A few days ago I read about a study they have done with burn victims using a video game as pain management. They created "Snow World," a virtual reality video game to help distract burn victims while they undergo painful treatements. The immersive world of the video game is simple enough to concentrate on but immersive enough to distract the patients from some of the pain.
I was think about the times my pain seems to recede to where it doesn't bother me, and other times when it seems to take over. During the day when I am working or busy doing hobbies and housework my pain recedes. I still feel it, it just doesn't bother me very much. I have excellent coping skills, especially at work where I have learned to push through my tiredness and just get things done.
Once I get home and relax, that's when it hits me. After I have gotten the kids fed dinner and bathed and I go off duty for the day, everything hits me. I have a lot of trouble sleeping when my joints ache so badly.
I don't think my pain is worse at night, per se, I think it is that when I am finally ready to relax, my brain finally comes face to face with the reality that my body is in pain.
I do a lot of reading and knitting, and I think it does help distract me from the pain. Blogging helps too. I think it's really important for a person with a chronic illness to have a good hobby or two. Especially if you are not able to work - that hobby can take the place of how work keeps me disctracted from the pain. The hobby can be anything, really, volunteering, knitting, crossword puzzles, sudoku, scrapbooking, model making, wood working, photography, garage sale and thrift store shopping, cross stitch, video gaming, writing, coin collecting, metal detecting, beachcombing, bird watching, painting, coloring, walking, I could go on and on with this list!
What do you do to distract yourself from the pain? Leave a comment and share your hobby or activity.
