We all must stand up for ourselves as chronic pain survivors. Sometimes that means using precious time and energy to write letters, call legislators, vote for candidates sympathetic to our cause and supportive of money for research, and argue our point to anyone who will listen. Sometimes it means changing doctors or other health care professionals. Sometimes it means appealing an insurance company’s unfair decision to withhold coverage.
All of these actions can help build a foundation of respect for and understanding of chronic pain and its effects on people’s lives.
But in our determination to improve conditions for those with chronic pain, it is also important to remember the power of the positive.
Several years ago, I visited a friend’s young son who was in the hospital being treated for meningitis. Part of his therapy required that he exercise his arms, but he resisted efforts to do so. I began playing “trucks” with him. We moved the toys around in a circle. Then, gradually, I widened the circle, requiring him to reach farther and farther to play the game. His mother smiled as she saw her son perform exercises that he had previously refused to do.
That memory reminded me that all of us—doctors included—put up with difficult situations much more willingly when they are accompanied by a spoonful of sugar.
With the frustrations imposed by governmental regulations and insurance restrictions, when faced with seemingly unsolvable cases and not enough time to spend with patients, too many health care providers have become so discouraged that they are leaving the profession.
It is important to let those who have helped us along the way know we appreciate their efforts. I sent my doctor a thank-you note after he took time to visit me when I was in the hospital. He told me that thank-you note made his day. It was a small gesture for a doctor who correctly diagnosed my disease and prescribed medication that allowed me to walk more easily after two years of agonizing pain. There are many who deserve our thanks. And who knows, that gesture of gratitude just might be the act that keeps a good doctor going.
—Susan Dudley Gold