I'm feeling quite stiff and sore tonight. I have worked hard all day in mums condo cleaning and sorting . I suspect that whatever aches and pains I am experiencing , my mother copes with a great deal more discomfort every day. When I was clearing out mum’s bathroom I could’nt help but notice a wide array of Tylenol, Anti-inflamitories and funny smelling gel rubs ! It would guess that mum has been quietly living with pain for months (and maybe even a year or more ) prior to her diagnosis. She always put it down to her back or her knee “playing up” and I don’t think she really realized that she was starting to live in chronic pain. If it was’nt for a chance visit to the emergency room back in April I wonder how long it could have gone on before she was finally diagnosed . Mum is still reluctant to take pain killers . Part of her wants to feel the pain, or a "twinge" as she calls it, to allow her to monitor her own body and symptoms and part of her still has a belief that somehow taking pain medication is in some way “bad”. Thankfully, the philosophy of her doctor at Roswell Park is to take a very open and collaborative approach to pain. She is encouraged to basically take as much (or as little) pain medication as she feels is appropriate and there is always someone to contact if she needs a prescription or wants to talk directly to the pharmacist. The goal is for mum to feel comfortable and pain free at all times. From a personal perspective, I can see quite clearly that any fear of “addiction” or “dependence” is totally misguided. Mum is brighter and more energized when her pain is under control and is extremely lucid and coherent even if she increases her normal amount of pain medication.
Sadly, individuals diagnosed with cancer and other serious diseases including AIDS in the developing world are unable to access appropriate pain medication. An article in todays New York Times was startling .Six countries — the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Britain and Australia — consume 79 percent of the world’s morphine, according to a 2005 World Health Organization estimate. The poor and middle-income countries where 80 percent of the world’s people live, consumed only about 6 percent of this relatively inexpensive drug. This fact alone is quite startling and underscores the wide disparities in global healthcare . For example, if you are unlucky enough to live in Sierra Leone, you have no legal access to morphine and the majority of people with painful illnesses have to endure uneccessary pain and suffering.
Mum is fortunate to be able to access good pain management services and there is no stigma attached to her use of pain medications . I suspect the things that work in her favour is her relatively high pain threshold and a very positive approach. She’s a tough Scot and she would have to really be in real discomfort to prevent her from getting on with life.
I am just so thankful she has that option.
