Just over 8 years ago I developed a chronic pain condition (New Daily Persistent Headache), and whereas in years gone by I have been dragged down by the passing of another year living with it, this year I have decided to do something positive and try and use it as a motivator to help those who are in a similar or worse boat than myself. Some of you will know the story (it's great at parties) but if not I’ve explained it more below.

Chronic Pain Ireland is a small charity organisation (they have one paid member of staff) that, as the name would suggest, deal with sufferers of chronic pain in Ireland. By their own description they “…strive to create a greater awareness of Chronic Pain and to provide relevant information and support for those living with the condition, for their families and friends.” Given that they provide such a fantastic and vital service yet receive no HSE funding I have decided to try and raise money for them.

So over the next 12 months or so I am going to push myself to complete an endurance event a month; mud-runs, 10ks, swims, and cycles…anything that tests my endurance I am willing to give a go once I can do at least one event a month. Given that I have never really done more than play a match or a bit of five-a-side this might be the death of me but I plan on dragging some friends and family down with me! I have a rough idea of events which I’ll list below but please get in touch and suggest something if you like, the more difficult the better. I have begun by asking a number of friends and family to get involved and maybe do an event with me and join in the fundraising so that they can help me to raise money, if you fancy giving it a go let me know, it should be fun or else hilarious just watching me flounder about 2k into a mud run.

Thanks for reading, as I said there is more info as to why I'm doing this below. Every cent or minute of your time you could spare would be hugely appreciated, thanks a million! - Mark

Planned Events

• November - Turf-Warrior Galway
• December - Birdhill 10k Turkey Run
• January - Milford 10k in UL
• February - Mayhem 10K Obstacle Course in Tipperary
• March - Rock n Road 10k, Kinvara Co. Galway
• April - Bray 10km Mountain Run
• April - Kilmovee 10k Run in Mayo
• May - Great Limerick Run 1/2 Marathon
• July - Ring of Kerry Cycle (180k)
• August - Fingal 10 mile run
• September - Dublin Half-Marathon
• October - The Dublin Marathon
• November - Turf Warrior

How this came about…

I have spent the majority of the past eight years avoiding talking about this, never mind writing about it, but it has come to the point that I think there is value in sharing one’s experience. I suppose I just want to give a picture as to what having a chronic pain condition is like and how it affects life. Hopefully my experience explains in some way why I believe raising money and awareness for Chronic Pain Ireland is important.

On Friday September 26th 2008 I collapsed in school out of the blue. This was the moment that for some as of yet medically-unexplained reason I developed New Daily Persistent Headache. NDPH is, as the name would suggest, a condition that leaves those that have it with a constant headache. In addition to this there can be a number of other effects, such as violent migraine like attacks. It’s constant in so far as it has never gone away since that day, not for one second; I find it’s the aspect that is the hardest to explain, that it never goes away. However, given the fact that it is quite a new and rare condition it took me more than two years to eventually receive a diagnosis. There is no known cause, no effective treatment and no real relief at this moment in time for it.

I was 16 at the time I developed NDPH and although I would question whether anyone at any age is equipped to deal with the sudden onset of chronic pain, I feel it was especially true of my case given my age. At that age you are more worried about school, friends, girls, and all the problems that at that point seem to be insurmountable; it is very hard to have a pain you can’t properly explain to people on top of that, you are simply not mature enough, I feel, to deal with it. I don’t say this for sympathy but rather to highlight the damaging fact that despite this I was never once given any advice on how to deal with pain, how to manage it or indeed how to even accept it.

During these two years of waiting to receive a diagnosis it was very frustrating trying to explain to people that I had this pain that neither I nor the doctors I was seeing at the time could explain. I know there were people that were dismissive or simply didn’t believe I had anything wrong, that I was lying and this led to a couple of run-ins with people unfortunately. I was tested for a number of things and had two stints in hospital as they ruled out any number of theories that the doctors had. I was put on medications and treatments that did nothing for the pain but then led to having to also having live with the side effects these drugs. A combination of all these things would lead to me experiencing huge lows, thinking that it was all in my head (pardon the pun), that no-one believed me, that I was alone, and so on. Living with chronic pain can cripple your self-confidence, lead to depression, and just make everyday tasks nigh on impossible.

Thankfully I did receive a diagnosis in time and although it is better to know what it is causing the pain it has not been an easy journey; I have struggled through certain periods and relied heavily on friends and family over the past eight years and will continue to do so. It has gotten worse over the years but my ability to manage it has improved through trial and error.

Given that an estimated 1 in 8 people in Ireland live with some form of chronic pain condition, from NDPH to back pain and everything in between, I think it is an absolute disgrace that there is a complete lack of support available, that people with chronic pain are not taught how to manage the onset. I was lucky enough to have attended free counselling in college that was of some help but even they were at a loss to help other than to listen. The thing is many people with chronic pain cannot work/study and so on, they cannot live life to the full, they might feel very alone and useless, as well might not have access to counselling to deal with these issues or have the means to afford it. That is why I wish to raise funds for Chronic Pain Ireland as they provide free workshops on how to manage pain and are seeking to raise awareness in general, I hope you can help.

If you’re dealing with chronic pain and you’ve come across this feel free to get in touch or better still contact Chronic Pain Ireland; it always becomes more manageable with help.