Tropical storms, hurricanes and Pain all have something in common

It's that time of the year when severe weather conditions can suddenly take on a name like Irene or, even worse, Katrina. People's lives can be turned upside down in a matter of seconds. We know these storms are out there in the huge ocean waters, waiting to appear and bring untold destruction to neighborhoods.

What you might not know is how strong the connection is between these storms and anyone who suffers daily with Chronic Pain. Like me. I can predict the weather long before the professional forecasters even begin putting the data together. You're probably thinking, "No way," right? It's got to be my imagination, right? But I can tell you firsthand: It's VERY real. And it can be a hellish ride to get through an "Irene" storm that's still churning in the ocean and not even making landfall yet.

The explanation is pretty simple. For whatever reason, damaged nerves within the body have an immediate reaction when the barometric pressure starts to rise. It's a race in many ways to see how quickly the Pain level rises as the pressure levels elevate. Most of the time, Pain wins out and does not ease to a manageable level until the storm has arrived and is delivering buckets of rain and damaging winds. Nobody can really understand when someone suffering with Chronic Pain says, "Bad weather is on the way." No way–the sun's shining brightly out there, and not a cloud is in sight.


My advice is to listen when someone tells you that bad weather is on the way because he or she will likely be right on the money with their predictions. Take a look while they are telling you this, and see the strain on their face, hear the tone of their voice taking on a hard edge, and watch their tightly gripped hands, all signs of a person battling with a Pain that feels as if a giant rubber band has tightened around their body and will never let go.


Anybody suffering with this wicked affliction is walking a journey that goes beyond simple explanation. While others around us can enjoy the smell of fresh rain brought by a tropical storm, all we can do is sit and suffer in silence. Our Pain levels are wreaking as much destruction on an already worn down body as what the storm is doing to trees, electrical lines or anything in its path. But for us who suffer with Chronic Pain, it will mean hours and days of trying to regain emotional strength worn thin from the grinding agony of Pain.  


Chronic Pain is misery, plain and simple. Trying to find even a glimmer of joy within the daily battle of suffering becomes almost impossible at times. All we can do is stop, allow the Pain to rummage around and make us miserable, and then start over, finding our inner strength and being determined to not lose the fight. Perhaps our joy from a storm can be looking for the all-elusive rainbow. We might not always get to see one, but there is a joy inside us all as we eagerly wait for the rainbow to show itself.  


For all who are suffering each day with Pain, please know I say a prayer for you. And if you don't mind, please say one for me.