{"id":1866,"date":"2015-11-05T20:44:24","date_gmt":"2015-11-05T20:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1866"},"modified":"2015-11-05T20:44:24","modified_gmt":"2015-11-05T20:44:24","slug":"chronic-pain-how-we-measure-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/11\/chronic-pain-how-we-measure-time.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Pain: How We Measure Time"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image Courtesy of graur codrin\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“It’ll take awhile to clear up.”<\/p>\n

“The time it takes for the med to begin to work varies, depending…”<\/p>\n

“You might have more pain for awhile before your symptoms subside…”<\/p>\n

“Rehab results might take a bit longer…”<\/p>\n

When I moved squarely into the world of chronic pain, I learned a hard lesson very quickly: “Time” varies, and is seldom a realiable measure of how our lives with pain “feel.” Our docs do their best, but with each of us patient so very different, with distinctly different symptoms, treatment regimens, lifestyles, and stressors, the best of medical teams can often be unable to estimate how long symptoms will last, the duration of acute pain, and the ever-important “Will I ever be completely pain free?”<\/p>\n

Given there is so much, then, that we and our docs do not know, I’ve given up trying to figure out the duration of any symptoms or flares. Rather, I’ve re-imagined how I measure time, beginning with the here and now (a step we often skip over completely when thinking about the trajectory of our pain). So, I take stock of how I feel immediately and then move forward with whatever I and my docs have decided is the best way to proceed (make the PT appointments, get the refill, do the stretches, etc.). This way, I acknowledge the pain I am feeling and I take pro-active steps in the present to fashion a future that has the possibility of bringing relief… or, at least, progress.<\/p>\n

Inch by inch, day by day, I move ahead, then, always acknowledging the present and paving the future with some concrete stepping stones. I might not know the full extent of how the days will unfold, but at least I’m not leaving the entire block of days on a calendar up to chance (and the whims of a strong-willed pain syndrome!). Being more present in the present also takes away the dread of facing indeterminent time periods of continued pain. It’s very different to breathe through “now I hurt, but I’m setting up some positive, helpful things for the future,” than to tense up in the present because I’m wondering what future days will hold (and dreading there will only be pain).<\/p>\n

It also helps to keep a pain log, which can show how long specific levels of pain have lasted and thus better inform our docs and physical therapists as to what they might suggest to help matters improve. Long days of great pain have a way of clouding our perception of the passage of time, but a log can help us gain clarity when we most need it.<\/p>\n

The most important thing to keep in mind is that time\u00a0does<\/em> pass – and we do well to help ourselves through it, gently, with good counsel, and in faith!<\/p>\n

Peace,<\/p>\n

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

“It’ll take awhile to clear up.” “The time it takes for the med to begin to work varies, depending…” “You might have more pain for awhile before your symptoms subside…” “Rehab results might take a bit longer…” When I moved squarely into the world of chronic pain, I learned a hard lesson very quickly: “Time”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":548,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,360,1420,1245],"tags":[44,1935,1937,1936],"class_list":["post-1866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chronic-pain-and-illness","category-determination","category-pain-2","category-positive","tag-chronic-pain","tag-duration-of-pain","tag-ongoing-pain","tag-unending-pain"],"yoast_head":"\nChronic Pain: How We Measure Time - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"how we take charge of our time helps us cope with pain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/11\/chronic-pain-how-we-measure-time.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chronic Pain: How We Measure Time - 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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\/1866","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=1866"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1867,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866\/revisions\/1867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}