Table 3.
The Metaphors of pParticipants about the Pain They Experienced During COVID-19
| Metaphor | Frequency | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Pliers | 2 |
Think of an organ tightened with pliers, we usually use this tool for repair, but this is not repair, it's like war. It damages the organ it squeezes. (P1) ….. literally my back ached like it was split in half and compressed. (P3) |
| Pieces of glass | 3 |
The pieces of glass sink into body of a person and it hurts a lot, it wounds a lot, just like it. (P2) The broken glass, I felt like its broken surfaces were sinking into my whole body. Because my bones hurt so much that I can't explain. I can't really describe that process, it's a period in my life that I don't want to remember, but the effect is still on. (P4) …. joint pains... especially, when my joints move, they are ached like scratched by pieces of glass. (P6) |
| Balloon or ball | 2 |
When the balloon or ball inflates, it compresses the area it is in. I felt such a tightness in my chest. As I started to relax a little, I felt the balloon deflate. (P5) As the ball is hit, it is thrown from place to place, it was just like that in my joints and my head. I couldn't touch my body. (P12) |
| Wormy apricot seed | 1 | It's like a wormy apricot kernel...... It looks very nice from the outside but there is a wormy inside. My situation was the same. At first you don't notice it at all, you feel pretty good. But no one sees the war inside you. (P7) |
| Knife | 1 | I felt intense pain as if a knife had been pierced. (P8) |
| Table | 1 | Very heavy things are being placed on the table......I also experienced pain on my back as if I was carrying such heavy objects. (P13) |
| An object stuck in a narrow space | 2 |
I felt like I was trapped in a tight space. As this area was narrowing, my pain was constantly increasing. (P2) As the area narrowed, my pain increased, and my breathing was short. (P15) |
| Foreign body | 1 | I watch a lot of science fiction movies. In those movies, different foreign objects get into people. It takes full control and does whatever it wants to the body. Think of a living flower, how it can dry out in an instant. This virus takes over the whole body at the same time and causes pain all over the body. (P1) |
| Heavy machinery | 1 | I felt pain all over me, as if a heavy machinery had passed over me and I had an accident. I felt like I was stuck under a heavy machinery. I felt a heavy burden on me. It was like I was broken all over it. (P10) |
| Sofa | 1 | I felt tons of heavy on me as if someone was sitting on me, the pain was just like that. (P11) |
| Fire | 1 | It was as if my back had caught a fire from the pain. (P9) |
| Bicycle | 1 | Whenever I tried to stand up, my legs ached like I was riding a bike. (P14) |
*Some participants provided two metaphors.