Is There Value to be Found in Pain?

So, as I've written before, I struggle daily with pain in differing degrees. The pain stems from peripheral neuropathy, multiple knee surgeries and replacements, as well as the three different cervical fusions. This picture was taken to show the swelling in my neck four weeks after the last cervical fusion. The swelling in this picture made it hard for me to speak and swallow, both of those are kinda important items in life, just sayin'.

Anyway, back to the question; Is there value to be found in pain? Most days I would tell you "NO!", but some days, I have to say "yes". While, for better or worse, I do live with the belief of "get up, dress up, and show up no matter how bad you feel" (yes, you can be mad at me for saying that) there are some days which are much harder than others to live up to that belief. No day is lived without some degree of pain in different forms. The neuropathy pain can feel like pins and needles continually running up and down my arms and legs below the elbows and knees, or it can be an icy cold which leaves me with numbness and difficulty with macro motor skills, such as holding a glass of water. The knee pain is either a constant nagging dull ache or continual stinging. The neck.... ugh, sometimes my head is too heavy to carry which causes all over pain and fatigue reaching down to my thoracic spine which radiates across my shoulders. Like I said, many of my days the pain sucks and some of the days I'm able to out on the best show and still get out there.

Now, on the worst days when getting out of bed is a challenge, and I need to focus on other things and thoughts to make myself move, there can be value in the pain. The focus required to move when every fiber of your body is saying "lay still!!!" can help you have more focus on a problem or particular challenge, because I'm forcing my brain to focus on something, sometimes anything, other than pain. This focus, when applied to a particularly nagging issue, actually does help. But, if I don't write it down, I will forget. If you take the time to focus on the challenge or problem that matters, a solution will likely present itself. Take the time needed to be focused, it makes a world of difference. Now, as I've said before, I don't write about this as a cry for sympathy, but as awareness. If you know anyone who struggles with constant pain, know that they are at higher risk for bad behaviors they will later regret, as well as higher risk for substance or pain medication abuse. Watch out for them when they seem "off their game" since this is likely a sign of a bad day.