Pain

[Rian]

Well, it's past midnight, and I'm unable to fall asleep - again - because of pain. Those of you who have been around a while know that I did some major damage to my foot almost 2 years ago, and it took a year to diagnose correctly and get surgery, and I've had complications with recovery - and that on top of a chronic illness where I have pain and fatigue every day.

I was getting to some sort of an end with the foot issues (won't be the same as before the injury, but is better than before surgery) and now I'm looking at surgery on my shoulder. Goofy me, a 50 year old woman with health issues, hopping on a tube with 4 other people and getting pulled behind a speeding boat, and I'm on the far side and end up holding on the handle with only my right arm and getting thrown around. Now it looks like something is torn in my shoulder (it's been 2 months and it's not better) - the dr. is getting an MRI to confirm, but he's pretty sure it's surgery - he moves it in ways that make me jump off the table in pain.

There's that word again - pain.

But yet ... I gotta say that some of my most valuable life lessons have been learned under this harsh teacher. What are people's thoughts and experiences with pain?

[humanguy]

I've lived with pain all my life. Mostly it's my back. Something's wrong back there. The fact that I play the drums for a living hasn't helped at all.
But as ridiculous at it sounds the pain has helped teach me how to have a broad sense of humor. It's also made me pretty tough by forcing me to get used to it. But the main thing is that I learned early on to be able to laugh at myself, to not take myself too seriously. I've never been able to do anything really athletic so I suppose I've had to develop a more cerebral approach to life, a more philisophical one, so all in all I guess can't complain.
Pain can indeed be a wonderful teacher.

[Rian]

It sure isn't my favorite teacher, though! but I agree with you.

I'm sorry to hear about your back - I've never had back pain, but that's gotta be rough. I imagine you have to limit yourself as to what you can pick up, etc., and that is very frustrating! I have to limit myself as to how far I walk and things like that, and I used to be very, very athletic - it's very frustrating.

Drums, hey? I love watching a good drummer! My favorite drummer at our church just so totally enjoys himself, and enhances the music so much. Hey, I just found out what a rototom is! What do you do, btw? Recordings, gigs, both, neither?

I just have a minute - trying to get dinner together, but good news - the doctor just prescribed some pain-killer (Vicodin) for me for tomorrow's test! (MRI with contrast, which means a needle stuck deep into the painful shoulder, and with my chronic pain condition, this will very likely send me off on a bad pain episode) Hooray! I have some relief in sight now. It's such a tricky balance, though, because addiction is a very real problem. I've been on a lot of pain killers since the foot injury and subsequent infection and other problems, but I haven't become addicted - it's just so precious to me to be able to sleep relatively pain-free that I don't take it during the day except for rare occasions. However, I have built up a tolerance - I need at least 2 of the 5/500's to get relief. I'll probably have to go totally off for at least a month in order for them to work post-surgery.

Do you deal with pain-killers at all, or just totally rough it?

[humanguy]

Do you deal with pain-killers at all, or just totally rough it?

Oh, over the years I've been given many different pain killers, but only when I'm really, really in bad shape. I do take sleeping pills though. But you know, I'm so used to hurting that I'm just, well, used to it. There was a time when I did a lot of "self-medicating" but that's no way to live.
Every day I'm in varying degrees of pain, but it's not debilitating, I'm not in agony. I'm just used to it. I don't want to be operated on, and actually I'm convinced the playing the drums has been good for me. I also always remind myself that plenty of people have it far worse than I do.
Oh, and I'm a jazz drummer, but I'm semi-retired. These days I spend all of my time composing, although I do the occasional recording session and the very rare live-performance.
Hah! A rototom! I used to have a couple of those.

[Rian]

Oh, over the years I've been given many different pain killers, but only when I'm really, really in bad shape.

Yeah, I've basically just lived with it - it's only recently when I've had pain meds because of my foot injury and surgery.

But you know, I'm so used to hurting that I'm just, well, used to it.

Yep!

There was a time when I did a lot of "self-medicating" but that's no way to live.

I'm glad you lived through that - that can be very damaging.

Every day I'm in varying degrees of pain, but it's not debilitating, I'm not in agony. I'm just used to it.

Yes, I'm not writing in agony - I just hurt all over, all the time, in varying degrees.

I don't want to be operated on, and actually I'm convinced the playing the drums has been good for me. I also always remind myself that plenty of people have it far worse than I do.

Very true!

Oh, and I'm a jazz drummer, but I'm semi-retired. These days I spend all of my time composing, although I do the occasional recording session and the very rare live-performance.

Oh, interesting! I don't think that I could compose, although I like arranging my own version of pieces that I like. I took up harp about 5 years ago - my mom has been playing for years and I was never interested until I heard some Celtic harp pieces, then I fell in love with it, and finally got my own harp (kind of a mid-size, not the whopping big lever harps) that I love to play with.

Hah! A rototom! I used to have a couple of those.

It was mentioned in some lyrics of a song that I like, so I looked it up, and then thought of it when I read you were a drummer!

[greendesign]

I have experienced pain over the years, but there was no regret at all. I have learned a lot of things, not to mention that it made me become a stronger person and improved my faith in God.