I thought I would talk more about pain crises again. On the facebook page Sickle Cell Warriors, I read two posts from two separate individuals who were/are having a severe pain crisis; the thunder, lightening, monsoon kind of pain crisis. One person asked what to do when your pain is 10 and the pain medication only drops it down to a 7.
Thankfully I don’t have the monsoon kind of pain crises too often. But when I do, they can last days or weeks. Usually I can control the pain myself and don’t have to go to the hospital. Morphine and methadone are the pain medications I use to control my back and hip pain. When I have a pain crisis, those prescriptions only dull the pain; quite often, they do little to nothing to help with a bad crisis and the only thing I can do is endure it. When I’m having a monsoon-level pain crisis and the pain medication stops providing any relief, sometimes the best thing for me to do is stop taking pain medication. Usually the pain is far less intense within twenty-four hours. Usually.
About two years ago, my hemoglobin dropped from eight to four. I’ve had so many pain blood transfusions that it’s become dangerous for me to have them. Blood transfusions are an absolute last resort with me. Instead, my doctor first tries to raise my hemoglobin with a prescription steroid called Prednisone. Though I had been given Prednisone before, my last experience soured me about ever trying it again.
It was suppose to help raise my red blood cell count, but the side affects were terrible. I was on edge, irritable, it kept me awake at night, and worst of all it caused horrific pain. On top of the pain crisis I was already having from a low hemoglobin count, the steroid caused my muscles to ache something fierce. The slightest amount of pressure from another person’s touch sent me into orbit. On a scale of one to ten, the pain I experienced for three months was a twelve. Like chick-flicks, the pain medication did nothing for me. It took all of my mental focus to cope with and manage the pain. By the end of the three months I was mentally exhausted.
The thing about Prednisone is, it takes two or more weeks for it to leave your system. Once my doctor told me to stop taking it, I still had to endure the pain it caused for another two or three weeks. All the pain was for nothing. Though it raised my blood count a little bit, I had to be transfused anyway two months later. Like I said, I had been given Prednisone in previous years, but it never caused the severe pain I experience the last time I took it. Needless to say, I have no desire to repeat that experience.
My purpose in sharing this with you isn’t just to ramble on mindlessly—which admittedly is a little problem of mine—but to show how important it is have a toolbox full of pain coping strategies. I’ve shared nearly all of mine in Sections 06) Controlling Your Pain and More on Meditation. Whether it’s: a monsoon-level pain crisis like when I was on Prednisone; a light mist-level pain crisis like I’ve had for the past month; or just my everyday back and hip pain, I use some form of meditation to manage my daily pain.
I was curious to know if other Sickle Cell patients use meditation to help manage their pain. Based on the response I received on the Sickle Cell Warriors facebook page, I don’t think many people do. In fact, several people scoffed at the idea of meditating while having a pain crisis.
Sometimes people have funny conceptions about what meditation is. You don’t have to shave your head, wear a robe, and kneel before a Buddha statue to meditate. Be it sitting in a classroom, riding in a car, watching TV, or sitting in a chair in a quiet room, there are countless techniques that can be used in just about any situation.
The doctors who prescribe my pain medications marvel that I have been on the same dosage for nearly ten years. Most people build a tolerance up to their dosage and constantly have to have it increased. I fight against that and use meditation to help prevent that from happening. Not to toot my own horn or anything—toot toot--but I feel I’ve been very successful in doing that.
If meditation isn’t in your toolbox of pain coping strategies, I would strongly encourage you to explore that option. There are many benefits to mediation that go beyond pain control.
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