The voice of patients with chronic pain

Abstract

The voice of patients with chronic pain Dr. Jordi Moya Riera President of Sine Dolore European Pain Foundation. It was the year 2004 when a lady came to my pain clinic with her daughter and her 8-year-old granddaughter. The patient suffered chronic back pain that she had been holding for a long time until she could no longer do so, because it was negatively influencing her quality of life. The exploration was painful and the patient ended up crying when she told her that we all act the same, tried to endure so as not to worry the family, that people suffer in silence because the pain can not be seen or measured. She explained that she had tried to fight the pain but in the end it made her life bitter. The little granddaughter listened attentively to her grandmother and little by little the expression on her face changed until she could not hold it anymore, and she hugged her grandmother tightly wrapped in a sea of ​​tears. Seeing the situation, the daughter was also moved. Finally, we ended up crying all, the grandmother, the mother, the granddaughter, myself and even the nurses of the consultation. (3) These kinds of situations are, unfortunately, quite common in pain units. Many people come desperate and, above all, exhausted physically and intellectually because they are suffering pain in silence and for a long period of time. His story is often shocking and, if that were not enough, they show that we are his last option to mitigate his suffering, that they have tried almost everything and nothing has worked for them. When you hear these things, you get a lump in your throat and all you want is to start with the treatment to mitigate the pain and thus increase the quality of life of your patient and, indirectly, that of your whole family. What a great responsibility! What a great value the family! How lucky was that grandmother I was talking about before! In that case, any treatment would be more effective, because he had the love of his family that, unfortunately and incomprehensibly, is an institution in decline in our current society. No doubt the voice of patients has come to stay and to change things, we will be doctors who will have to adapt to this revolution, whether you work in public health or in private.