Pain can make you feel like your whole life has been reduced to symptoms, setbacks, and survival. Ben Buckland’s (Tried by Fire Podcast) story refuses that ending. After a workplace injury, Ben develops CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), one of the most severe chronic pain conditions, and he describes what it’s like to live with a nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight, unpredictable flare-ups, and sleep that never feels like rest.
We talk through the real-world side of chronic pain management: the overwhelm of medication overload, the hard work of self-advocacy, and the practical experiments that actually moved the needle for him, including a Mediterranean diet that turned into a more holistic nutrition approach, low dose naltrexone (LDN), and the surprising impact of an H-Wave device compared with a standard TENS unit. Ben also explains how an exoskeleton-style brace and other assistive devices help him walk by shifting weight-bearing, plus the emotional challenge of learning to trust support when your body feels unreliable.
But the heart of the conversation is faith under pressure. Ben shares the turning point from demanding “Why, God?” to asking “How can I glorify You in the middle of this?” and how gratitude, worship, counseling, and Scripture reshaped his identity. We also get honest about marriage and parenting with chronic illness, repairing relationships after pain-driven reactions, and how recovery from pornography addiction connected to learning his worth as God’s beloved child.
If you’re looking for Christian chronic illness encouragement, CRPS awareness, chronic pain resources, and a grounded story of hope that doesn’t deny reality, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories.
Explore Ben's Tried by Fire Podcast and Book project!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/triedbyfirepodcast/tried-by-fire-a-podcast-and-book-project
Purchase here:
https://a.co/d/6dM3f89
Music for The Supernatural Case of an Accidental Time Traveler Ad:
https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sketch-book
License code: FFWQZDUHONOHPA8O
