On February 11th, I passed along an article that was published in The Huffington Post that I thought was really interesting. It was in regards to a Doctor’s perspective of Chronic Pain after having an experience in his own life, and how it changed his thinking and the way he views chronic pain patients.
I didn’t realize when I posted this article that the response was going to be so big or so varied!!
The beauty of life, people, and the world-wide web, is that we all share different experiences, struggles, hopes, and thoughts that form who we are. We are all different people sharing a commonality… PAIN… whether it be Chronic Physical Pain, or Emotional pain from having to watch a loved one suffer. But that doesn’t mean we all have the same core beliefs, or share the same views.
This morning I say that the About.com Fibro & CFS site has also posted info about this particular article, and it is open for comments. Again, from what I have read, we as Chronic Pain’ers are having varied opinions on this article.
Let me say this – I believe the word “Narcissist” in the article was used as a definition of ’sorts’ and not in the truest form of the word. I don’t believe the Doctor who wrote this article was comparing any of us to someone who truly suffers from Narcissistic personality disorder, a very real mental disorder by true definition. I believe the comparison was a general one, and in no way shape or form suggests that we as Chronic Pain Patients suffer from the same affliction. It is MY own personal opinion that the only reason that the word Narcissist was used in this article was to draw a similarity to how difficult is can be at times to reach outside yourself when you suffer from pain 24/7. I think if that word wasn’t included in the article, it would have been read differently… but again, that is only my opinion, and I respect that I may have a different view than each and every one of you.
Regardless of the WORD in question, I think it is interesting that this Doctor got a albeit limited view on how pain can disrupt lives, thinking, socialization, and can control our every move. Obviously NOBODY can really understand what we go through, but US… My experience with pain might be different from Dominiques, or Nancy’s view for example (Hi girls, love you! 
), but we share commonalities, compassion, and the same hope… The hope to somehow find our way to wellness, even though our journey might be different.
This man’s journey as well is different from ours… He has suffered from a serious form of cancer, and obviously life-changing in its own right. He admits to only imagining what it would be like to have unending pain, and he himself clung to the fact that his pain was short-term. But he felt better for going through this experience, because it gave him a source of compassion that he may never have had for pain patients without going through HIS journey.
Again, this is only my opinion, and I completely respect if it is not your own. I just wanted to share it, because this article has caused a lot of conversation, and I think it might have caused some misunderstanding.
I have a great deal of respect for everyone who struggles with pain everyday, no matter the cause, the intensity, and the way it impacts individual lives.
And I for one am honored to be a part of an accepting and loving community.
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