Brendan

I was 14 when overnight I developed a sharp stabbing pain in the centre of my abdomen.

Over about 12 months, it became constant, severe pain, 24/7. I’d rate it 8-10 out of 10, all the time.

My GP sent me for scans and blood tests. He sent me to different specialists. But nothing showed up, and no one knew what to do with me. Some doctors told me I was pretending.

It made me worry more, to have no diagnosis and no way to address what was going on.

I was prescribed opioids, but once I understood the risk of addiction, I didn’t want to take them.

I missed three terms of Year 8 and a lot of Year 9. I missed social activities. I had to give up sport.

Most days I didn’t even want to get out of bed, and I became depressed.

It took two years to find a gastroenterologist who acknowledged my pain was real, and was ready to help me. It was the first time I felt validated and taken seriously.

I ended up with a diagnosis of Chronic Abdominal Pain Syndrome. It’s a condition with no cure.

My specialist sent me to a paediatric pain clinic, where I was given the right help, to develop strategies to manage the pain.

Thanks to what I’ve learned, today my life is different.

There are lots of young people like me, who are living with chronic pain, but don’t have access to the kind of services and support I found. I’m sharing my story to help them.