I am a chronic pain sufferer...I have nerve damage in my knee, and was recently diagnosed with ACNES (Anterior Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome) It is wildly underdiagnosed/misdiagnosed in sufferers. It took 4+ specialists and almost a year for them to properly diagnose me.
It’s hard at times looking like there is nothing wrong, but being in such pain wearing clothing hurts (I know many know what that is like), missing work and having to go to the ER to bring my pain levels down....It is hard to not be able to do the things you love when you’re an active person. The depression and anxiety is real, the feeling that you’re a burden to those around you, or the fear that they think you’re making it all up weighs on you constantly.
But I have learned my suffering is my grace, it is the path to which I use to find compassion for myself and others, forgiveness and strength I never knew possible. It's a struggle to learn how to manage your spoons when they differ from day to day....but “Everyday above ground is a good day, I’m doing better than the majority of the human population”
so I’m here to say, keep going, don’t let it consume you. You are more than your pain, and you grow stronger every day! You are not a burden, you are not weak!