This week, Catherine, a writer in Montreal, discusses her mother and her struggle with chronic pain.

Can you tell me about when your mother first started experiencing the pain and what kind of pain it was?

It started about 30 years ago, while she was making a bed and reaching across it. She had a sharp pain in abdomen.

Did she seek help right away?

No. My mom doesn’t like going to the doctor or taking pills.

What did the doctors tell your mother when she did seek help?

My mom was sent for tests and cancer was ruled out. In the end, when the specialist didn’t find any cause for the pain, he said it was just something she’d have to live with.

What has she tried to help with the pain?

Mainly Tylenol.

Can you tell me a bit about what worked and what didn’t?

Tylenol works, usually in large doses, especially if she takes it just as the pain starts, rather than later.

How does having this pain make affect her in terms of how she lives her life?

The pain spoils the quality of life for my mother, but she remains optimistic and cheerful most of the time. Only once or twice did she think of “ending it all” if the pain didn’t stop.

If you were to look back over what she has tried/hasn’t tried, do you think she change anything?

My mother probably wouldn’t change anything.

What would you say to someone in a similar situation who is just starting to try to find treatment and relief?

I’d recommend keeping a diary to record the pain, what was eaten the day before, what were the social circumstances, people seen, and anything else

that might be relevant. A pattern might emerge. I’d also recommend pursuing it with doctors as far as possible, even going to another province or country to find specialists.

Would you like to add anything?

I’ve done everything I can think of to help my mom, including sending her the newsletters from the irritable bowel site, and recommendations from a naturalist. But she often denies that she has this condition, or gets irritated with me, or says, “If they could just find what it is!” I wouldn’t be surprised if her pain sprang from psychological issues.

Another possibility is a virus, but this was never investigated by any of the doctors she has seen.

Thank you, Catherine, for discussing your mother’s pain. It’s interesting – and sad at the same time – that she has chosen to live with it rather than pursue it. I wonder if that is because she is likely from the generation that the doctors know it all and that the patients shouldn’t question their wisdom.

This week, Catherine, a writer in Montreal, discusses her mother and her struggle with chronic pain.

Can you tell me about when your mother first started experiencing the pain and what kind of pain it was?

It started about 30 years ago, while she was making a bed and reaching across it. She had a sharp pain in abdomen.

Did she seek help right away?

No. My mom doesn’t like going to the doctor or taking pills.

What did the doctors tell your mother when she did seek help?

My mom was sent for tests and cancer was ruled out. In the end, when the specialist didn’t find any cause for the pain, he said it was just something she’d have to live with.

What has she tried to help with the pain?

Click here to read the rest of this interview.

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