Adequate Pain Relief: Part 1
From: Helen Dynda (olddad66@runestone.net)
Thu Jul 12 20:49:20 2001
[]]] Adequate Pain Relief: Part 1
http://www.drcook.com/current.html
[] Question:
My pain is so bad I can't stand it. I had a laparoscope for endometriosis
and did feel better for a while, but the pain just keeps getting worse over
time. I feel like I am begging my doctor for pain killers. It is
humiliating, but I just don't want to hurt so much. I am also afraid of
becoming addicted to the pain medicine. Until I can find a doctor that can
get rid of the pain, is there any way of controlling this pain?
[] Answer:
Yes, there usually are methods to control the pain. While it would be ideal
to eliminate the pain, a more realistic goal is to reduce the pain to a
tolerable level. A level at which the pain is not controlling your life.
The concept is to have you in control of the pain and your life rather than
the debilitating level of pain that all too many of you experience.
Unfortunately, much of the medical community as well as the general
population do not understand chronic pain and appropriate pain management.
A lot of the medical literature regarding chronic pain is based upon cancer
patients. People, many of whom are dying, with horrible pain. One would
think that the medical community would have the compassion and knowledge to
provide adequate pain relief to these people. People that are looking to
their doctors to help ease the pain and suffering from their remaining days
of life. If a significant number of people with cancer cannot obtain
adequate relief, how can an endometriosis patient, who looks well and does
not have a terminal disease, hope to find appropriate pain relief?
It is possible to find appropriate pain management, but quite frankly, you
may have to be persistent. Pain management is not a routine aspect of most
OB/GYN training programs. Most OB/GYN doctors do not understand chronic
pain management and it is really not reasonable to expect that they should.
The days of the family doctor doing everything are gone. A Pain Management
doctor is a specialist (usually a doctor with a background in anesthesia) in
the field of pain management. A good pain management doctor is invaluable.
Unfortunately, there is a range in quality of pain management doctors (some
do not even want to treat female pelvic pain) and many insurance companies
will make it difficult or impossible to see a good pain management doctor
(if you want them to pay for the visit).
Over the next couple of weeks we will discuss the general approach to the
use of pain medications in the treatement of chronic pain and the various
types of pain medications.
|
