Waves

Aside from the low level burning that is aways present, my flare ups come in waves. They can be triggered by a cool breeze on my head or lifting something in a way that aggravates my degenerative disc disease. Short of wrapping myself in bubble wrap I have to do life - carefully.

I had a good run over Christmas through to last weekend when the breeze from an open window triggered my neuralgia pain. My went from a 3 to an 8 in a split second. Since then I have been doing what I can to not aggravate the pain any further. Not always an easy task but I am getting slowly better at self management.

It still gets me how fast my mental state declines when the pain ramps up. It chips away at my mind til I find myself on the brink of depression. Thankfully I am getting better at dealing with the pain with adjusted medications. And above all practicing mindfulness.

I am becoming more aware of my condition the longer I have it. Whereas before I was constantly overwhelmed and lost in negativity, these days I am less inclined to panic with a flare up. The saying ‘this too shall pass’ has a real meaning and as life is a series of ups and downs I am finding myself more in the middle. Less concerned about my pain and more focused on managing it.

Do you have positive ways to manage flare ups? Let us know on our facebook page.

Questions or comments? Join the CPS patient conversation at our closed Facebook group or email us at info@cps.foundation