Table 1 Illustration of the analytical process

I had pain for about ten years, I think. I was limping around 3–4 months of the year. It came in periods. It was very painful (Haakon)

I had pain for about ten years

Pain for years

Long lasting knee pain

Painful years

-the burden of living with long lasting pain

I was on 50% disability benefits because of my fibromyalgia (Randi)

I was on disability benefits because of fibromyalgia

Reduced work capability because of widespread pain

The difficult balance of pain and work- and social life

I had surgery a couple of times on my back too. It has been pretty major operations. And when the knees started to hurt too, I was pretty miserable for a while there (Dagny)

I had surgery a couple of times on my back too. When the knees started to hurt too, I was pretty miserable for a while

Back pain and knee pain

Double burden of pain in multiple locations

Well, I got rheumatism at the age of 24. It was terribly painful for a long time, coming and going, before it burnt out so to speak. So, I am used to having pain (Signe)

I got rheumatism at the age of 24.

It was terribly painful for a long time. So, I am used to having pain

Resolved long lasting painful condition as a young adult

Suffered from long lasting painful condition

I have been so low in my life because of a very difficult marriage. And it was all about destroying me as the open-hearted person I was. So, it has been a pain so great in my life. But it was impossible for me to leave him, it was dreadful (Ingeborg)

I have been in a very difficult marriage. It was all about destroying me as the open-hearted person. It has been a pain so great

A painful marriage

A life of distress and unhappiness

The burden of living with psychological distress

I was very worried about the analgesia if it would work and such. No, that was very tough. I was afraid and anxious and such (Einar)

I was very worried about the analgesia if it would work and such. I was afraid and anxious and such

Afraid and anxious before surgery

Preoperative anxiety

My mother, she was old when she had me. She had so much pain, she became all twisted and crippled and she took so much pain medications and became odd from them. In addition: my parents had a bad marriage. I think her pains got worse from it. So, I have seen her, and I just did not want to end up like her (Inger)

My mother had so much pain, she became odd from pain medications, and she had a bad marriage. So I have seen her, I did not want to end up like her

Growing up with a mother in pain

Emotional struggles of difficult family relations