The mass shooting at a Tulsa medical clinic earlier this summer was a wake-up call for pain. Tragically, a man in agony shot and killed his surgeon Dr Preston Phillips and three others. Violence against healthcare providers is not acceptable. Gun violence of any kind is not acceptable.
We don’t want to get away from key discussions about gun violence, but there is another important lesson to be learned from this horrific tragedy: Pain is grossly misunderstood in our country.
Now is the time for us to start paying serious attention.
Fifty million Americans live with chronic pain.It affects Americans more than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combine. A stronger statement: 50 million people live in relentless pain—a disability that controls nearly every aspect of their lives. However, it is invisible.
In many cases, people are so desperate for relief that suicide is their only option, with more than 10 percent of suicides involving people with chronic pain. We must do better.
For many people with pain, seeking relief means endless doctor appointments and trial and error with painkillers, anesthetics and other pain management techniques. While these treatments may help temporarily mask the pain, they often fail to address the cause of the pain in the first place—and the pain always recurs.
People have lost hope of finding a good solution. Some people reach a dead end and are forced to suffer, and their quality of life and that of their loved ones is greatly reduced. We cannot live in a world where chronic pain sufferers seem to have only two options—depending on painkillers or living a life dominated by pain. We must do more. And, in fact, there is.
It starts with a better understanding of the root cause.
- Awareness of the source of suffering can prevent despair. Most people don’t know that the underlying cause of the pain may be nerve damage or, more importantly, that the problem is fixable.
- Nerve damage is common but often undiagnosed. Nerves may be damaged unknowingly during trauma or previous surgery; nerve damage is also common after amputation. Pain that persists for more than three months suggests a nerve may be to blame.
- Neuralgia varies from person to person. For some, it feels like an electric shock, while others describe it as a “pin prick,” intense cramping, a burning sensation, or extreme sensitivity to touch or heat or cold. It can be relentless and incredibly debilitating.
- With advances in the fields of surgical nerve repair and microsurgery, injured nerves can be surgically repaired to address the cause of pain, and possibly even restore and regenerate nerve function, offering the opportunity to live a pain-free life again.
- Many types of peripheral nerve injury can be resolved with surgical nerve repair, but the sooner the better. There are some types of nerve damage that are more common, such as fibromyalgia or general neuropathy (meaning the inability to isolate or identify a specific injury site). In this case, surgical nerve repair may not be a good option.
- You’ll want to consult with a doctor who specializes in microsurgical nerve repair, such as a plastic surgeon or a hand plastic surgeon, to learn about options related to your specific type of injury or nerve damage.
What else can be done to help those who are suffering?
- We need to raise awareness and drive education about the causes of chronic pain and potential permanent solutions for some types of nerve pain.
- We need to make alternative treatments more accessible to people. Accessibility and affordability are key issues. The NOPAIN Act is an important step in this direction.
Dialogue can enhance hope.
For everyone with chronic pain, we see you. We want you to know that you don’t have to suffer alone. Pain doesn’t have to define your life. There are support groups and neurosurgeons dedicated to helping patients with pain from nerve damage, with the goal of helping you find a more permanent solution:
There is a severe lack of treatments for chronic pain in our country. No one should succumb to suffering forever and ending their own or someone else’s life. Medical professionals should not live in fear. Please let this be a watershed moment for pain and gun violence.
Photo – boygovideo, Getty Images
