Pain, Pain, Go Away!
It started when I was eleven years old. My brother and I were skimboarding on the beach when SMACK! My tailbone hit the pavement-hard sand. From that moment on, I cannot recall a day when my body hasn’t hurt.
It feels as though sharp, shooting splinters are running up and down my spine, into my shoulders, legs and feet. Sitting or standing for long periods of time makes me feel like my body will cave under the pounding pressure. Throughout my life I’ve seen multiple doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors and even podiatrists, all of whom have given me different diagnoses. These range from severe growing pains, to Sherman’s condition, Scoliosis and what was described as a ‘lean’. Each doctor always contradicted the other. Meanwhile, the treatments prescribed to help just haven’t worked - my pain never ceases. No blood test, scan or physical evaluation has ever determined what causes my body to ache. It’s just the way it is.
As a teenager, I tried to keep up with all of my friends. I was involved in athletics, I danced, and played netball - all of which left me in agony afterwards. To deal with the pain I had daily soaks, stretched, was forever nagging my parents for massages, and self-medicating with pain relief tablets. I told myself that the pain was getting better, but in truth it was getting worse. It greatly affected my mood - I was constantly grumpy and tired. My parents always advised me to take up less intensive sports. But I was stubborn and pushed on with the grueling activities that I loved.
Nothing could change my mind. That it until I was involved in a car accident on a quiet Canberra street in early 2014. The stress that it caused on top of the exacerbated pain forced me to stop everything. It felt like I was at breaking point.
Since the accident I’ve had psychological help, and developed a new outlook on life. I try not to let my pain get the better of me. Although, I still beg my boyfriend for massages, and always have a stash of pain relief tablets in my bed side table. I did light exercise after the accident, walking, yoga and eventually moved on to gym circuits. Always cautious not to twinge a nerve. The pain is still an everyday struggle, and staying positive is difficult. I remind myself that there are people definitely worse off than me, but I guess it’s all relative.
I’m scared to think what could have happened to my body, how badly I could have hurt it if the accident hadn’t forced me to stop. I wanted so desperately to keep up with my friends. I was good at sports and it made me happy, only it left me feeling worse. I just hope that one day my pain will miraculously disappear, but until then, I’ll do everything I can to manage it.
I’ve learned to listen to my body – it’s the most important thing you can do. What you feel is real! There is a difference between pain from doing an intense workout, and injuring yourself. If you can identify when something doesn’t feel right, you can form an exercise plan that is better suited to you. One that will be more effective because you aren’t constantly in pain.
Look after your body, after all, it's the only one you've got!
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