I don't want to go back to work ever again.

Hey Sue! I totally agree re: the work thing. I'm sure I'll e-mail you tomorrow. Maybe we could have lunk?

Would you think ill of me if I said I can't wait for my FIL to go home?

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I'm sure I'll e-mail you tomorrow. Maybe we could have lunk?

Yay!

Would you think ill of me if I said I can't wait for my FIL to go home?

Isn't that part of being an in-law?

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Exactly, Connie.

A big part of the problem is that so little of the actual research on pain trickles down to the individual level - or rather, when it does, it goes up against hard seated preconceptions about drugs. And current Federal drug policy, putting doctors at potential risk, just makes it worse. A minor for instance - one of the studies my mom was involved in was with people using IV morphine.

When patients had control of their own meds, at a push of a button they could administer more morphine, they would add more whenever they felt pain. Which sounds like a scenario for abuse, right? But what actually happened was that because they were able to address the pain at onset, their actual use of meds dropped substantially, while their estimation of their pain management and comfort rose.

The injection of morality into pain - which kind of takes us back to where we started - is so key. When people can just do what they need to to control their pain, it works. When they feel like asking for painkillers is immoral or weak in some way - or when they have to confront doctors or nurses who seem to feel that way, and who have the added distortion of draconian and illogical laws influencing them - people ironically need more drugs for less relief. It's so fucked up.

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When patients had control of their own meds, at a push of a button they could administer more morphine, they would add more whenever they felt pain. Which sounds like a scenario for abuse, right? But what actually happened was that because they were able to address the pain at onset, their actual use of meds dropped substantially, while their estimation of their pain management and comfort rose.

There was just something on NPR today about rats being less stressed by electrical shock when they thought they were controlling how strong that shock would be.

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Timelies,

Happy Birthday to both Jessie and Theodosia.

90% of the department was out today but the phones weren't any quieter than normal.

I have to say this was the most tiring Christmas ever. Not because anything bad happened, it was just long. Was up way too late Friday and Saturday night (3am) due to having my brother and some friends over and then had to be up early on Christmas Eve. Was ready to pass out by 9pm on Christmas Eve, but my brother was out with my cousin and had promised to be back before 11. So I forced myself to stay up. 11:15 rolls around and I call his cell to discover he had lost track of time and he would crash at my cousin's so I could go to bed.

Got up too early Christmas morning for more family stuff, then had to leave my family stuff early to make a 2 hour drive out to GF's family thing. Stayed there a few hours and make a 2 hour drive home. For once in my life I'm glad I'm on this stupid schedule, because it means I have tomorrow off. I need a day to unwind. Also need to replenish my liquor supply because brother and friends put a serious dent in what I had stocked up for New Year's. Oy. I love my brother, but I've never been so glad to have my apartment back as I am this year.

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Isn't that part of being an in-law?

Oh yeah. *shakes head*

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There was just something on NPR today about rats being less stressed by electrical shock when they thought they were controlling how strong that shock would be.

ETA to add what I was responding to.

I hadn't heard that, but it makes sense, you know? Fear is such a big part of pain - the dental convos today totally illustrate that. And with the morphine study, too, once you take the fear away, people can deal so much better. It's not just onset pain, though that's a big factor, treating it before it becomes acute. But people who know they have the power to administer the meds don't ask for more than they need prophylactically.

And in my own experience with back pain, once I figured out what (mostly) worked, I freaked out a lot less when I could feel it coming on.

Or something.

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Heh. With my finger pain, which I can now quantify as spraining and respraining, the knowledge makes it worse and I refuse to tweak it myself. It will stay untweaked, even if it needs it, until I can get back to CA and have someone I trusts (and who trusts my feedback on MY OWN FUCKING PAIN) to do it.

I don't want to fear pain, but now that my brain is saying "you're spraining it ON PURPOSE" I am blocked from going there. I hate to have to admit it, but it won.

I don't want to have two chronic pains either. They feedback to each other sometimes, and the finger makes the migraine worse. Bah. I hope the acute phase ends soon.

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How inhospitable, really. [link] Jet with Tony Blair on board overshoots runway coming in to Miami. Ooops.

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They feedback to each other sometimes, and the finger makes the migraine worse. Bah. I hope the acute phase ends soon.

Oh, that sucks, ita. I've been reading along, hoping you'd find it was the opposite.

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