Numbing the Pain or Fixing the Problem?

X-rays, broken bones, hours waiting to be seen, slings, splints, braces, co-pays, pharmacies....I can't think of anything on this list that sounds pleasant.  But this week have been through all of the above.  First my wrist was put in a sling and splint and told it was broken.  It only took 24-hours in the sling to make me miserable.  Any of you who end up in a sling or shoulder surgery or anything of that sort will get much more sympathy from me from now on!

Thankfully it was then determined to be a torn ligament and no longer needed the sling.  On the flip side the healing process may be slower and more painful.  So for pain I was given some pretty strong pain meds (Vicodin and another).  Now don't get me wrong on this post, I'm immensely grateful for pain medication when I have been in the pain I have with this wrist.  But going back to work this week I noticed an odd phenomenon, I would try to type (with both hands still instead of one handed) or driving or filing, or any of the many other things I do at work.  And then it would start hurting to the point where I couldn't use it at all, so I'd take a pain pill.  Hallelujah, within an hour the pain is pretty much gone! So what did I do? Start to use it again.  It wasn't throbbing or shooting pains up my arm, so I would type, move a box, put pressure on it, try to twist it inside the brace (turning door knobs, etc) or attempt to work out at the gym (I think I messed it up a lot worse trying to do a yoga class and downward dog into plank position on Saturday).  But then when the medication would wear off and by the time I get home at night I'm nauseous from the returning pain and spend half my evening with an ice pack on it and unable to do much of anything at all.

This made me stop and think and realize that the pain medication isn't "fixing" my wrist, it's simply numbing the pain, or the symptom of damaged ligaments.  And it can actually hinder healing, because the less it hurts, the more I use it and the less time I spend letting it rest in the brace and heal.  But how often do we do this with other things?  How often do we numb our pain with chemicals, food, addictions, people, fantasies instead of taking the time to stop, evaluate the true source of the hurt and get the support and or help we need to heal the problem?  In the end we don't truly solve anything by numbing it, and it can actually make the problem way worse and take much, much longer to heal. 

I think about my brother in prison, which is a result of drug addiction.  Numbing the issues may have worked for a while, but eventually the true problems must be dealt with. A trip to rehab may take time out of your life, but a few months there would infinitely be better than several years in prison.  Of course my wrist is on a much smaller scale, but the same principle applies.  I need to listen to the pain as it alerts me to stop and let my wrist heal instead of numbing it and carrying on, possibly causing a much longer recovery or more long-term problems. 

Here's to fixing the problem, not just simply numbing the pain.....and to my wrist healing quickly!!