If pain were purple or spotted or spikey, it might not be so easy to pass off as a figment of imagination. If you came into work with a bright mauve complexion or walked down the street encased in thorns, people might not be so quick to say, “It’s all in your head” or worse, “You’re faking”.

You’re not faking.

Every nerve is on fire: you’re not faking.

Every joint embedded with sand: you’re not faking.

Chronic pain is real. It’s debilitating. It’s misunderstood.

Chronic pain doesn’t happen because you’re a weenie, a coward, too sensitive, a complainer,  or a pain in the ass. It happens because something’s wrong.

Chronic pain may not swell or bleed or bruise or show any symptoms at all, but it’s as real as a broken leg, a stab in the back.

Next time you’re confronted with someone in pain, practice empathy. Trust me, you would not like to trade places with them. Their pain may not show, but that only makes it harder to bear in a world that believes in only what can be seen with the human eye.

 An article on chronic pain from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/understanding-pain-management-chronic-pain

    An article on fibromyalga pain from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/guide/fibromyalgia-pain