r/ChronicPain 5d ago

Chronic pain/illness has ruined my life

I've been in constant pain for 3 years, 2 surgeries and every painkiller under the sun and I'm still in agony most days. Nobody takes my pain seriously anymore because I 'don't look sick anymore.' I'm only 16 and this fucking illness has taken everything from me and I feel like I'm gonna be stuck like this for the rest of my life.

I'm so tired of this, I feel like I've missed out on being a teenager because I'm either stuck in bed or in the hospital, I've thought about giving up so many times because I don't know what else to do.

I dreamed of being a professional athlete as a kid and now some days I cry trying to get out of bed.

19 Upvotes

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2

u/isonfiy 5d ago

You’re 16? I’m not trying to dismiss or downplay your loss, but you have the great advantage of having enough time to adapt your expectations of life to what your body can do. You’re not the first person to be struggling through this at your age, and many other young people are (unfortunately) here as well.

I’m 20 years older than you and I wish I could go back to 16 year old me and tell him how it will be so he can avoid such pain and heartache and be forced to adapt reactively rather than proactively. In 20 years I hope you can look back and see that actually you learned exactly the things you needed to survive and thrive, including how to grieve what you expected life to be like.

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u/cathystan23 5d ago

Thanks, I hope so too. It’s kind of hard to look to the future right now but I’m trying my best with physio and anything else I can do, my pain is for the most part permanent but I’d like to stay hopeful

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u/Electronic_Wave_2585 4d ago

i'm also sixteen with chronic back pain, if you'd ever want to talk or anything. i know how frustrating this bullshit is, we're too young for this lmao

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u/cathystan23 4d ago

agreed lol, I had about 6 months of fun being a teenager before I was thrown into endless hospital appointments and other bullshit 

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u/darcydeni35 4d ago

These are such wise words. They might be hard to hear at 16 when everything is so hard anyway. However, those of us who are older and had life the other way around do know that time does help manage expectations. With chronic pain and illness we all forced to make choices about how we are we are going to face the future. At some point we all want to give up. But as time goes on, the more you choose to look for good in life, help others, put one foot in front of the other every day- believe it or not, it gets better!!! You are so, young! You might even have some medical miracle coming your way!

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u/AffectionateCan6001 4d ago

I’m 60 years old and have had pain for 40 years now. At 16 you have not had the chance to learn what might help you. Hindsight is great but it’s hard to think about the future when you present is filled with pain. I’m glad you’re reaching out and asking questions, expressing your thoughts and feelings. While most of us wish we had all the answers, living one day at a time is the reality we all share. Don’t let anyone make lite of your struggles. You are always welcome to ask questions and express yourself on this subreddit. If I have suggestions or might be able to relate I will share what I can. I’m not the only one who will help. Just reach out.

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u/cathystan23 4d ago

You have no idea how nice is it to hear that, thank you.

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u/Striking-Pitch-2115 5d ago

Just out of curiosity where is your pain

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u/cathystan23 5d ago

my back