Day 21 Pain flare-ups always on the way home....

[Celia]

Hello,

it is my self-care day... so I went to the swimming pool after long weeks being prisoned at home with my pain and agony. I was a bit scared but determined.

Swimming was okay. I had some pain and sensation in my buttock and leg, but I agreed with myself that is normal, since I was anxious about swimming, but this is nothing to do with my physical state, the reasons are purely psychological. I was not pain free but the level of pain was acceptable.

However, as soon as I started to walk home I got this terrible flare-up so I had to sit down on a bench and calm myself down. And it made me thinking. I have been walking shorter-longer distances since I started this program and I have always flare-ups on the way home. It is independent of the length or the reason of the walk. On the weekend, I even went to the movies, sitting through a 2-hour movie with some mild pain. I was really happy and satisfied, it is a huge improvement after being in so much pain. But on the way home from the tram, my leg started to hurt again really badly.

So somehow when I am walking away from home I am almost pain-free but after making the decision on heading home the pain returns...

Have some of you experienced something similar? Any suggestion how to over come this?

Thanks in advance! Have a nice day you all!

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, Celia. I think that if you have pain when returning home from somewhere, or just thinking about it, it means there are emotional stresses at home. Is there a relationship at home you are having trouble with? Maybe do some journaling about this. Make a list of what makes you unhappy or not comfortable at home. When you are swimming or at a movie, your mind is off troubles and pain. You may need to think more positive when returning home and not let it become a conditioned reflex.

You have a nice day and Thanksgiving tomorrow. Maybe make a list of all the things you are grateful for,
and the people you love and who love you.