The Spoon Theory & Chronic Pain

I shared the spoon theory in my last post here.

I’m sure you noticed that the girl in the story has the medical condition Lupus. While obviously not the same medical condition a lot of what she says – No, most – No, all of what she said still applies to anyone with a chronic medical condition.

With fibromyalgia and my other chronic pain conditions I also deal with the daily grind of the limits put on me by my medical conditions. Like Christine, the author, I have a limited amount of energy that I can use each day. Some days I start with more energy, more spoons. Some days I start with less energy, less spoons.

I hope this gives you a new understanding about what it is like to live with chronic pain and chronic illnesses like ours.

My next post is about The Matchbox Theory which I think is actually a little more apt.

The Spoon Theory

by Christine Miserandino.

My best friend and I were in the diner, talking. As usual, it was very late and we were eating French fries with gravy. Like normal girls our age, we spent a lot of time in the diner while in college, and most of the time we spent talking about boys, music or trivial things, that seemed very important at the time. We never got serious about anything in particular and spent most of our time laughing.

As I went to take some of my medicine with a snack as I usually did, she watched me with an awkward kind of stare, instead of continuing the conversation. She then asked me out of the blue what it felt like to have Lupus and be sick. I was shocked not only because she asked the random question, but also because I assumed she knew all there was to know about Lupus. She came to doctors with me, she saw me walk with a cane, and throw up in the bathroom. She had seen me cry in pain, what else was there to know?

I started to ramble on about pills, and aches and pains, but she kept pursuing, and didn’t seem satisfied with my answers. I was a little surprised as being my roommate in college and friend for years; I thought she already knew the medical definition of Lupus. Then she looked at me with a face every sick person knows well, the face of pure curiosity about something no one healthy can truly understand. She asked what it felt like, not physically, but what it felt like to be me, to be sick.

As I tried to gain my composure, I glanced around the table for help or guidance, or at least stall for time to think. I was trying to find the right words. How do I answer a question I never was able to answer for myself? How do I explain every detail of every day being effected, and give the emotions a sick person goes through with clarity. I could have given up, cracked a joke like I usually do, and changed the subject, but I remember thinking if I don’t try to explain this, how could I ever expect her to understand. If I can’t explain this to my best friend, how could I explain my world to anyone else? I had to at least try.

At that moment, the spoon theory was born. Read More.

Here is a link to the pdf.

More about the spoon theory in my next post

September is Pain Awareness Month

In 2001 The American Chronic Pain Association led a coalition of groups to create the first Pain Awareness Month. These iincluded the NAACP, the Endometriosis Association, the American Cancer Society, various nursing organizations and several FM, CFS/ME organizations They assembled under the umbrella of the Partners for Understanding Pain.

This coalition was committed to raising awareness through mass media, public forums, and other sources so that chronic pain may be more readily recognized, better understood without the traditional stigma attached, and more fittingly treated and managed. The partnership, spearheaded by the ACPA, strived to create greater understanding among health care professionals, individuals and families who are struggling with pain management, the business community, legislators, and the general public that pain is a serious public health issue.

Did you know?

• Nearly 100 million Americans experience chronic pain —more than those who have diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.

• Pain is a warning sign that indicates a problem that needs attention.

• Pain starts in receptor nerve cells located beneath the skin and in organs throughout the body.

• Living with pain can be debilitating and adversely affect everyday life.

Examples of pain include: Arthritis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Headaches & Migraines , Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Sickle Cell Disease, Cancer, Phantom Limb Pain and many more.