Chronic Pain for 22 years - no end in sight

Pain has affected every area of my life.

I was in an accident on the highway that never should have happened.

It was a long slow stop at night, so lots of tail lights, lots of time to stop - yet the truck behind me didn't respond.

I had to give up my job with the federal government, because the pain interfered with my cognitive abilities. Multi-tasking & stamina were greatly affected.

I started a new part-time career in the travel industry so that I could work from home, removing the daily commute (which was emotionally stressful)

Our social life has been erased - by 4 pm, I can't even face the thought of going out in the evenings. Some days I wake up & can't function at all, so having to cancel plans at the last minute has resulted in loss of connection with friends. Most people see you & you look fine, but actually in physical distress due to nerve pain.

It's impossible for me to clean my home. Vacuuming & scrubbing, windows, mirrors, washing floors are all tasks that are extremely difficult to complete.

There's always a price to pay for every action. IF we want to go to a movie in the evening, I know that I will have reactions for the next few days. Even focussing on tasks are difficult some days. Thought processes are often interrupted, I can't formulate a sentence with the vocabulary I want to use to express.

I struggle with rejection, due to the physical limitations, when we have to turn down invites, or join in with a social group.

I drive over 100 miles each way to go to a Dr that specializes in pain injections & pain management. This 200+ mile round trip is every 4 weeks. It's expensive & takes an entire day. Usually the day after is a write-off because of the after affects of the drive & the numerous nerve blocks. I also take pain medications - they affect my performance, they're sun-sensitive making it impossible to enjoy the summer, they make my eyes extremely sensitive to light. Trying to accomplish the right mix of pain meds & treatment is a balancing act that requires constant modifications.

I'm in pain all day, all night - sleep is difficult - I've spent a fortune on pillows, trying to find the best one for comfort & pain relief.

I honestly don't know how I could face life without my nerve-block injections. The very thought of missing an appt or having my appt pushed back is agony, knowing that the increase in the level of pain is going to consume every moment of my day/night.

I do wish that there was a chance of better treatment coming soon. I would give anything for even one day to be pain free.