Chronic Pain and the Brain

I just read the article about the brain studies and how sufferers of chronic pain have different brain activity than 'normal' people. The study indicates that this changed brain activity may affect cognitive functions; including sleep disorders, memory impairments, and depression.

What bothers me with this article is the constant opinion of the medical profession to fail to accept that which they cannot see on an X-ray or in a blood test. What about all those patients with chronic pain that have been telling them these things for many years? The only part of that taken into consideration was probably the person initiating the test to start with.

It is so frustrating to have invisible conditions. While it is a wonderful thing, the medical advances that have allowed the diagnosis of so many things through various devices. The problem is the number of things medicine hasn't yet been able to find. Both society and the medical field in general seems to forget that.

You have to search through a lot of toads before you find the few doctors that will not give you 'that look' when you complain about a mysterious pain they can't see on your Xray. You know the look; the one with one eyebrow slightly raised and the audible inhale before they say, "Well, the Xray came back negative."

The first doctor that doesn't say that to you is the keeper, regardless of any other lacking bedside manners. You'll give them a run just because you didn't get that look. You'll even give them a run if they follow that comment with "but we can try something to see if it helps."

Ultimately, that's all you want; is something that helps. You'll even take something that half-ass helps and be happy about it. You don't care what they call it; as long as someone does something to try and help you.

Yes, this study is a milestone. They have finally found one of their tests that will show something when a person is suffering from pain. Of course, it has nothing to do with the cause of the pain; or how to get rid of it.

The wondrous accomplishment of this study is the equivalency of a lie detector test. It 'might' be able to verify what you've been telling the doctors all along. I say might, because it surely is as infallible as the lie detector test.

Aren't we all thrilled that they may have found a way to prove we are not lying?