It is amazing how few people realize the difficulty of coping with constant pain, and the way consistent sleeplessness can throw the day out of kilter…people try to understand, but they often are forgetful about the need for catching up on sleep, and are irritated when one declines late-night invitations, or they drop in at night and keep talking about how they are spoiling my sleep, and keep talking still….they sympathize with my pain and then request me to do things which will aggravate it. I know they mean well, and are asking out of affection, so I can’t refuse….

I feel bad about the pain until I realize that there must be so many others who battle pain ALONG with a life-threatening disease too….I am much better off! As a doctor once said, “When you get some illness, don’t ask,’why me?’…if there was a ‘why’ to illness…children would never get cancer.”

But insomnia due to pain is a daily reality…and I wish people could sympathize less and empathize more!