and the other “horsey” novels. I just last week finished reading my first “Freddy the Pig” book by Walter R. Brooks, and am now moving on to my second. What fun! And what a fun way to cool off!<\/p>\n

These escapes are not just in the realm of youth. We adults can also cocoon in cooler climes with our favorite characters from childrens’ and young adult literature – and discover more that have been written since. We can lose ourselves in those intriguing stories, creative scenarios, and characters that seem to become friends and who beckon, “Leave your pain, the heat of suffering. Come. Linger. Read. Enjoy!”<\/p>\n

The heat will continue to bear down, and time passes anyway.\u00a0Why not spend it with an old, cool friend?<\/p>\n

Joy,
\nMaureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Searing. Exhausting. Oppressive. These and other words are often used to describe the high heat of the summertime. And they’re also words that we use to describe pain, especially the kind of pain that is chronic and unrelenting. 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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1783"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1785,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\/revisions\/1785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}