On Pain
23 July 2007 - 10:32 .
For the past few weeks I've been kinda quiet here, except for one day about a week and a half back when I was especially whacked out on pain killers, and I found almost anything to be stupidly funny.For those not in the know, the short version is that when I was in Portland at a rowing regatta towards the end of June, I wrenched my back in a particularly bad way. As a result my entire pelvis got rotated on 2 axes (right side forward and high) and I couldn't walk straight. Most muscles in my low back, hip and sacral areas were in spasm for about 3 weeks. If you saw me walking, you know that I looked like a puppet without a string.
I've had a dislike of pain medication for a long time, and so through much of the first couple weeks I refused to take any aspirin or ibuprofen. I allowed myself some muscle relaxants before bed, but nothing else. I see now that this was a mistake, since it let me more that slightly bearish.
I don't know where my dislike of pain meds comes from, but I can't think of a point in time after my teenage years when it wasn't so. My rationale has always been that if I'm medicated, then how do I know when I'm actually better. This approach works for me, since I personally feel that conventional medicine treats the symptom more than it treats the root cause.
I have no qualms about taking pills if there's a need; for example if I were to suddenly develop diabetes or high cholesterol and needed daily tablets, I wouldn't have a problem taking them. But I've always shunned pain medication, not out of some sense of pride or misplaced stoicism, but because as I said I always prefer to try to find the root cause of something.
This last episode was different though, and for the first time in many years I started taking ibuprofen regularly as a pain management technique. I realized that the constant nagging pain in my back and hips was making me snappish and quick to anger, and I didn't like that side of myself. My patience was limited and I stopped laughing. This last was unacceptable to me so I decided to stop being a hero and give in to the need. This is a change that I think I need to integrate more thoroughly into my way of being.
I know that some of the people who read here themselves have different ailments that lend themselves to regular medication. I'm curious to know how you deal with it. When is enough actually enough, and you know that it's time to pop some pain pills? Do you sometimes refrain, and if so, why? Or do you reach for the aspirin at the first sign of an ache? And again, if so, why?
And to those of you who feel victim to my moods, I'm sorry. I'm trying to find a better balance.
Posted by gillian on 23 July 2007 - 18:13
For me, I guess I decide pills are necessary if:1. I need to work/concentrate and I can't due to the pain,
2. I can't sleep because of the pain, even though I'm exhausted, or
3. (like you) my mood is badly affected by the pain.
I don't like taking painkillers, myself (I'm on meds for various things, but I grew up with a mother who avoided painkillers, so I tend to suffer things like headaches without thinking to pop a Tylenol). However, I killed my back in 2003 and since then I've realized that sometimes you just have to give in.
I hope your back recovery goes well. I know how you feel.
Posted by Sue on 23 July 2007 - 22:58
My main pill-popping is prescribed daily doses of synthroid, and I take it because if I don't, my body shuts itself off in all kinds of slow and devious ways. It was a major blow to hear that I would probably have to take this medication for the rest of my life to maintain a "normal" physiological state. However, it's been over a year now and I've grown used to the habit.Prior to getting knocked up I was a true believer in taking Ibuprofen whenever pain threatened to interfere with my sleep or work. I need to sleep to function, and I need to work to pay the bills, and the Ibuprofen allowed me to do that without getting addicted or being drowsy. I decided life is too short to tough it out through things which can be treated with a little bit of Vitamin I.
Artos always complains about his migraines but I always have to remind him to take Ibuprofen when he starts getting one. If he doesn't take it, he's incapacitated for nearly the whole day. When he takes 1200mg the migraine disappears and he goes on with life.
I guess you just have to ask yourself, how much suffering are you willing to put up with to maintain your no-pain-meds ethic? And under what circumstances is the suffering something you want to "suck it up"? For me, I "suck it up" if the pain is interfering with play as opposed to sleep or work.
And then of course there are some things which are going to be painful no matter what kind of meds I take, so what's the bleedin' point?
Posted by Jen on 24 July 2007 - 08:13
I base my pain-medication attitudes on a conversation I had with a doctor whose opinion on drugs I actually respect. (And yes, this is ONE doctor, so it's certainly not representative of the medical community - but he did go to medical school, so knows more about the human body than I do.)Being full of "symptoms" (pain, snuffles, nausea, etc.) is really hard on the body. Not only is something wrong that it's trying to fix, but it's also expending a lot of energy to tell you that thing is wrong.
If you give your body a respite from producing the symptoms, it can work harder at fixing the problem.
This does NOT mean you should take meds to mask symptoms and keep going as if nothing's wrong, but taking pain peds to allow you to comfortably rest, gently work, and otherwise mostly remain yourself as your body repairs itself.
It's kindof like the whole Neo-Citron campaign... "Drink. Rest. Feel Better." You do your body no favours by "suffering through."
So yes, I'll pop the ibuprofin or muscle relaxants or what-have-you pretty quickly if I feel I need them - but there's always a careful evaluation of how I feel before I swill them down. Then I take the time to rest so I won't have to take them again tomorrow.
Posted by Donna on 24 July 2007 - 08:50
I don't like to take a ton of pills all the time, but at the same time... I really, really don't like suffering. If I get the flu or something along those lines, I'm perfectly happy to drug myself into submission until my body cures itself. Me being hopped up on goofballs isn't going to stop my body from un-fluing itself, it'll just make me better able to live while my body is un-fluing.But, that's once a year or so. I have no qualms about drugging myself ridiculously once a year or so. If it was any more frequently, I'd probably cut back pretty considerably.
My migraines are another story. I get them frequently enough that I end up taking a fair amount of medication for them. This sort of bugs me, so I try to put it off as long as possible.
This is Dumb.
I really, really need to learn to take the damn medication BEFORE it incapacitates me. Why do I always think "Oh, I'll just suck it up and soldier through" and then find myself curled up in a ball shivering and vomiting. Yeah, I'm a real hero. Duh.
Posted by Andrew on 24 July 2007 - 21:39
I'm a pill-popper - and I have no qualms about it. Like Sue, I take synthroid, and since my thyroid has shut down completely, my metabolism slows to a crawl when I skip it. I'll be taking it for the rest of my life, so I just suck it up and deal with.I also suffer from headaches - usually more than 1 a week. I just have too much to do - so taking time away from my schedule to just tough it out is not an option. I drop an Advil and go back to work. Having a history of addiction, I worry about it, but I have to function. I always ask myself - do I need this? If I can do quality work and make reasonable decisions without pain management, I skip it. Otherwise, I toss back a pill or two.
All I can suggest is, like Jen has done, talk to a professional you trust. Best of luck to you...
Posted by Andrew on 24 July 2007 - 21:40
One last comment...You are not married - you have no idea what real pain is...
So there.
Posted by Pamela on 25 July 2007 - 11:40
Everybody's perception of pain and pain tolerance is different. But the concern that blocking pain may lead to further injury is a valid one.I tore my ACL in my right knee when I was attacked from behind at the age of 20, Two years later I hurt the lower back lifting a child. The neck I did during martial arts, the right wrist during the military.
I live with chronic low grade pain which I block mentally. Occasionally I aggravate one of my old injuries and then I will pop something extra strength, remember to start doing my stretches again, sit on heating pad and finally give in and go to physio.
As for Guy (spouse), if he's been recently injured (he fell with motor bike last week) and he's snapping at me, then I will strongly suggest he is in need of pain medication. Currently he's on Naproxicin for his ribcage.
Posted by Sue on 25 July 2007 - 22:37
Oh also, my doctor also told me last year when I was dealing with back problems that the anti-inflammatories she prescribed (not just Ibuprofen) were important to take because the tissues needed to be able to get de-inflamed otherwise the problem was just going to continue exacerbating itself, and possibly get worse. I was told specifically to use ice, rest and the medication for one week, and then I could try things without the meds, but my body needed them in the interim. Just that doctor's opinion of course.Posted by Soundy on 03 August 2007 - 12:36
I have a feeling Andrew's headaches were just beginning with that comment ;)I try to avoid the pill-popping as well... the allergy meds are a necessity at times, but I generally stay away from the painkillers unless it's really necessary.
Another disadvantage, of course, of loading up on many of these drugs, is that the body builds an immunity to their effects. A friend of mine has leg pains and headaches (from past injuries) that even Tylenol 3s are now powerless against... he's up to using percocet and similar goodies, and more often than not, they simply knock him out before actually alleviating the pain.