I've had a chronic headaches for over 20 years. Actually just one big long two-decade headache, it's never gone away and nothing, including painkillers, really helps.
Three things that I do to deal with this:
- ignore: most of the time it's not top of mind; I can feel it always but don't think about it always.
- keep up some hope: every few years, I go through the usual rounds with my GP and other specialists to see if there's anything new that can be tried to mitigate it. This is something of a double-edged sword though, as it is eventually paired with another crushing disappointment.
- remember there is a natural end to this: one day I'll be dead and it won't matter any more, it's temporary in the same way that everything is temporary. And if I get fed up with it all and want to leave early, it's doable as a last resort. A literal last resort, really.
I've also developed chronic lower back pain and tinnitus in the past 5 years and deal with those in the same way.
Three things that I do to deal with this:
- ignore: most of the time it's not top of mind; I can feel it always but don't think about it always.
- keep up some hope: every few years, I go through the usual rounds with my GP and other specialists to see if there's anything new that can be tried to mitigate it. This is something of a double-edged sword though, as it is eventually paired with another crushing disappointment.
- remember there is a natural end to this: one day I'll be dead and it won't matter any more, it's temporary in the same way that everything is temporary. And if I get fed up with it all and want to leave early, it's doable as a last resort. A literal last resort, really.
I've also developed chronic lower back pain and tinnitus in the past 5 years and deal with those in the same way.