Dillard James N - The Chronic Pain Solution: Your Personal Path to Pain Relief

Diana, a makeup artist in her late twenties, came into my office toting a shopping bag. She heaved the bag up onto my desk and then slowly eased herself into a chair. She explained to me that she suffered from severe endometriosis, a painful disorder in which uterine tissue implants itself in other areas of the body, and that she had seen several doctors in her search for relief. When I opened the shopping bag, I saw that it was filled with prescription bottles. Every time I see a doctor, I bring in my bag and he adds another to my collection, she said, obviously expecting that Id do the same. I looked at the labels; she had been regularly downing a dangerous combination of pills. Still, Diana was in terrible pain. She could drag herself through work, but at night all she could do was lie on the couch with a heating pad on her abdomen. It sounds trivial, she said, but the worst part is that Im lonely. Ive been so depressed and exhausted from the pain that no one wants to talk to me. She sighed and ran her hand down the side of her face. I guess I cant blame them. Im not the person I used to be. Since the pain started, Im just not myself anymore.

A few years ago, Victor, a fifty-four-year-old lawyer, developed arthritis in his left hand. His doctor told him to take Tylenol, and when that didnt help, Victor decided hed just have to live with the pain. At first he hurt mainly before a change in the weather, but now his hand had begun to ache every day. He could still force himself to type documents at his computer, but he wondered if hed need to fire his longtime secretary and hire a new one who could take shorthand. Sometimes the pain woke him up at night, especially in winter. It was even getting hard to pull on his socks. Tell me if this is something Im just supposed to put up with, and I will, he said. But theres got to be more I can do.

I could tell at first sight that Jacobs life was governed by pain. He shuffled through the door with his arms held close to his sides. I offered him a seat, but he winced and remained standing. In a barely audible monotone, he told me his story. Three years ago, Jacob had injured his back at work; despite two surgeries and long periods of total bed rest, he had not recovered. In fact, he was in agonizing pain every hour of the day. He couldnt work, couldnt relaxhe couldnt even sit downand the doctors who signed off on his workers compensation payments wouldnt renew his prescription for the only painkillers that had given him any relief. His wife had stuck by him so far, he told me reluctantly, but the marriage was precarious. He summed up his life with pain: I spend all my time trying to protect my back. I cant even go downstairs to pick up the mail or help with the dishes. Im afraid to. Theres no way Ill risk making the pain worse.