That THING called...

PAIN

Today, I read a write-up about Pain Management in Mind Your Body, a weekly health companion from The Straits Times.

Oh, how well I can identify with what's been said about pain and its management!

Pain is
“not a straight line…it is plastic, it can expand.” – Dr Bernard Lee, Director/Chronic Pain and Interventional Pain Management Services/TTSH
<*Jumping with elation!* Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! How true! How very true! Only those who have experienced excruciating pain can understand how true this statement is!>

how the brain perceives it


both in the body as well as in the mind



The concept of Pain Memory
“The memory of pain stays on, even when the thing that caused it has healed.” -Dr Bernard Lee/TTSH
<*smile of recognition, nod, nod* Yep, that’s what happened to me – I can’t quite forget the pain I suffered as a result of my right knee operation last year. The phantom of that bout of pain haunted me when I did my left knee this June. Its memory robbed me of the confidence which I needed. Somehow I couldn’t readily believe that my recovered right leg is strong enough to carry me while I recuperate from my left knee operation. My confidence is so undermined that I find it hard to bounce back after my left knee surgery. Inwardly, I remain weak and defeated after the surgery, even though outwardly I keep up a brave front.>


Chronic Pain
~is that which continues a month or more beyond the usual recovery period for an injury or illness. It can go on for months or years and can interfere with daily life at all levels.
<*giggle, wink, wink* Can there be such a thing as chronic heartache or chronic emotional pain? I’ve this pain that won’t go away! It hurts my heart and my soul. I’ve tried letting it go, but it keeps coming back to eat me up inside! In this case, the injury is not a physical one, but an emotional one…it’s a case of feeling hurt and the injury inflicted was not intentional nor was it the consequence of deliberate confrontation. Could it be how the brain –or the mind- perceives it?>



Pain Management
~undoing the memory of pain through a change in behaviour. This process is called Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and it is supported by physiotherapy

~Cognitive Behaviour Therapy cannot cure pain, but it helps one to reclaim one’s life from the reign of pain


The Reign of Pain
~in which pain begins to control the person’s life, limiting his contact with others and making him isolated and depressed.

<*jumping with excitement! smile of recognition, nod nod nod*

I've been through that! I termed it my journey down in the Valley of Despondency.

I likened it to crawling through a dark tunnel.

I described it as my wanting to get into my cave and I described myself as becoming reclusive.

My nights were wrecked by Pain. My days were ruined by Pain's control, causing me to want to limit my contact with others, clouding my thoughts, making me prefer self-isolation, plunging me into depression.

Yes, I've gone down that dreadful alley!

Pain, you reign no more!
I am reclaiming my life.


Coping Strategies

~Get to the functional stage by
*preventing further degeneration of functions when muscles become deconditioned and limbs freeze with lack of activity

* set goals and stick to goals to get to the functional stage

*stretching exercises

*relaxation techniques
- delight myself in the Lord
- meditate on God's word
- claim God's promises
- count my blessings
- give thanks always
- hand over anxieties by prayer and supplication
- rest in the LORD
- lean on the Everlasting Arms
- fill my mind with things that are good and that deserve praise:
things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable


~ Eavesdrop on my own self-talk
* cut out negative self-talk

* give myself positive pep-talks

* Remember : Pain may always be there, but suffering is optional.



~ Look at family relationships and communication. Seek to restore that which
has been strained by the repetitive and constant assaults of pain.




Venusians and Martians
~“Women feel pain more than men” so says British researchers at the University of Bath.

~ Factors at play : genetic differences, hormonal differences, social factors, psychological factors

~ Most women tend to focus on the emotional aspects of pain while men focus on the sensory aspects
< *bulb lights up in the mind!*

BLINK! AHA! SO that's why it makes sense to the “Martian” to say, “It's really mind over matter! Don't focus on the (sensations of your) pain!” while the one who was said to have hailed from Venus griped: “I felt angry, so very angry, with that person for denying the intensity of my feeling in my pain!”

The “Martian” focuses on the sensory aspects of pain while the “Venusian” focuses on the emotional aspects.

The former talks about not allowing one's mind to dwell on the sensory aspect of the pain, while the latter was talking about her feelings being denied, and about the hurt she feels from having her pain seemingly minimized!

Indeed, pain is how the mind perceives it!>


TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and Pain
~ shares Western medicine's view that pain is a symptom, not a disease.

~ treats the source of pain and the individual who is in pain, rather than treat the
pain itself

~ treatment includes accupunture, tuina, moxibustion and promoting a healthy
lifestyle