Coping with Chronic Pain & Illness ~ Introduction

I've been working hard since we got back from the treatment trip and have finally finished what will be my first page "sticky post." This is an introduction to the rest of the pages that will be included in the primary menu item of the same name as this post. It feels great to be making progress in building "It's Your Time ~ to Come Alive!" Thanks to all for the great support you've been giving me; the encouragement is such an important part of this process =]

Whether you've been struggling with pain and illness for a handful of months or a fistful of years, you've almost certainly experienced a roller coaster of emotions and a whole universe of fears and uncertainties. That roller coaster can take you to mental places you never could have imagined until you found your thoughts already there. In between the tar black valleys, you revel in the days that aren't so bad, but even on those rare and fleeting days, you catch your head spinning with the idea that you're really not physically sick at all, you really do have some mental illness causing the symptoms you can't seem to escape for more than odd moments in time. (Read more...)