Intense crises: When sickle cell pain becomes unbearable
This type of sickle cell crisis tests both physical and emotional strength
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Recently, I doubted I’d be able to write this column. My knees had become swollen, immovable, and painfully untouchable. The slightest movement sent sharp pain through my body. Just sitting up was difficult, let alone writing.
The episode began with malaria, which I had treated the previous week. Soon after, it progressed into a severe sickle cell crisis involving my back, hips, and knees. The pain intensified rapidly. Then, after 24 hours, it eased in some parts of my body but settled aggressively into my hips and knees, where, unfortunately, it worsened.
Alongside the physical suffering came fear.
The symptoms closely resembled the intense crisis I experienced in 2018 after complications from avascular necrosis (AVN). That period remains one of the most difficult chapters of my life, when I was bedridden for over a year. This recent episode seemed painfully familiar. Both of my knees were swollen and extremely tender. I couldn’t move or even touch them, and analgesics provided little relief.
At one point, I completely broke down emotionally. I cried profusely and wondered how I had survived a similar ordeal years ago. Fear slowly crept into my thoughts. I asked God how long I would remain bedridden this time. Deep inside, I worried that another subchondral fracture had occurred in my knees because of AVN, as had happened in 2018.
Thankfully, my experience this time took a different turn.
It shall pass
After receiving specialized treatment from my doctor, I gradually began to feel relief. The improvement surprised me because that hadn’t happened for months in 2018. This time, however, my body responded differently. Day by day, the pain diminished. My strength slowly returned, and hope replaced fear.
I now feel much better, and that alone fills me with gratitude.
As I’ve grown older, intense crises have become less frequent. Chronic pain and fatigue now occur more often than severe vaso-occlusive episodes. Still, sickle cell crises exist on different levels. Some remain mild, others become moderate, and a few reach extreme severity.
Over the years, I’ve experienced many severe crises. However, the worst episodes belong in a category I personally describe as “intense” crises. The first crisis that resulted in a hospitalization at age 11 was one of them.
These episodes rarely respond to mild analgesics. Sometimes, even stronger medications provide relief for only 30 minutes before the pain returns with full intensity. Normally, such relief should last a couple of hours.
Whenever I experience an intense crisis, the affected part of my body shakes involuntarily. The shaking doesn’t come from cold weather or tremors. Pain alone triggers it. When suffering becomes powerful enough to make the body tremble against its will, words struggle to capture the experience.
Intense crises test both physical and emotional strength. They can make a person question the very essence of life because nobody wants to live with that level of pain. Yet, despite how overwhelming those moments feel, one truth always remains: The pain eventually passes.
So, to every sickle cell warrior currently enduring an intense crisis, try to hold on to hope. No matter how severe the pain feels today, your body is not its permanent home. It shall pass.
Note: Sickle Cell Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Sickle Cell Disease News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues about sickle cell disease.
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