X> The Faces of Pain...
" The testimonies given with quiet dignity were heartrending, frightening, and sobering because it could happen to anyone of us. I experienced a sickening realization that we have all been working for many years to help people in pain, yet we have reached so few! They came to the microphone one by one and quietly told their stories about their decent into the abyss. I remember them...
There was the man in the wheelchair...
A physician testified that pain medication is not readily available in his county "after hours."
Hospice nurses told many horror stories...
There was a young oncology nurse who testified...
There was the 47-year-old man suffering from back pain since 1979...
Many pain sufferers told how narcotics made them functional yet lost them their self-respect.
A former social worker with RSD testified about years of pain and fights with her payor to receive care.
Many physicians expressed fear of the medical regulatory boards.
Oncology nurses told of children...
"...when the stress is great and you want to give up, remember the " FACES OF PAIN " you too have seen. Resolve to continue the fight so we may be able to help the pain sufferers who are legion.".
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X> The Dark Side of Pain
The consequences of persistent intractable pain can be cruel. The depth of suffering is Immeasurable.
Once they have run the gamut of physicians, surgeons, and other failed treatments and the pain persists...
We who treat pain patients must be aware of the "mind-body" connection, or we will fail miserably.
To achieve this, Psychologists must be equal partners on pain treatment teams.
We must avoid labeling patients ... simply because we lack sufficient knowledge to diagnose and treat their problems. The consequences of doing so are manifold:
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X> To Life
" ...to paraphrase Robert J. Hastings' The Station:
"The true joy of life is the trip. It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. Rather, it is regret over yesterday and fear of tomorrow. Stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot oftener, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. The station will come soon enough."