I am against all forms of bodily pain, both foreign and domestic. I wish the world were pain-free. When I am suffering from even a routine headache, I want immediate relief just like everyone else. The medical approach to pain control has changed dramatically even during my own career. When I started practicing a few decades ago, the strategy was pain reduction. We gave narcotics for very few indications such as kidney stones, heart attacks and severe abdominal pain after a surgeon evaluated the patient. (The reason for this was so the surgeon could obtain an accurate assessment of the patient’s belly before pain medicine masked the findings.)
The new goal is pain elimination which I believe is one factor that has fueled the overconsumption of opioids, although there are other factors present. I admit that I am opining on this as an individual who is blessed to be pain-free. I do not pretend or suggest that if I were afflicted with a painful condition, that I would not want whatever it might take to bring me relief. In medicine and in life, the world looks very different when you are a victim. Your view on health care reform, for example, might “evolve” if you or a loved one is suddenly uninsured.
But patients’ rising expectation of eliminating pain and the medical professions willingness to join in this mission has exacted a great societal cost. I am not blaming anyone here. Of course, patients want pain to go away. Of course, physicians want to relieve suffering. Isn’t a doctor’s mission to make his patient feel better?
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