Warning: After a new puppy post this might be a real downer. Please bare with me.

I don’t think I talk enough about the pain I experience on a regular basis. Partly because I feel like it’s not so bad, in comparison to other people I know living with chronic pain, and partly because I don’t want to sound like I’m looking for pity. I am definitely not looking for pity. In fact, pity is a huge annoyance to me. When people hear about my physical struggles, what I went through and live with, the most common response is, with a wrinkled brow and frown, “Oh, I’m so sorry.” (In fact this just happened to me earlier this month at my son’s doctor appointment). While I appreciate the sentiment and concern, deep down it makes me feel small. I hate to be pitied. I only share because this is a blog about my life, and my ups and downs with multiple sclerosis.

So, back to the pain (you Princess Bride fans are quoting now, aren’t you? “To the pain!”… Focus, Mindy…) I get a lot of headaches, and if I don’t medicate soon enough when I feel one coming on, they are debilitating. This happened two days ago. I felt it coming on but was so busy with the new puppy I didn’t get around to taking my medicine in time. When I finally sat down and took a pill I was able to turn all the lights off and rest and wait for the medicine to kick in. When you wait too long to take it, it isn’t as effective, but it at least takes the piercing edge off. So when I felt another headache coming on last night, I didn’t wait to medicate. And this time I took two pills, just to be extra proactive. This worked, and I was able to enjoy the evening with my family. Lessons learned.

I also experience body aches at times. An all over pain, both like bruising tenderness and pins and needles. While I can’t predict the headaches because I don’t know what’s causing them, I can predict this all over body pain. It happens after lots of physical activity. I compare it to how you feel after a bad car accident (I’ve only been in one, decades ago, but I remember the pain). I had this pain after I chaperoned my daughter’s middle school camp, after girl scout camp, and even after Thanksgiving. And now I’m experiencing it after a few days alone with a brand new puppy. *Sigh*

So when I know I’m going to be doing something that involves a lot of activity, I have to plan in a couple days following in order to recover. I could avoid the activities altogether, but the memories I make are worth the pain. I’m not giving up on my family or friends just for a few extra days of comfort. Some things in life are worth it.