Like so many of you, my painful conditions are not visible to most. I have a long scar but it isn't something most would see unless I pointed it out. But my pain is as real as if I were covered in swollen bruises and gruesome cuts. I go on, every day, smiling, laughing, talking, working, being a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, business woman....with pain as my constant companion. My pain management medications make that possible. Without them, the pain would be too much to bear.