Pain

"Pain is lonely.

When you are in pain, no-one seems to comprehend how you feel unless they have suffered the same kind of pain. This was brought home to me this evening as I talked to my mother. She is 83 and for the past couple of months has been suffering muscle pain. She talks like she has never heard of such pain before. The irony is I have had fibromyalgia for 15 years. I have told her about my pain. I have told her about my inablity to do anything when I am in extreme pain. There have been times when I have been unable to dress myself, go to the bathroom without help or even walk because of it. She has never understood. Now she is in the same pain and unfortunately she still seems unable to comprehend that I know how she feels because I have suffered the same way.

I wish there was something I could do for her, to help with the pain but more importantly to help her understand how hurt I have been that my pain has never been acknowledged. A, "well, I don't see how you stand it", comment isn't what I am looking for but I know it's all I'll ever get." I whisper.

Are you listening?