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Real members of MyChronicPainTeam have posted questions and answers that support our community guidelines, and should not be taken as medical advice. Looking for the latest medically reviewed content by doctors and experts? Visit our resource section.

I have degenerative disc disease, diabetes, nerve damage, neuropathy, anxiety, depression, and an ongoing undiagnosed condition that my doctor and I are working on. With all that I get to a point of just dealing with people.

December 9, 2024
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Answer Summary

Members openly connected over the isolating experience of chronic pain and how social interactions can worsen symptoms through added stress... Read more

Members openly connected over the isolating experience of chronic pain and how social interactions can worsen symptoms through added stress and anxiety, with many describing a painful pattern of withdrawing from relationships when loved ones fail to understand their daily struggles or judge them for canceling plans or not completing household tasks. Several members shared experiences of being accused of faking their conditions, being told they look fine, or receiving unhelpful advice to just be more positive, leading many to let go of draining relationships for their own wellbeing and recognizing that stress directly intensifies pain. A recurring theme was the grief of losing the person they once were, the loneliness of living with invisible illness, and the emotional toll of hiding daily suffering while powering through, with members offering each other validation that their pain is real even when others cannot see it.

A MyChronicPainTeam Member

@A MyChronicPainTeam Member i believe to a degree that we all grieve the loss of the person "we once were." I know that I have cried several times over the last 20+ years of dealing with my issues. It is a constant feeling that I have and no one ever understands why I get so frustrated with things that happen around me. I have said in this last month, more than once, that people are lucky that I have learned to hold my tongue because if I were to really let go I would hurt people that truly have no capacity to truly understand what it is like for me to hide my daily struggle and still do what has to be done.

February 3, 2025
A MyChronicPainTeam Member

@A MyChronicPainTeam Member Looks are deceiving. Ya know it is true. We often look pretty good. Hope you're having a good day.

January 22, 2025
A MyChronicPainTeam Member

I get it
I have friends & family I've just let go
Got tired of their never ending opinions & advice on what would fix my chronic pain problem - simple fix you're just being lazy
Or you don't have a super positive attitude all the time
That's your problem
It was just safer for them that I stepped away, because the stress started to outweigh the relationship & stress will & does excaberate your pain conditions, which they can never understand until they've spent a day in your body.
Tess

January 15, 2025
A MyChronicPainTeam Member

@A MyChronicPainTeam Member

December 19, 2024
A MyChronicPainTeam Member

@A MyChronicPainTeam Member I second the want to clobber them feeling. I have found that finding some you don't want to clobber is becoming increasingly more difficult, so yeah clobbering them would be a step up. 🤭

December 18, 2024

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