[Kim] "When you have chronic pain, people say things like, 'You look great.

You must be feeling better' ... and sometimes I just want to scream.

They have no idea how I feel ... and they don't really want to know."

[Reba] "People can't see that anything's wrong with you ...

and when the pain goes on so long, sometimes you get the feeling that people think it's all in your head."

[Kim] "I kept working ... but I gave up a lot of things I enjoy, like dancing and biking.

My life outside work was getting smaller and smaller ...

and medicine wasn't helping much anymore.

I signed up for a pain management class because I was desperate."

[Reba] "The therapist who led the class explained how stress and negative thoughts can make pain worse, and we learned some mental exercises to help calm our minds and handle pain better."

[Kim] "I had never heard of mindfulness before ...

but it helped me see how tense I was all the time ...

and how my fear of the pain was feeding into it."

[Reba] "The teacher didn't treat us like it was all in our heads.

I felt respected and listened to."

[Kim] "When Reba talked about herself, how she raised her younger sisters and took care of her dad until he died ... that really struck a chord with me."

[Reba] "Kim and I are both caretakers by nature.

I could relate to a lot of things she said ...

and I was inspired by how much she gets done, in spite of her pain."

[Kim] "I used to think I couldn't be active anymore. I was afraid of the pain.

But I learned that weak muscles hurt more ... so I'm riding my bike again ...

slowly and not very far ... but I'm doing it."

[Reba] "I'm setting my priorities better ... not always putting myself last.

I'm practicing the breathing exercises we learned ...

And I'm making time for things I enjoy, like going to a movie or seeing friends."

[Kim] "I know now that I may never be completely pain-free ... but I can manage the pain."

[Reba] "That's what we learned.

And connecting with someone else who knows what this is like ...

That's helped me feel stronger and more determined not to let pain rule my life."