PAIN “is always a psychological state"(IASP)

The uncertainty in the life of chronic pain sufferer

Chronic pain serves no purpose and frequently defies logic. It is frequently unrelated to tissue damage and provides no warning of harm or sickness to the individual.

When it comes to pain everyone reacts differently. Gender, age, culture, and previous pain experience influence how people respond to pain. The experience alone is stressful and frustrating because the pain does not react to standard acute pain remedies such as pain killers, rest, taking time off work, or seeking medical assistance.

Patients that live with pain give a history of unsuccessful treatments. The level of physical disability exceeds what one would expect when examining them. These patients present with psychosocial problems such as depression, anxiety, anger, lack of sleep , loss of pleasure from normal activities and a preoccupation with pain. The unpleasant and unpredictable nature of chronic pain leads to a lot of uncertainty in an individual’s life.

Many patients with chronic pain express their frustration that nobody understands them, including health care providers, partners, family, and friends Their concerns often centre on issues such as “what is the cause of the pain”. Is it going to go away?” When is it going to go?” How am I going to be in 5,10- or 20-years’ time?”

Paucity in the health system

No one can answer these questions honestly and truthfully. As a result chronic pain patients express their dissatisfaction because no one understands them, including health care providers, spouses, family, and friends. Overtime these patients become withdrawn, isolated, and dissatisfied with their abilities and role in society.

Chronic pain sufferers most often believe that the government owes them a cure or at the very least an explanation. They don't understand why we can't alleviate their suffering in this age of advanced science, when we can transplant hearts and reattach limbs.

Patients become dissatisfied as well, believing that they have been deceived, lied to, and not listened to. This occurs when people are assured that their pain will go away after it should have gone away, or when professionals give them confusing information. Different clinicians may have differing beliefs and ideas about what is causing a patient's discomfort and pain and these conflicting ideas provide mixed and confusing messages for patients. Other pain sufferers may opt for alternative health care.

A visit to Health institution

When these patients present in a clinic, they may have had their pain for a prolonged time. It is common for them to have been seen and investigated by a variety of specialists including neurologists, orthopaedic surgeons, rheumatologist, and gynaecologists, in addition to their general practitioner.

These patients frequently display signals of dissatisfaction anger and irritation directed at the establishment and health service in general, rather than at the doctor in the clinic. These patients may have had to wait a long time to see these professionals and at the end of their wait, their pain has still not resolved. If so called “experts cannot cure them, or even in some instances give them a reason why they are experiencing prolonged pain, this leads to disillusion and frustration.

Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic

The picture I have presented here may appear quite desperate. However many patients attending pain clinic will not be affected by all these factors. Even if a person is only affected by a few of the issues, it's clear to see how chronic pain may be so tough to cope with and manage. Their treatment must be comprehensive and consistent and if possible, without prejudice.

This is where one sees the beauty of a multi discipline pain clinic. I have accepted and learned through the pain management modules that that the most appropriate form of treatment for patients with chronic pain is through the bio-psychosocial approach in a multidisciplinary pain clinic.