Hello, people. My name is Gayle and I have been living with severe chronic pain for over 10 years.

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This blog is about my thoughts, feelings and experiences with severe chronic pain, the Canadian medical system, treatments, medications, surviving setbacks and finding success independently. Seeking medical treatment in my province (BC) has been a complete and utter nightmare.

 

I have been on the brink of mental and physical collapse and have worked my way back to myself. I can't say I'm "cured" of pain, or that there even is a cure. However, I have improved my quality of life exponentially, and have moved on from feeling inept to achieving my dream of having a family. In other words, I'm managing.

 

With clear goals, reasonable expectations, education, treatments, and hard work, most of us are capable of improving our quality of life. The idea that medicine has a cure for every ailment is a dangerous fallacy. There are exceptions, but I'm about taking control over what we do have control over: our behaviour and our emotions. We can choose to be victims, or we can choose to be survivors. I choose to be a survivor.

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Please note that I do swear a bit (not at anybody, just in frustration as needed!) and discuss adult topics, so this is not a blog intended for children. With that said, I hope you enjoy my writing and hopefully get something of value from reading about my experiences.