Andrea

I live with chronic nerve pain. Every day I feel pain in my chest. Most days I also get a tingling sensation on my face, hands and legs.

The pain means I hardly sleep. It wakes me every hour and I go through at least five different pillows a night, trying to get comfortable. I wake up feeling like I hardly slept.

If I take painkillers, I sleep through the night, but then I wake up with incredible pain, because my body pretty much stays in the same position all night.

The pain began spontaneously a few years ago, and it changed my entire life.

I used to play netball and beach volleyball, but I gave up sports because the exercise made my pain worse.

I changed jobs, to find less demanding hours, but that didn’t help. So now I just work despite the pain. Sometimes I miss days if the pain is unbearable.

My social life is pretty limited. At 25, I struggle to get through a week of work, let alone go out with friends. My weekends are my recovery time.

Along with the pain, I sometimes feel light headed or can’t focus my eyes. Those times my mum becomes my taxi.

I don’t like relying on people. I’m an incredibly independent person, and it’s one of the things I find hardest.

I’ve had surgery and cortisone injections, but so far nothing has helped.

My specialist told me it’s something I have to accept, and I’m learning to do that.

There have been dark times, when I spent days in bed crying, and finding other people who live with pain has been so helpful for me.

I recently moved to a house with a pool. I sit in the pool for a while every day, and for that time, I don’t feel the pain.

The water reminds me that life can be different. I’d really like to get into sports again.