I live in Lincolnshire, and like me, there are lots of people living with persistent pain across the county. Persistent pain not only affects the person in pain, but also their day-to-day relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.

Persistent pain can eat away at your soul, your identity, and your well-being until it becomes the be-all and end-all.

Often, because persistent pain is not always visible, it can be hard for others to understand the full extent of the negative impacts of being in permanent pain. Unfortunately, this sadly includes many healthcare professionals who still rely on the outdated method of dealing with persistent pain by increasing the amount of strong and often addictive painkiller medication.

Understanding how to better manage persistent pain takes courage, patience, and an openness to learning new ways to respect, view, and learn about pain.

Thanks to the pioneering research of Pain Revolution in Australia, and the work of Pain Concern and Flippin’ Pain in the UK, the tools to help everyone flip their understanding of persistent pain are now readily available.

After being in persistent pain for over 13 years, I learned that making small changes to how I thought, talked, and dealt with pain made a world of difference. The journey wasn’t always easy, but the benefits outweighed the negatives, and now I consider myself a pain survivor.

From spending much of the time feeling sorry for myself and stopping doing all the things I used to enjoy, I am now no longer afraid to try new experiences for fear of causing myself more pain. I have been able to make much healthier connections to the outside world, and more importantly, with those closest to me.  

I am really proud to be a member of the Flippin’ Pain Community Outreach Tour that is cycling across Lincolnshire this September because I love the idea of raising awareness that persistent pain doesn’t have to rule your life.

Alongside others living with persistent pain, healthcare workers, and academics, we are visiting lots of community events with Flippin’ Pain's fun, informative workshops, talks, and interactive gadgets such as the Brain Bus. We aim to reach out to anyone interested in helping themselves or others deal better with persistent pain.

ALL events are FREE, but some do have limited capacity so do book ahead to avoid disappointment!

Find out where we will be via this link:

https://www.flippinpain.co.uk/event-type/community-outreach-tour/

I hope you will come along and join us at your local Lincolnshire venue from 12th September to 17th September 2021.

More useful information about understanding persistent pain can be found via these links:

https://www.flippinpain.co.uk/understanding-pain/

https://painconcern.org.uk/

https://www.painrevolution.org/

Please remember that you are not just your pain; you are entitled to a life lived well!

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