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By Crystal Lindell

When you’re a chronic pain patient, every single day can feel like you’re the butt of an April Fool’s Day joke: 

Think your doctor will actually help you? April Fool! 

Think your insurance will cover your medical bills? April Fool! 

Think you’ll be able to get your opioid prescription filled? April Fool! 

It’s never funny when you have these experiences, but they happen all too often.

When you first start enduring chronic pain, you’re hopeful that the medical system will provide answers and solutions. But as you work your way through the system, it eventually becomes clear that many of the things you probably thought were true just… aren’t. 

Think you’ll be able to get an appointment with a specialist in the next 12 months? April Fool!

Think your doctor will continue searching for answers after all your blood work came back “normal”? April Fool!

Think your prescriptions will be affordable? April Fool!

Of course, it’s not just the medical system. Many pain sufferers quickly find out that it’s also April Fool’s Day in the non-medical areas of their life, too. 

Think your job will provide accommodations? April Fool! 

Think your friends will treat you the same after you develop chronic pain? April Fool! 

Think you’ll be able to qualify for disability? April Fool!

Not to mention just trying to exist day to day. 

Think you’ll be able to shower every day? April Fool!

Think you’ll be able to keep your house clean? April Fool!

Think you’ll still be able to work as much as you did before? April Fool!

But the thing about people living chronic pain is that we are fast learners. We’re also resilient – because we don’t have any other choice. That means even when it becomes clear that life with chronic pain is just one cruel joke after another, we still keep going. 

So when you think about it, we’re the ones who really have the last laugh after all.