Supporting Those in Pain

There are many reasons to work in support of pain patients, though sometimes one can wonder if there are quite as many personal rewards.

Being in pain is enormously fatiguing. Sometimes trying to help others who are in pain can also be fatiguing or even disheartening. The pain demon is relentless and evil. For some people, the demon never seems to give up. But now and then something happens to remind us that the investment of our time and concern and caring are profoundly worth the energy we spend. For me, one of those times occurred at a TNA National conference.

My wife and I had gone to the conference both to participate and to learn. We met old friends and made new acquaintances. During a break on the afternoon of the second day, we were standing in a public area outside the main ballroom of the hotel, talking with other conferees.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder and heard a quiet voice speaking from behind me. "Are you so-and-so?" I turned around to find a small lady looking up at me from a couple of feet away. "Why yes, do we know each other?" I asked. She shook her head. "No, but you saved my life."

She reached to hug me close, her head tucked under my chin. When she could speak again, she related her story.

"One night last year, I emailed you when I was in blinding, unbearable pain. You emailed me back about 20 minutes later, urging me to go immediately to an urgent care center or hospital emergency room. I had been hurting so badly that I couldn't see or even think. But I took your advice. If somebody hadn't talked to me that night, I would have taken every Vicodin I had in the house -- and I had a lot of them." We chatted a few minutes more. She was still in pain, but under much better management. Her trip to the TNA conference was in itself a small triumph in freedom from the restrictions that pain can impose. I went away from our chat, much humbled and gratified. It is not often that we can see so clearly, a result of our investment of hope.

I cannot think of this incident with totally dry eyes -- but I'm sure it is one of many in the experience of those who support the work of TNA on behalf of chronic face pain patients. I share it as encouragement for others who participate in this work. On my worst days, I think of the small lady who took the time to say "you saved my life." And the days are a little lighter for that thought.

Posted 5-17-07