Is chronic pain a normal thing to live with? Is there a point where feeling pain is no longer healthy? Nurses in the health care field are introduced to patients who experience ongoing sadness due to a loss. Nurses must be able to understand and work with patients experiencing chronic pain. This article researches chronic pain and its connection to the field of nursing. Nursing theorists began studying this theory of chronic pain in the 1980s. A group of scientists banded together in an effort to study chronic pain and build a framework that would help nurses understand how patients react to chronic pain. To support parents of children with chronic conditions, or anyone with a chronic condition, it is necessary to recognize the unique challenges that each family faces (MacLean, 2014). Regarding Teel's article on chronic pain, we create close relationships with others. These relationships, when broken, can make us feel a sense of extreme loss. In the case of a child who is born with a cognitive disability, parents will feel a sense of great loss. Although the child is physically still there with them, there is a constant reminder of the loss of a healthy, fully cognitive child. Family members may eventually adjust to the new lifestyle associated with a child with a disability, but episodes of sadness may still occur. Freud believes that grief is not a pathological reaction and will resolve itself over time. Pain is a normal response to a bad or distressing situation. Physical reactions as well as emotional reactions will be present in a distressing situation. These physical reactions may include: tight throat, difficulty breathing, weakness, feeling of emptiness, and feeling of yes... middle of paper... pain. In the healthcare field, nurses will come into contact with someone suffering from a chronic loss, such as a parent whose child has a cognitive disability. Understanding what chronic loss is can help these nurses provide the best overall patient care and support. Works Cited Gordon, J. (2009, January 1). An evidence-based approach to supporting parents experiencing chronic pain. Log in to Medscape. Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/707848_2Gregory, J. W. Chronic Sorrow In Parents Of Children with Type 1 Diabetes. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 992-1000.MacLean, M. (2014). Educating nurses: living with chronic pain. Living with Chronic Pain RSS. Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://www.chronicsorrow.org/?page_id=96Teel, CS Chronic Pain: Concept Analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1311-1319.