Howard, once someone said to me  "We don't get better because we are in
hospital, we get better in spite of it."

I laughed at the time.  Now I know what they meant.

Tweed

That is *so* true. On another NG I frequent, alt.support.headaches.migraine,
many of the posts are about how our pain, although very real, simply is not
taken seriously and often rubbished by too many of the medical community,
who we think, *should* know better. My personal view is that if there's a
gaping wound... blood all over etc., etc., then medical staff seem to have a
greater comprehension that this may be a cause of pain and are more willing
to deal with this for the benefit of the patient. However, where the pain is
effectively hidden from view, as there is no obvious wound, no blood... then
they simply refuse, or are incapable of accepting that the pain level can be
very real and very high. As a result, patients *suffer* and suffer
unnecessarily. Chronic migraines kept me virtually bedridden for almost a
year at one point, yet I was refused pain relief. It was "all in my head"
apparently... I was refused strong painkillers on the grounds I *would*
become addicted. When I pointed out to the doc that should I really be
interested in becoming addicted, I could acquire strong painkillers on on
virtually any street corner (albeit illegally) and as I had not done this,
perhaps that should be telling him something... When I was asked by a
different medical person as to what my level of pain was during a migraine
attack, I said, "Put it this way, I've broken a bone and I've gone through
childbirth and these were *nothing* compared to the pain of a bad migraine."
Combine this with the fact that the migraine lasted almost a year...The
person concerned said he actually found the pain comparison I'd given a
useful one as it placed it in terms he had a better understanding of.

In another field of dealing with pain, I had my eyes opened when my
mother-in-law was in the final stages of her life due to terminal cancer.
The time she spent in a normal hospital was hell. The staff frequently
refused to give her adequate pain control. She *suffered*. I got the
distinct impression that they did not like admitting that as they couldn't
heal her, they should actually make what time was left to her as comfortable
as pssible - that to admit that was to somehow admit they'd failed in their
jobs - which is stupid of course. Once she was placed into a hospice... what
a difference!! The staff were totally dedicated to giving my MIL dignity and
as pain-free a time as possible in the time she had left. A totally
different attitude and a much welcome one.

Now there's an opportunity for research funding if ever there was one :-)

Cheers, helen s