Finding The Reason For Joint Pain

I think I left off before at going to college and deciding that there had to be a reason other than growing pains for all of the pain that I was experiencing each day.

I saw doctor after doctor after doctor and I tried every over the counter joint pain medication that I could find. It really seemed that there was no answer for why I was experiencing so much pain. I even had doctors tell me that the pain was all in my head and suggest that I see a psychiatrist! After a while though I even started to wonder if I was crazy.

Dealing with college and being away from home was already overwhelming and the constant pain in my joints just added so much more to that. I could never just wake up in the morning and get out of bed. There was a whole routine I had to go through first.

Stretching my fingers, wrists, arms… Then moving to my toes, ankles, and legs. One joint at a time. Moving slowly and carefully. Finally managing to sit up and get my feet on the floor. Always wondering if my ankles and knees would support me when I stood up. Just getting out of bed could take an hour! And trying to explain all of this to whomever I had as a room mate each year was almost as difficult.

It’s not easy to explain this way of life to other people. It’s a really difficult situation to explain. We should explain but we usually don’t. Most people who live with chronic pain have faced ridicule and judgments and are  “gun-shy,” of the reactions, words or even facial expressions of people who don’t understand. Instead they decide that we’re crazy, or lazy, or a hypochondriac. Why can’t they just accept how difficult day to day life can be when your body constantly betrays you?


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About Me
I am 42 years old and I have lived with chronic joint pain since childhood. At that time it was diagnosed as "growing pains". You can learn more about me by reading the page titled "Who Is Frances Catalano".
September 2010
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