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Chronic PainArrow
Age 20-30
Interview CP42  

Interview CP42

Age at Interview: 24
Age at Diagnosis: 18
Background: Press officer; single.
Brief outline:Spinal pain. Pain started 1997. Pain management: Advice about pain management from complementary therapist. Current medication: co-dydramol. Past medication: co-codamol.


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Feels that going to a special occasion takes military style planning.

 



To think about special events actually takes military planning. Everything in my life takes a great deal of planning but for example I recently went to a 60th birthday party, big family do and I had to make sure 6 months in advance when the venue was booked that it was going to be accessible because if there were steps there it would just cause too much pain and I physically probably wouldn't be able to do it. So that was the beginning of the plans. 

I also had to make sure that there was going to be comfortable seating when I was there. I had to make sure that there was suitably equipped disabled facilities, somewhere to lie down if I needed a rest during the day because I do find social events particularly where there are an awful lot of people there quite tiring, and I know that although my illness has been called fatigue, chronic fatigue, that isn't my particular symptom. 

My particular symptom is the pain but I do believe that pain can cause fatigue, particularly if you are in situations where you have a lot of other stimulus. You have bright lights and lots of noise, perhaps you don't have the seating that you would be used to and you might not be as warm as you might need to be and that makes any kind of social event something to be really considered before you go. I mean I have a lot of friends, I have a very big family and I don't like letting people down but at the same time they know if they invite me to something it's not necessarily a given that I can go. 

I think it's an unfortunate side effect of the way that pain affects my life but it's something that I've realised is just the way it is and I'm best to save my energy and my commitment for the really important things that people really appreciate when I make the effort when I go. Rather than I don't have a really hectic social life on the day-to-day basis, but I do make the effort to go to important things such as weddings and birthdays and I have a really great time because I've sort of saved up my energy and really enjoy myself because it is really a special event for me to be there.
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