Living With Chronic Pain
Key Points
They tell me my diagnosis is pretty common, that millions of Americans suffer with low back pain. I’ve also heard that next to the common cold, missing work from low back pain is the biggest reason. With these two major known facts, I then wondered why getting the correct treatment for low back pain is so difficult.
After being diagnosed with a herniated disc and bone disc degenerative disease, I was immediately scheduled to see a surgeon. The surgeon suggested I have back surgery. To make a long story short, after a lot of prayer, a lot of thought, and after talking to many people who already have had surgery with my same diagnosis, I chose against surgery.
After deciding against surgery, I found I was immediately cast in a different light, by my doctor, and the medical community in general. I found my pain was then not taken seriously. I felt disbelieved about how
much I hurt. I actually felt like a drug addict when asking for something for the pain. It appeared my physician felt back surgery was the end all cure all to my back & leg pain.
To the contrary studies have shown, back surgery may actually cause more pain, complications, and even damage that requires more follow up surgery. Knowing physicians and surgeons are already aware of this, it really makes you wonder why they would put you at such risk. I wish some of these healthcare professionals would just once switch places with me for one day living with chronic low back pain.
As a chronic pain sufferer, I’m dedicated to helping other chronic pain sufferers who suffer from pain in any manner.
When Chronic Pain becomes too much
As a chronic pain sufferer myself, being diagnosed with a herniated disc in my lower back, along with bone disc degenerative disease, I have learned a lot about how chronic pain is treated, or I should say undertreated. It’s a sad fact for a variety of reasons, that chronic pain goes grossly undertreated. Too many americans are needlessly suffering in pain. After years and years of my pain going undertreated, I have learned a few things that I would like to share.
First of all, theres a stigma associated with patients seeking treatment for chronic pain. Physicians are hesitant about what kind of treatment is best. From physical therapy, bio-feedback, muscle relaxers, steroids, anti-inflammatory, over the counter medications, to narcotic pain medication. Particularly when using narcotic pain medication, it seems physicians do whats best in the interests for themselves, not whats in the best interest of the patient. This has occured due to government regulations, narcotic abuse, diversion, patient addiction & physicians who just dont understand pain.
Obviously if someone doesn’t have a diagnosis of chronic pain, and other treatment is better suited, that should be the course of action. But on the other hand, if every other treatment has been tried, chronic pain sufferers should have every right to narcotic pain medicine. Before I found a physician who finally understood my pain, I felt like a drug addict, I felt like I was disbelieved by the medical community when I
told them I was in pain. Pain sufferers are discriminated against tremendously. I am dedicated to informing as many as possible that people are truly suffering in pain needlessly, and dedicated to helping those who suffer.
Chronic Pain Management
Why would an article with such an esoteric title be of interest, of importance and relevancy to more than just Pain Management health care workers. Shouldn’t such an article be of more importance and interest in
a Professional Journal than it would be to the educated general populous. What is behind the idea of publishing it on the Internet, situated so that many more than just medical minds would come across it by happenstance.
A large percentage of the general population is thought to either listen to, watch, or read any of the many ways the News Media bombards us with what their financial backers’ opinions would have us know. Therefore we must assume that this same population should, by now, understand how the median age of death, in our country as in others, has been prolonged. We attribute this increasing life expectancy, over the previous few centuries, by all of the many scientific advances, by the formation of and stabilization of standardized-religion, and by the many laws of behavior, in-acted to prevent man’s destruction of his/her
fellow man/woman.
For these and other reasons, the percentage of the population living over the age of 65 increases with every passing decade and century. At this point I hope that you can begin to better understand the importance of pain control in chronic non-cancer patients. Since the percentage of the population over 65 is getting larger with each passing decade, it is becoming more common place to know or to know of an individual requiring pain control for a chronic non-cancerous problem.
Breakthrough pain in cancer patients is associated with poor outcomes, a greater incidence of hospitalization, more difficult to treat pain syndromes, and, of course, the inevitable patient dissatisfaction with therapy. None of the previous characteristics are found, in general, amongst the non-cancerous patients.
Breakthrough pain in non-cancerous patients is known to be prevalent, severe, and it shares several characteristics with cancer patients, such as that it is typically rapid in onset and frequently encountered. Studies have shown that nearly three quarters of patients with non-cancer pain have significant episodes of breakthrough pain.
For the general population, is not important what the actual treatments are for pain control in chronic non-cancerous patients. What is important for everyone to understand is that a growing part of our general population will be suffering with chronic non-cancerous pain. We need to start to modify and/or drop, when appropriate, our misconceptions of individuals (young and old) that complain of chronic pain that proves to be non-cancerous in origin. We must study how individuals on narcotic therapy do when attempting to continue with accepted normal daily functions. Such functions would include work, play, and care-giving. I feel that we will be surprised how much of a normal life these individuals can live if given the chance.
