Hurting Like Hell, Living with Gusto

Pain is a giant, unforgiving equalizer. It doesn't care about race, gender, class, or any other variable. ""Real life"" can get lost behind endless pills, appointments, and diagnoses. Going beyond mere survival - living a life true to oneself, free of judgement and full of adventure - is as big a battle as fighting the pain itself.

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"Tuesday morning, I spent an hour with a neurologist trying to figure out why I kept tripping over my feet. He pushed and pulled on my legs, whacked me with a reflex hammer and shone a light so deep into my eyes I thought it might illuminate the wall behind my head. That afternoon, I drove home and ordered a new backpacking tent."

Pain is an unforgiving equalizer--forget social status, race or gender. For people suffering from chronic pain, "real life" can get lost among endless appointments, diagnoses, prescriptions and medical bills. Living a life beyond mere survival becomes as big a battle as fighting the pain itself.

Drawing on her experiences as both a patient and a health-care professional, the author candidly describes her sudden transition from a healthy, active lifestyle to years of learning to live with debilitating pain.