The struggle with suffering can be said to be at the centre of what can metaphorically be described as a drama. The study aims to establish whether the drama of suffering is conducted on different levels of health and suffering, and if so, to describe this suffering. Data was analysed using a narrative hermeneutic approach. The analysis revealed four different kinds of drama of suffering. They are described in terms of tragic, romantic, satiric or comic drama – the differences between them relating to different levels of health and suffering and to what the sufferer has to sacrifice to relieve suffering.