I just finished reading a fascinating post on the Medscape website. It discussed what happens to a doctor’s mindset when they become a chronic pain patient. To summarize, most doctors-turned-pain-patients undergo a transformation of mind and heart. As someone with a chronic medical condition, I see that transformation as a good thing.
Do not misunderstand. I don’t wish chronic pain on anyone. Although my condition does not involve pain, it has its own life-altering symptoms that affect nearly everything I do. I also know people with chronic pain. Their circumstances are eerily similar to mine in terms of how their conditions affect their lives.
The interesting thing about doctors is their willingness to dismiss chronic pain if the usual battery of tests shows nothing wrong with the patient. But what if a doctor who previously dismissed chronic pain becomes the pain patient himself? It suddenly becomes real.
Table of Contents
Pain Is a Complicated Thing
None of this is intended to be a knock on doctors. The work doctors do is not easy. Furthermore, the human body is a complicated piece of work. Fully understanding everything about it is nearly impossible. The point being made here is that chronic pain is something we know little about. But the answer is not to simply write another prescription or dismiss it as imaginary.
One of the doctors profiled by the Medscape post has a rare condition known as zoster sine herpete. It’s essentially shingles without the associated rash. It is also very difficult to diagnose and often leads to chronic pain that can last for years. Here is the problem: post-condition pain cannot be identified with an X-ray or MRI. It can’t be diagnosed with a blood test.
This particular doctor gradually reached a point at which her chronic pain forced her to leave medicine. And is a chronic pain patient, she experienced the same types of dismissive attitudes other patients speak about so often.
No Single Cure
In the search for relief, the former doctor tried everything. Some treatments did not help at all. Others provided temporary relief that eventually wore off. She was forced to reach the conclusion that there is no single cure for chronic pain.
This is the daily reality at Lone Star Pain Medicine in Weatherford, TX. Lone Star doctors treat a variety of chronic pain conditions using different therapies. As a pain management clinic, it prefers a multi-modal approach that combines pain relief treatments with physical therapy, behavioral therapy, and non-opioid pain medications when necessary.
Interestingly, the physical therapy is designed to improve function and mobility. That alone can help a patient take their life back. As for the behavioral therapies, they are recommended with the knowledge that chronic pain has an impact on the brain.
The Mind-Body Pain Connection
As the Medscape post points out, researchers and pain medicine specialists are gradually understanding the connection between mind and body where pain is concerned. Pain is not just a physical symptom. It is not just the result of a mechanical problem within the body. Physical pain can be just as easily the result of a perception of the mind.
One of the challenges that comes with chronic pain is the fact that it makes the body more susceptible to all sorts of discomforts. This natural reaction is part of the mind-body relationship.
Doctors who ultimately become chronic pain patients undergo a mindset transformation. Many of them have reached the conclusion that modern medicine needs to pay more attention to the mind-body connection. Change how the mind works and pain relief is within reach.