Chronic Pain & Careers (Part 1)

This picture was taken of me in 2016.?I was in a manlift, about 100 feet or so above a high-voltage electrical substation.?This was the type of work that I had been doing since about 2007. ??

I have to say, I really LOVED my job.??? I thrived working outdoors.?I relished working on electrical equipment, and learning electrical theory.?I felt pride in witnessing the equipment that I worked on operate correctly and safely.?I enjoyed working on the road and travelling for this job.?I even loved the physically challenging and demanding aspects of this job ??.

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This was all until 2019, when I injured my lower back on the job (score 1 for chronic pain).

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Then everything changed.?While I was awaiting treatment for my lower back, I developed fibromyalgia in 2020.?This condition turned my whole life-plan upside-down??.

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I had intended to work in the high-voltage industry until retirement.?Suddenly, I couldn’t even leave my house because of my debilitating pain.?I had to use a walking stick just to get around in my own home, and I couldn’t possibly imagine going back to the physically-strenuous work that I used to do.

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My new physical condition was impacting me emotionally. ?? I had no plan B.?I couldn’t even wrap my mind around “starting over”, because I could not possibly imagine what that might mean.?I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.??

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Luckily, I was still at home awaiting treatment for my back.?I intended to use this time to thoroughly research my condition, and to experiment on myself with any modalities that had the potential of helping.

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My new plan was to learn and improve as much about my condition as I could, so that I could get back to my career.??

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If your chronic pain has affected your career, OR you want to learn more about my journey, comment below???

#chronicpain #resilience #planb