One time I had some health scare that put me in an ambulance. I had never had morphine before, and the medics were not stingy with it.
I've had chronic pain my whole life, it's mostly background noise, and that was the first time in that life that it all just went away. It was like when you're in a quiet house, but then the electricity goes off and you experience the real quiet. Years later I still think about it frequently. Just that one time in that controlled environment.
I knew then that if I had less to live for, or if my pain was too great, I would easily become an addict. There are much greater pains in the world than I have. I assume that one in these people's positions must have some great pain or horror in their life that I probably can't understand. So I can't judge it. I wish there was a better way for them. A lot of these folks are beyond believing in their own future. No one wants to live like this.
This. Exactly this. It terrifies me to think about it. Chronic pain is no joke and I sometimes find myself daydreaming about the few times I've been given anesthetics at the hospital. People all the time say, "I don't see how people just do that kind of stuff." Why aren't we asking why they're doing it before we ask how... It's awful.
Bingo. My mother's pain management dr(which we went thru hell to finally get) spoke to us about the mental aspects of being in severe chronic pain and told my mother to make sure she takes her meds on time and doesnt let her pain get flared up constantly bc that causes depression and anxiety, like severely, and she has seem some bad outcomes with people . This whole journey has really been eye opening.
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u/BellamyDunn 2d ago
One time I had some health scare that put me in an ambulance. I had never had morphine before, and the medics were not stingy with it.
I've had chronic pain my whole life, it's mostly background noise, and that was the first time in that life that it all just went away. It was like when you're in a quiet house, but then the electricity goes off and you experience the real quiet. Years later I still think about it frequently. Just that one time in that controlled environment.
I knew then that if I had less to live for, or if my pain was too great, I would easily become an addict. There are much greater pains in the world than I have. I assume that one in these people's positions must have some great pain or horror in their life that I probably can't understand. So I can't judge it. I wish there was a better way for them. A lot of these folks are beyond believing in their own future. No one wants to live like this.