“You have the pain — but you also have the power to manage it.”
On Disability Matters, John Comiskey speaks with Fiona Armitage, a Dublin woman living with chronic pain, about a journey that began with what was meant to be a routine operation — and became a life-altering battle for diagnosis, understanding and survival.
In 2007, Fiona underwent what was described as a simple surgical procedure. But when she woke from the operation, the pain was overwhelming — and it didn’t go away.
“At first, I thought it was just post-operative pain,” Fiona explains. “But it continued. And no matter how often I raised it, it was somewhat dismissed.”
Over the following two years, Fiona moved from consultant to consultant, searching for answers while her pain intensified. Eventually, in a moment of absolute desperation, she asked for her leg to be amputated.
“I couldn’t cope with the pain. It was that bad.”
A Diagnosis — At Last
It was only after being referred to a specialist unit in the UK that Fiona finally received clarity.
“Within fifteen minutes of the appointment, they diagnosed the problem.”
That moment changed everything. Not because the pain disappeared — but because, finally, it had a name. With diagnosis came direction. With direction came hope.
Fiona attended an inpatient pain management programme, learning coping strategies that would slowly help her rebuild her life. The path back was not quick — nor easy.
“No two days are the same when you live with chronic pain,” she says. “You can feel wonderful one day — and the next day you’re completely floored.”
The Invisible Toll
Chronic pain is often unseen — but its impact is profound.
Fiona speaks candidly about the strain it placed on her marriage and her four young children. Heavy medications altered her personality. Brain fog impaired her memory. The isolation grew as her ability to work, drive and socialise diminished.
“When people can’t see your pain, they don’t always understand it,” she reflects.
Like many living with long-term pain, Fiona describes herself as once being a “boom and bust merchant” — doing too much on good days, only to pay for it for days afterwards. Learning the art of pacing became transformational.
“One physio told me, ‘The ironing isn’t going anywhere.’ That really stayed with me.”
Pacing — short bursts of activity followed by rest — is now central to her daily management.
Managing the Pain
Fiona continues to live with chronic pain, but today her approach is holistic and carefully balanced.
She manages medication cautiously to reduce cognitive side effects. Her prescriptions are organised in blister packs to ensure accuracy. She has also undergone implantation of a spinal cord stimulator — an internal device similar to a TENS machine that interrupts pain signals travelling to the brain.
“It gives me about 30% relief,” she explains. “It doesn’t take the pain away — but it makes life more manageable.”
From Pain to Power
Searching for support led Fiona to Chronic Pain Ireland, an organisation offering education, peer connection and practical management programmes for people living with pain lasting longer than three months.
Their message this month is simple but powerful:
Pain to Power.
“You have the pain,” Fiona says. “But you also have the power to manage it.”
Through online coffee mornings, structured courses and safe spaces for conversation, the organisation helps people rediscover connection and reduce the deep isolation that so often accompanies invisible illness.
You Are Not Alone
Chronic pain can shrink a life. It can erode confidence. It can isolate.
But Fiona’s story is ultimately one of resilience.
“I wanted my old life back,” she says. “I had to relearn how to live — differently.”
Her message to others is clear:
Reach out. Ask for help. Find your community.
Because no one should have to navigate chronic pain alone.
This is an archived interview that first aired on October 10th, 2024.
This interview aired on Disability Matters on 92.5 Phoenix FM, a programme produced by Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living (BCIL).
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Read more: Christina Donnelly of Chronic Pain Ireland on Support, Self-Management and Breaking the Stigma