My daily pain is like a knife to my temple - Cork woman

When Irene Hegarty began experiencing migraines after contracting a virus in 2022, she initially presumed they were temporary.

Three-and-a-half years on, however, the 55-year-old from Cork city still suffers from daily debilitating pain.

“It’s severe, constant pain”, explains Irene. “24/7. Sometimes it could be like an army marching in my head. Other days it could be like barbed wire, or a knife in my temple.”

Irene is one of many people across Ireland living with chronic pain, which is defined as pain lasting longer than three months.

Charity Chronic Pain Ireland estimates that up to one in three people in the country live with the condition, which they describe as often invisible and misunderstood.

It can affect anyone at any age and can strike after illness, injury, or due to unknown causes.

September is Pain Awareness Month, and Chronic Pain Ireland has launched a new campaign - ‘Beyond the Surface’ - which highlights the hidden struggles of chronic pain and the stigma that surrounds it.

Irene, a brand ambassador for Chronic Pain Ireland, is no stranger to these struggles.

“I’ve tried all the major drugs, injections, treatments, everything”, she says. “But they haven’t given me any relief.”

The pain affects all aspects of Irene’s life. Once a social butterfly who loved to attend gigs and concerts, “all that has been curtailed”, as pain and exhaustion frequently leave her housebound.

On better days, when she is well enough for a low-key activity such as meeting a friend for coffee, Irene is often left feeling over-exerted and in need of significant recovery time.

Her husband, Pádraig, and wider circle of family and friends have been a huge support to Irene as she has navigated chronic pain.

Likewise, despite some bumps along the road, she commends the care she now receives from her neurologist and other healthcare professionals responsible for her pain management:

“Even though I don’t want to be where I am on this journey with chronic pain and suffering daily, I do have gratitude for my GP and the medical team that I have, because I feel supported,” she said.

While Irene is fortunate to have an understanding social circle and care team, she has still experienced stigma and ignorance surrounding the realities of chronic pain.

“People have said, ‘Ah sure, you’re just tired! You just need a night out’”, she recounts. Her pain has been dismissed as “just a headache”, with detractors comparing their occasional mild aches and pains to her ceaseless severe migraines.

These attitudes will come as no surprise to anyone suffering from chronic pain.

According to Chronic Pain Ireland, the condition receives limited recognition and understanding, with many people reporting that their pain is not believed - not just by strangers, but healthcare professionals, employers, and those closest to them.

Even if they do have supportive families and friends, sometimes people experiencing chronic pain just need to speak with others in a similar situation.

Irene has found a community thanks to Chronic Pain Ireland, through which she attends regular workshops covering all aspects of the condition, from pain management and living well to mental health and fighting stigma.

These workshops are offered online, accommodating people who would be unable to attend in person due to their pain.

Irene has found solace from the meditation sessions offered by the charity, and she enjoys chatting with and learning from others suffering with chronic pain.

“It’s been a lifeline for me,” Irene says of the Chronic Pain Ireland workshops. “I look forward to them every month.”

So, when the opportunity to become a Pain Ambassador for the charity arose, Irene leapt at it.

“I wanted to give something back”, she says of the chance to raise awareness for chronic pain and support this month’s ‘Beyond the Surface’ campaign.

Through this campaign, Chronic Pain Ireland is calling for greater empathy, early intervention, and system-wide change in the treatment of and support for people living with the condition.

Christina Donnelly, Executive Director of Chronic Pain Ireland, says: “Chronic pain is a heavy burden as often pain is invisible. Stigma adds more weight to that burden, wearing you down, impacting on mental health and wellbeing.

“This campaign aims to bring that pain to the surface - to challenge and end pain stigma, to help promote understanding, and to call for a system that believes and supports people from the start.”

Irene agrees with the need for better understanding and support, and believes that clearer signposting is needed for people with chronic pain trying to navigate the healthcare system.

“It’s like walking into walls, because you don’t know where to go,” she explains. It can be unclear for chronic pain sufferers where to turn, which specialist to see and which treatment to seek out.

As Irene notes: “If you want to buy bread, you don’t go to a butcher shop”. The journey to the correct course of action for pain management can be far from straightforward.

To use Irene’s analogy, patients often have to waste time at a lot of meat counters before they find the bakery they need.

For Irene, the search for appropriate treatment is still ongoing. Her next step is to explore a non-drug treatment pathway. Despite her daily struggles, she remains hopeful for the future.

“I’d like to get back the life that I had previous to being sick,” she says. “I focus on the positives. There are down days, but I tell myself, ‘this too shall pass’.”

To find out more about chronic pain and how to support the ‘Beyond the Surface’ campaign, visit www.chronicpain.ie