Inflammation can be horrendously painful. It is, also, often difficult to explain or understand. There have been various descriptions that I have heard over the years. These descriptions include rug-burns, actual second-degree burns, open wounds, rash, sunburn, 'on fire', a burning sensation, raw, and the like.
But how do we really get across what inflammation truly feels like when no one can see it, unless they use scopes into the internal organs affected.
There are quite a few conditions that result inflammation of the skin. These illnesses can be diseases all on their own, or they can be symptoms of another illness altogether. They can be side effects of medication. Whatever the case, suffering from illnesses/symptoms like Psoriasis, Rosacea, Inflamed Acne, or any other physically visible inflammatory condition, is incredibly painful, but more easily understood.
If we take a look at photos of skin inflammation, of psoriasis or rosacea, of an awful sunburn, and transfer that idea to internal organs, maybe it would offer some clarity. Imagining the worst sunburn you have ever experienced, and put that inside your intestines. Or on your liver. In your throat. In your brain. Behind your eyes. In your bladder, your pancreas, your ovaries (if you have them). Imagine bones - burning. Nerves - burning.
Except there is no topical cream, no aloe vera, to numb the pain. The best we can do is take something - orally, via injection, or other methods of medicating. The pain can become so awful that we reach for any promise of reduced pain - anything to dull the burning sensation, if only for just a little while.
As always, though, there is a silver lining.
Inflammatory conditions often result in intermittent pain; it comes and goes in waves of flare-ups and bouts of remission (though not always). This pain has the potential of being suppressed - with medication or alternative pain relief, or with methods of distraction.
For many people, suffering from one inflammatory condition does not usually entirely disrupt one's life - it is possible to live a normal and fulfilling life.
The Lighter Side of inflammation is that it often comes and goes. It does not usually stay intensely severe for long periods of time, unless it remains uncontrolled. It may not be well understood, it may be both difficult to live with and difficult to explain, but it can be manageable. Plus, there are so many different people with some form of inflammation that there is an abundance of information on the subject as well as anecdotes that may help another with coming to terms with such diseases.
