Pain Management

Since my surgery I have been in a lot of pain.  The pain has been both physical and emotional.  My physical pain has been managed fairly well with pain killers.  My emotional pain has been managed with prayer and support from others.  This week though my physical pain was catapulted to a new number with the stretching that was going on.  On the scale of 1 - 10, my pain was a good 7.

I like the fact that doctors ask you to rate your pain.  Not all pain is treated equally.  They need to know your pain threshold so they can prescribe (if necessary) pain medicine or encourage you to up the amount of medicine you are taking over-the-counter.

This week I was trying to manage my pain with the wrong stuff.  I was going back and forth between acetaminophen and ibuprofen.  I came up with my own regimen and it just wasn't working.  The strength wasn't strong enough and could not knock out  my pain.  My ordeal brought me to a spiritual place and I began to reflect on Jesus' encounter with his disciples:

  ²⁸And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

   ²⁹And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. (Mark 9:28,29 KJV).

Sometimes we use the wrong stuff in order to deal with the pain in our lives.  Some of us turn to alcohol, sex, drugs, gambling, abuse, crime, shopping, internet surfing, you name it.  We look for a panacea to numb the pain but we are using the wrong medication.  Some of us have the right medication but not using the proper strength.  Jesus told his disciples that the spirit they were trying to cast out could only come out by prayer and fasting.  They needed to increase their spiritual dosage. God never told us that we wouldn't experience pain.  He experienced pain and we will too.  What we need to be mindful of is our response to the pain.  Today I feel God telling me to know what level of pain I am experiencing and use the proper spiritual medication to deal with it.  Whether it be reading scriptures, praying, meditating, or fasting, I need to know what the pain is and deal with it.  Some of us are so averse to the thought of being in pain that we deny that it even exists.  Doing so only contributes to erratic and unfruitful behavior.  Acknowledge your pain.  Tell God how much it hurts on a scale of 1 - 10.  Let God work on taking your pain away and see how much better you feel in the morning.

Once I got the prescription for my pain and was instructed on how to use the medication I felt better.  I even felt alive.  My husband noticed a change in me.  He remarked, "now that you are feeling better you think you can take on the world."  Being in pain made me grouchy and angry.  Being out of pain made me feel more productive and alive.  You will experience pain but make sure you get the right medication to treat it.  You will be glad you did.

Until next time,

Tasha