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You are at :Home»Health»“I Have Lived With Serious Pain…”

“I Have Lived With Serious Pain…”

Health

“I Have Lived With Serious Pain…”
By Myra Christopher

It’s hard for people who know me to imagine that more than 50 years ago I belonged to one of those high-kick dance teams. We wore short skirts and white leather boots which we kicked over our heads when performing during half-time at high school football games or marching in parades for miles and miles wearing leather flat-soled boots.

It might have happened otherwise, but for nearly twenty years, I have lived with serious pain associated with advanced osteoarthritis. In part, I attribute it to the pounding and stress I put on my joints as a teenager. I have had two shoulders and one knee replaced. I’m nearly four inches shorter than I was in my young adult years, and the TSA screens light up like a Christmas tree when I am traveling.

I have taken buckets-full of prescription pain medications and hated every one of them. They made me constipated, dry mouthed and fuzzy-headed. However, at certain times they allowed me to continue to function, as I awaited a surgical procedure or recovered from one. Given what I know, I think I am one of the lucky ones who, as soon as post-operative pain subsided, I was able to simply stop taking these meds without side effects – no withdrawal symptoms. HOWEVER, for me, opioids are a last resort, NOT my first choice, and it is rare that I have to turn to them. But I am grateful for them when needed.

What works for me is comprehensive chronic pain care, which has included opioid therapy. Equally important has been what is referred to as “alternative” therapies. I reject this notion because, frankly, I want it all. So, I choose, as do most of those who work in this space, to refer to them as “complementary” therapies or treatments.

Some of the things I do to control my condition, rather than my pain controlling me:
• I walk five miles every morning before I begin my day.
• I take Ibuprofen and use Tiger Balm (a topical liniment) by the gallons.
• I am mindful that certain foods seem to cause my pain to flare and try to avoid them.
• I regularly see an “acupressurist” for massage that is therapeutic, NOT pleasurable, and from time to time, I go to an acupuncturist for my foot problems.
• I meditate every morning and night to keep a lid on stress associated with work and everyday life.
• I try to keep my weight down, although I’m not as good at that as I want to be.
• I am very active and a fanatic about my sleep regime.
• I soak my feet regularly and keep a heating pad by my bed and an ice pack in the freezer at all times.

Sometimes, I think the most helpful “therapy” for me is that, before I close my eyes, I remember three things that have happened that day for which I am grateful. There are no quick fixes to serious orthopedic problems and chronic pain often associated with it, but I am very grateful for the rich life I lead and those who love and care about me – professionals, friends and family.

For a more detailed description of “complementary chronic pain care,” go to painsproject.org/educational-brief-what-is biopsychosocial-pain-care/

Myra Christopher is the Director of the PAINS Project, a program of the Center for Practical Bioethics dedicated to transforming the way pain is perceived, judged and treated www.practicalbioethics.org

2018-05-11
Ryan Iguchi
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