DevonK - Even Geniuses Have to Deal With Pain

Something else you should know about me is that I live with constant pain.

Back at the end of January 2005 I ruptured a disc in my low back. Then in January 2006 I had surgery to try and correct the situation. The surgery made a lot of difference, but it didn't fix the problem. Even though I have made a lot of progress in order to at least be semi-functional - I will likely never get back to the way I was pre-injury.

As part of my life with pain I’ve had the opportunity to learn a lot about pain and pain management. I can tell you from experience that it isn’t the same thing reading about it, as it is living it. I had a lot of information regarding pain before I had been injured. The information did make a difference, however, it can’t really teach you how you’ll deal with pain when it happens to you.

As an example of how bad things have been for me, a few years ago I hit a stretch that I would have sworn I had mono. I went to the Doctor and they ran a lot of tests – all of which came back negative for anything. What I believe happened is that my body ran out of resources. The pain had sapped my body to the point it had to shut down as a way to protect itself. This lasted about a month or so of which I had to fight just to stay awake. Thankfully it faded and I was semi-able to get back to my life.

Another part of that, I believe, was about the meds I was on. Back then I was on Percocet and I am very happy to say I am not on it any longer. It’s a very strong drug and it also took away my ability to think. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a master of the pill cutter and I took only as much as I needed. More often than not I would actually take less than my pain required. All because I knew the costs of addiction and I didn’t want to play that game. Thankfully I am now on another med that, though a little wussy when the pain intensifies, is perfect for pain management (Zytram / Tramacet).

I’m not here to talk about the meds themselves, but over time I am going to be discussing pain and many things related to it. In fact I plan to write a book on pain and pain management to help teach people a lot more about it. Not from the theory point of view, but from the actual, stuck in the middle of it perspective. I plan on dispelling all the excuses people have for over medicating and teaching people how to tell the difference between “the right amount of meds” and “too much meds”. Something I hope may even have an impact on the way Doctors, etc., deal with people in pain.

So be sure to look for all the posts coming up dealing with pain and pain management. I hope they will be enlightening, even for those people who aren't living with pain.