During recent times it has often felt that I have become trapped inside a revolving door of misery. The symptoms I live with; symptoms that are already constant have become even more severe and relentless. Unsurprisingly, this has had a knock-on effect on my mental health; becoming depressed and anxious as the present flare refuses to abate. The result of which only exacerbates the already oppressive physical symptoms, which only makes me even more depressed and anxious. All in all, it feels like a terrifying ride I cannot get off.

In my last blog post, I recited a famous quote from the Shakespeare play, As You Like It. All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” But if I indeed am the player or actor than what role would chronic illness assume?

After much thought, I concluded that chronic illness surely would assume the position of a director. A director, the person in charge and assumes all responsibility for every facet of a film or stage production. It can feel like chronic illness plays a similar role in the lives of those forced to live with it.

It is hard to imagine a time when chronic pain did not play a significant part in my daily life. That time is incredibly hard to envisage as I lay here in excruciating, searing pain.

But there was a time when chronic pain, was just a mild annoyance. To me, it was just pain. Yes, it hurt and made life difficult, but it was something that I could handle. I thought that it was normal, a sign of growing pains and not of anything wrong, especially anything serious.

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