Replies to 'Living with Chronic Pain'

I have quite a few illnesses, some are, epilepsy, bone degenerative disease, graves' disease, spinal injury, depression and have just been diagnosed with PTSD. I also have digestive problems, oesophegitis and stomach ulcers and bad anxiety.

I am a fighter and I write a lot and paint ceramics and have had my poetry published aswell as making greeting cards, I was donated a lap top as because of my spinal injury I was n longer able to sit up at the computer to do my cards, so the Lions Club donated me a laptop so I could do things sitting down which is amazing and my next card was for them...  The laptop is getting old now and it's not going to last me a lot longer so I am saving up as much as I possibly can as I simply rely on my computer.  I use it to keep in touch with friends because I can't drive, and I also found a lot of friends I used to have were scared of me having seizures as I have them a lot, and, they couldn't cope with it so they just stopped talking to me, nothing nasty, but I do miss them, it's the same with my spinal injury, I have to use a walker to get around and even I was embarrassed by it when I first got it but it meant I could get around by myself without falling down all the time.

I have just turned 40 and am far too young to just sit and feel sorry for myself so if I get down I write about it and if i get angry I do the same.

I am from Australia, so it's hard to have friendships overseas because of the time differences, but, there isn't much in Australia like this or any depression, illness sites.  I just hope I can make some friends here and truly hope I haven't written too much....

I'm not going anywhere lol.  I can't drive and at the moment I have just had another disc rupture, so i'm in a lot of pain and am not that impressed with it, but I just wish I didn't get depressed so much, I get so depresses and cry and don't know why..

I do as much as I can to keep myself busy and I don't sit around feeling sorry for myself, so why on earth do I get so down and have panic attacks??  Does anyone else get like this or am I the only one?? I hope you can help me...

Shelleyx