Dad's life changed forever after what happened to him at work

A grandad's life was changed forever after a “horrendous” workplace incident. Paul Christian, from Southport, had to retire from work as a heavy goods mechanic after he was crushed under a truck.

Since then, and for over two decades now, the 61-year-old has been dealing with chronic pain, which he describes as being “piercing” and has left him feeling "hopeless". The dad-of-two was diagnosed with neuropathic pain six years after the incident.

Initially, it was treated with tablets and freezing patches, Lidocaine. However, both only eased the pain for a few weeks before it would return.

The grandad-of-four told the ECHO: “That day totally 100% changed my life. I worked 60 and 70 weeks to do absolutely nothing instantly. The psychological side of it is horrendous.

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"I was the breadwinner of the family while my wife, Michelle, stayed home and looked after the children. To go from earning decent money to not having any was a huge burden on me.

"Having nothing to do all day leads you to think about the things you should be doing but physically can’t. It gets very dark and you get depressed.

"I thought I was better off not being here at all. Even though Michelle was very supportive I still couldn’t stop feeling like this. It made me an angry person. I was so angry with others and I couldn’t explain why and I knew it wasn’t their fault.”

After the initial treatment stopped working, Paul had four wires put inside his chest during an operation at the Walton Centre to help him cope with the pain. Two wires sit at the top of his chest and the others sit at the bottom to balance the pain.

He said: “If the pain gets worse I can alter the settings of the stimulators to deal with it. My brain is constantly looking for that pain but now it has something else to occupy it. Most days the pain is reduced by 50%.

“The pain itself varies but all of it is sore. It feels like a wire sticking through your skin. My nerves react in the wrong way to things and contract without me even touching them. My left arm will randomly jerk or just stop working altogether at times.

"For a while, I struggled to eat and cooking, still to this day, is a big no." Paul shared his story in light of Pain Awareness Month. Held annually in September, the global campaign aims to spread awareness of issues related to pain and pain management.

Victoria Abbott-Fleming, founder of The Burning Nights Charity which supports those like Paul around the UK, said the mental health impact of chronic pain is “often overlooked”.

She said: “Just living with chronic pain can drain a lot of energy especially when you can’t find any relief. We want to encourage people to seek help and support from healthcare professionals about their chronic pain. Finding the right treatment for your pain can elevate your overall quality of life:”

Mental health helplines and support groups

The following are helplines and support networks for people to talk to, mostly listed on the NHS Choices website

• Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you're feeling, or if you're worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.

• CALM Campaign Against Living Miserably (0800 58 58 58) is a leading movement against suicide. It runs a UK helpline and webchat from 5pm to midnight 365 days a year for anyone who has hit a wall for any reason, who need to talk or find information and support.

• PANDAS (0808 1961 776) runs a free helpline and offers a support service for people who may be suffering with perinatal mental illness, including prenatal (antenatal) and postnatal depression plus support for their family or network.

• Childline (0800 1111) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won't show up on your phone bill.

• PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is an organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.

• Mind (0300 123 3393) is a charity providing advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.