Chronic Pain - Shining a light on 20% of our population! The Story of Old Man Dan.

One in five Australians live with Chronic Pain, simply look around your office and try and guess which people they are. People that live with chronic pain will quite often hide it, are embarrassed by it and don't want to shine light on their condition - they want to known as Steve the great project manager or Helen the HR Business Partner. I have learnt over the past few years that sharing stories around unspoken topics, is the best way to spread the word and get people thinking.

I'm here to share my story of 'Old Man Dan' - A mid 30's, highly ambitious, fit and healthy person that lives with chronic pain daily. I will outline what chronic pain is, what it meant for me and what we can do to support those who have it. I won't touch mental health in this article, although obviously it has significant impacts across the population.

Definition

Chronic Pain can be defined as; pain that lasts beyond three months or beyond normal healing time. It can be complex in nature and there are different types of chronic pain, such as nerve pain, pain from bones, muscles and joints, as well as cancer pain. Chronic pain can be anything from mild to severe. It is different to acute pain, such as pain from an injury, which happens quickly and doesn't usually last for long.

Old Man Dan

I'm affectionately known as 'old man Dan', something I just laugh at, because I have the back and knees of an 80 year old. At the ripe old age of 33, I was diagnosed with the following physical injuries:

• Thoracic Spondylosis - A degenerative disease affecting the joints in my upper back that is a result from mechanical joint stress.
• Osteoarthritis in both knees - The wearing down of the protective tissue at the ends of bones (cartilage) occurs gradually and worsens over time.
• Tinnitus and hearing loss - Ringing in the ears and 'huh what did you say'.

What it means:

Simply put, I have lost 50% functionality of my back and my knees and I am in significant pain daily.

• My Back: Well a rotation left or right means turning my whole body, I struggle significantly to lift both arms above my head. The muscles in my back lock up tightly in a protective mechanism for my spine.... but this just results in agonising pain. I have to try and move around every 20-30 mins (even if this is just standing up or getting a glass of water), my back grinds and cracks significantly, and a daily dose of good prescription medication helps with pain relief.
• My Knees: Most people might look at a shark or a high bridge with fear in their eyes... for me that is a set of stairs or a sloping hill - it's like standing at the bottom of Mount Everest and understanding the pain you are about to go to (sometimes with a four letter word running through my mind) - all to clime 5 stairs. I need to use the hand rail on stairs just in case my knees decide to give way and help alleviate some pressure and pain through my knees. Basic tasks like getting up and down from a chair can be a struggle and the pain is intense.
• My Ears: The ringing in my ears is an intense noise that is always there and is combined with a loss of hearing. This limits my ability to socialise in loud places or in group settings, where multiple conversations are happening at once. My brain is trying to comprehend the ringing in my ears and the conversation at hand all at the same time. I have become much better at lip reading since this occurred. The fun times for this little gem, is when I am trying to get to sleep and all I can hear is a high pitched ringing sound.

How this impacts me:

The combined effects of these physical injuries put together can have a significant impact on your life. It's learning what you can and you can't do anymore, the endless sleepless nights and redefining how you go about your life in order to live. There are times where I just push through an activity (knowing full well, I am going to be in a world of hurt for the next few days) just to socialise and enjoy life. It's a balance between living and not doing anything.

At times you feel embarrassed by your condition, needing to use a hand rail just to head down a set of stairs, moving about like a wriggle worm or taking a massage ball to work so you don't lock up and remembering what you use to be able to do vs what you can do now. Don't get me wrong, there are people out there with far worst life changing injuries compared to mine. My empathy for them has grown tenfold since my injuries started impacting my life and the pain I live with.

I have a medical support team with a great GP, Physio Therapist, Exercise Physiologist and Saturday morning Pilates class which helps keep me mobile, tries to increase function and strength around my joints and all combined with the medication. My injuries can never be healed and my pain will be with me daily until the end, but it's about trying to maintain a quality of life. I still try and head to the gym every few days, to ensure I stay fit and healthy. A great sense of humour always helps and I don't mind having a joke at my own expense (hence 'old man Dan').

What can you do as a Business Owner, a Leader or a Colleague for those that have chronic pain?

• Support them where possible - I have been fortunate to have flexible working arrangements in the past, where if needed I could duck away to an appointment - but I always make sure I make up for the productivity in my own time. I try to make appointments outside of work hours, but sometimes this isn't possible.
• Have empathy - People with chronic pain don't want the pain and don't enjoy it, but they don't want it stopping them from producing great results in your business. Sometimes a simple coffee catch up to ask how they are going is all that's needed. Just be aware of their circumstances and take a walk in their shoes. If you can see they are in pain, just ask if they are ok. I once had a colleague (who I didn't know well) laugh at me for jumping up and trying to stretch subtly, when I was working - you could imagine how this felt.
• Don't try and offer solutions - If someone comes into work and mentioned they kinked their neck last night or maybe had a football injury on the weekend - offering up a massage place, ibuprofen or muscle rub might be a kind gesture. For those with chronic pain (just note the definition at the start of this article) - offering a solution, whilst kind in gesture, can also be frustrating. Remember those that live with chronic pain have had the condition for a long time and have probably seen a significant number of medical specialists and tried a significant number of potential solutions. Unless you have the same condition or are a medical Doctor, I would advise not to offer solutions. This can easily be avoided by asking them if they are ok and what happened - support and empathy will go a long way.

In Summary

This article isn't meant to be a pity party or a call for sympathy - but to raise awareness for the one in five that have chronic pain and don't feel they can speak about it or simply don't want to. It's about how the wider community can learn what it means and how we can have empathy and provide support.

Those living with chronic pain don't want to be limited or defined by it and will quite often keep it to themselves. If they are anything like me; they are highly ambitious and don't want their condition to impact on my ability to achieve great things in life. I want to be known as Dan the business leader, investor, mentor and veteran who did amazing things in his life - although I probably wont be doing a stair run anytime soon.

You might catch me hustling the bingo tables at my local RSL ;)

- Old Man Dan