Monday, April 28, 2003|
Pain is totally subjective, it can't be measured, there's no test for it and it's the most important thing in many people's lives. There are people who live with pain every single day, all day. There are people who are overjoyed if their pain is made only 50% better, enough to allow them to walk or play with their kids or go to work. And there are people whose pain is so unremitting that they kill themselves in a final attempt to be pain-free. I'm starting my second week in my new job at a pain management clinic, a place where people with chronic pain go for treatment. Pain is a complex problem that requires individualized plans of treatment. We have two physicians, soon to be two physician assistants, a chiropractor, a psychologist; we work closely with the physical therapy department, a pharmacist, people who do massage therapy and acupuncture. We don't cure pain, we try to lessen it. We try to get people to the point where it doesn't dominate their lives, whether through medication, steroid blocks, injections, electrical stimulators or other, less traditional, therapies. The past week has been yet another lesson in how much I don't know about so many things. But I'm beginning to learn. Not all pain is treatable. SJ is a 20-something woman who, at the age of 16, was intentionally dragged by a car. When the young man in the passenger seat let go of her arm, she slipped under the truck and was run over by the back wheels. The three young men turned around and were going to run over her again, but other drivers blocked their way. She suffered severe head injuries, a punctured lung, a bruised heart and broken bones, including bones in her lumbar spine. In the intervening years, she has had much therapy, both physical and emotional. She came to us for relief of her back pain and we have some things to offer her. If you thought her story is bad, read the rest. This occurred in a major city in Utah. There were more than 200 witnesses and 29 calls were made to 911. She is Baptist. Her assailants were all Mormon, as was the prosecutor and the judge who sentenced them. The driver pled guilty to a charge of reckless operation. He was fined $50 with no jail time except for the ten days already served. SJ had no appeal.
SJ is an intelligent, attractive young woman. She has some facial scarring, but probably not nearly as bad as she believes. She moved to Ohio a couple years ago, has found a great boyfriend, has two children (she stopped all of her pain medication while pregnant!) and has made incredible progress toward a normal life. The one thing she still desperately wants, and deserves, is justice. |
Last update: 7/12/04; 13:23:13 .
