Pain Management is YOUR Choice

There is almost always some level of  physical and psychological pain associated with any medical condition.  When surgery is involved, certain drugs are necessary and I am extremely grateful for them and the physician's knowledge in using them effectively.  However, in situations where  pain is chronic and one has to incorporate living with a level of pain into their lifestyle the patient has the right and, in my view, the responsibility to have a say in what modalities will be used.  To be quite honest, I have a bias against using prescription drugs to manage pain for more than 6 months except in certain situations.  I find the side affects to be more limiting than the medical condition being treated by drugs.  I much prefer biofeedback, chiropractic, meditation, change in diet, exercise, etc  that have been shown to greatly reduce or even eliminate the need for medications.  Much information  is available online or there are Naturopathic Physicians who can help with such decisions

In my life, I have always been very physically active, despite living with cerebral palsy and, more recently osteo arthritis.  Since early childhood, I have gone for walks, camped, hiked, road amusement parks rides, and have gone swimming.   As a child with a disability, I was taught how to fall without getting seriously hurt AND how to get up independently.  Scrapes, bruises and minor injuries  were just part of growing up that just lasted longer in my life. Although the thinking in the educational and medical communities have, apparently, changed, a parent's right  to make choices for their child remains.

I encourage responses to this post. Please feel free to disagree and share your concerns.  I will share more about the choices I have made as an adult in  the coming weeks

Thank you for reading this post