Lady Gaga Shares Her Battle With Chronic Pain on Social Media
Approximately 100 million people in the United States suffer from chronic pain, but it’s rare that anyone in the public eye admits to struggling with chronic pain — or even talks about it. So it came as a bit of a shock when Lady Gaga opened up about her condition on social media.
“Having a frustrating day with chronic pain, but I find myself feeling so blessed to have such strong intelligent female doctors," reads the caption on the Instagram post she published late last week.
190,000 people liked the photo — a close-up of her shoulder area, which appears to be bruised — and it’s received over 2,600 comments so far.
Gaga has clearly struck a chord with her fans, who have been offering overwhelming support and thanks to the pop star since the photo was posted.
“Thank you, @ladygaga for speaking up about chronic pain. As a chronic pain sufferer myself, I can't tell you how much this post means to me. Hope you find the right path of healing. My prayers are with you," one comment reads.
“I hope you feel better. No one understands what it's like to have chronic pain unless you have it too. I stopped trying to explain to people a long time ago," another fan wrote.
Back in 2010 Gaga revealed that lupus runs in her family, and she tested “borderline positive" for the disease.
A photo posted by xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) on
“As of right now ... I do not have it. But I have to take good care of myself," she told Larry King during an interview.
Gaga’s aunt, Joanne — after whom her most recent album is named — died due to complications from lupus in the early 70s. Though Joanne died before Gaga was born, her disease and death had a big impact on their family.
After the huge response to her post, Gaga wrote on her Instagram that she was “overwhelmed by the empathy, confessions [and] personal stories of chronic pain," accompanied by a photo of a treatment she uses for chronic pain.
“Hope this helps some of you, it helps me to keep doing my passion, job and the things I love even on days when I feel like I can't get out of bed."