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What Chronic Pain Is Really Like and Why It Matters to Each of Us The Painful Truth (Hardback) - Common
Pain is an unbidden guest, humanity's shadow companion down through the ages. It is a despoiler of dreams and a thief. Chronic pain can appear suddenly in a person's life, changing it forever. Dr. Lynn R. Webster puts a face on chronic pain through the lives of his patients, and provides an intimate view of what it is like to live with it. The Painful Truth will open your eyes to the world of those who are stigmatized and marginalized by our society and healthcare system. Yet the new book offers hope and a path forward for those willing to engage in a crusade against the human race's primal enemy--pain.
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First published December 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 12, 2015
This review was written for The Review Diaries
You can read the full review here
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
My normal reading involves around 90% fiction and 5% non-fiction, and of that non-fiction I never really branch outside historical or memoirs/biographies etc. So this book is quite a departure from my usual reading and as a result my usual reviewing. However when I saw this title come up on Netgalley, I had to read it.
I’ve been in pain since I was seven. I was officially diagnosed with Chronic Pain Syndrome when I was seventeen. I am now nearly twenty seven. I don’t remember a time when I was not in pain. Unfortunately the general attitude towards CPS is to tell the person suffering that they are making it up, that they should suck it up and get on with life, that they should stop complaining. There is very little sympathy, empathy or treatment available, and that leaves you with a pretty miserable existence being ostracized by people who don’t understand and passed from Dr to Dr as each one either tells you to stop complaining, or runs out of ideas of what to do with you.
So a book about CPS is an incredibly important thing, and one that I was thrilled to discover whilst browsing Netgalley. The book is split into two sections. The first has stories from patients of Dr Webster – their individual battles with chronic pain and the ways that it has affected their lives and how they have come to deal with it. Some of them are living virtually normal lives, vastly improved through various means to help deal with the pain, whereas others are still in as much pain as they were at the start but with a better understanding of what they are dealing with, and a supportive network of friends. The second looks at the stigma surrounding CPS and what needs to change for CPS to be recognised and helped.
The book tackles all different avenues of support – family, friends, medical, spiritual – and tries to offer something for anyone reading it. If you have CPS, it offers the knowledge that you are not alone, some new ideas and thoughts, and a sense that you are not stumbling around in the dark with something no-one can understand. If you know someone who has CPS it can offer you a better understanding of what they’re going through and what they might need to support them through it. And if you have never encountered CPS then it helps to shine a light onto a criminally overlooked problem that so many people dismiss as nothing.
It could have benefitted from a heavy edit, some of the stories tended to go in circles, information was repeated several times and there were far too many patient stories. It was interesting to read so many different stories, but after the fourth one I began to get depressed and to lose interest. I had to put the book down and come back to it at a later point. There is a difference between something that is difficult to read because of the subject matter and something that is difficult to read because it hasn’t been edited properly and as a result is far too dense. Unfortunately this came down in the latter camp.
I also felt that whilst these tales were interesting and offered so many different view-points and thoughts on CPS, they didn’t actually help someone who is reading it without having experienced CPS to understand what it is like for the sufferer.
It felt towards the end as though it could easily have been an essay on the dangers and problems faced with pain medication – opioid addiction and all that comes with opioids being the predominant medication used to treat pain. There was a very heavy emphasis on this, and whilst it was interesting to start with I did find myself losing interest after a while. I wanted to see more ideas of ways to tackle CPS rather than just have them glossed over and leave the focus so heavily on medication.
However despite these issues I was incredibly glad to have read the book and hope that more people will discover it and start to look at CPS. It is a problem that so many people suffer from and yet is ignored and trivialised. I hope that this book will allow more people to begin to talk about it, for more to be done to try and ease the suffering of those who are affected, and for those who have been diagnosed with it to know that they are not alone. It is an incredibly isolating condition and one that I hope more people will come to understand.
You can read the full review here
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
My normal reading involves around 90% fiction and 5% non-fiction, and of that non-fiction I never really branch outside historical or memoirs/biographies etc. So this book is quite a departure from my usual reading and as a result my usual reviewing. However when I saw this title come up on Netgalley, I had to read it.
I’ve been in pain since I was seven. I was officially diagnosed with Chronic Pain Syndrome when I was seventeen. I am now nearly twenty seven. I don’t remember a time when I was not in pain. Unfortunately the general attitude towards CPS is to tell the person suffering that they are making it up, that they should suck it up and get on with life, that they should stop complaining. There is very little sympathy, empathy or treatment available, and that leaves you with a pretty miserable existence being ostracized by people who don’t understand and passed from Dr to Dr as each one either tells you to stop complaining, or runs out of ideas of what to do with you.
So a book about CPS is an incredibly important thing, and one that I was thrilled to discover whilst browsing Netgalley. The book is split into two sections. The first has stories from patients of Dr Webster – their individual battles with chronic pain and the ways that it has affected their lives and how they have come to deal with it. Some of them are living virtually normal lives, vastly improved through various means to help deal with the pain, whereas others are still in as much pain as they were at the start but with a better understanding of what they are dealing with, and a supportive network of friends. The second looks at the stigma surrounding CPS and what needs to change for CPS to be recognised and helped.
The book tackles all different avenues of support – family, friends, medical, spiritual – and tries to offer something for anyone reading it. If you have CPS, it offers the knowledge that you are not alone, some new ideas and thoughts, and a sense that you are not stumbling around in the dark with something no-one can understand. If you know someone who has CPS it can offer you a better understanding of what they’re going through and what they might need to support them through it. And if you have never encountered CPS then it helps to shine a light onto a criminally overlooked problem that so many people dismiss as nothing.
It could have benefitted from a heavy edit, some of the stories tended to go in circles, information was repeated several times and there were far too many patient stories. It was interesting to read so many different stories, but after the fourth one I began to get depressed and to lose interest. I had to put the book down and come back to it at a later point. There is a difference between something that is difficult to read because of the subject matter and something that is difficult to read because it hasn’t been edited properly and as a result is far too dense. Unfortunately this came down in the latter camp.
I also felt that whilst these tales were interesting and offered so many different view-points and thoughts on CPS, they didn’t actually help someone who is reading it without having experienced CPS to understand what it is like for the sufferer.
It felt towards the end as though it could easily have been an essay on the dangers and problems faced with pain medication – opioid addiction and all that comes with opioids being the predominant medication used to treat pain. There was a very heavy emphasis on this, and whilst it was interesting to start with I did find myself losing interest after a while. I wanted to see more ideas of ways to tackle CPS rather than just have them glossed over and leave the focus so heavily on medication.
However despite these issues I was incredibly glad to have read the book and hope that more people will discover it and start to look at CPS. It is a problem that so many people suffer from and yet is ignored and trivialised. I hope that this book will allow more people to begin to talk about it, for more to be done to try and ease the suffering of those who are affected, and for those who have been diagnosed with it to know that they are not alone. It is an incredibly isolating condition and one that I hope more people will come to understand.
October 28, 2015
I finished this book awhile ago but thought it was an important book and therefore worthwhile reviewing. Dr. Webster lives in Salt Lake City, and wrote this book soon after retiring from the Lifetree pain clinic (a clinic he started). This book is a call-to-action and Webster successfully creates an undeniable affinity between reader and these patients that he very entertainingly lets us get to know. We walk through the downward spiral with them, knowing full well we might make the exact same choices given the same circumstances.
The book fascinated me actually ~ as Webster points out, many of us have had few thoughts about chronic pain and all of its implications until the fateful day we join that underground world ~ and he clearly illustrates how easily the floodgate can fly open for any of us to take the slick mudslide down into that lonely, gritty other reality. I feel he did a great job letting us all know that this isn't a "gated" community-- and that we just need to look a few glaring statistics in the eye to see that we ALL will likely engage with real pain in one way or another. He certainly was successful in making me understand that this was all-inclusive and "us" not "them" need to make a speedy cultural shift to tolerance, compassion and solutions.
The book left me feeling informed, and therefore vulnerable. In fact, today I was playing tennis with a friend who was letting me know that her bunion on her one foot was really irritating her again-- I remember her talking about this bunion back when we were waiting tables in our twenties. I soon found myself shouting across the tennis court, "don't get an operation on it!" "It is too dangerous!" I was remembering the teenage girl (Ali) story who ended up with complex regional pain syndrome- something I have never heard of until reading this book but I found horrifying. The idea that vibrations from music playing on the radio could cause a 16-year-old girl intense pain was totally outrageous. On the flip side, he most often doesn't leave us completed horrified, assuaging us with strong human spirit stories of people living in pain prevailing, accepting, adapting, and even leveraging from chronic pain situations.
Another thing I found so interesting were the creative treatments Dr. Webster provided to these patients, from suboxone to experimenting with the cone snail venom to opioids and moving through the various "opioid ages" so to speak, ketamine bags and the spinal and abdominal implants that literally blew my mind. I just never really pictured what exactly being a chronic pain doctor really entailed- the surgeries of course, but then the politics, ethics, dealing with insurance companies, the utterly broken healthcare system, and the all the limitations and possible litigation, even incarceration-- all you are up against every step of the way when you take on pain. So much of the time it must have been like watching a stain spread on a tablecloth-- out of his hands to really do much about.
I thought the chapter on spirituality was really well done. And the way Webster set up the book so that each patient's story told us about another and then another and then another aspect of people dealing with pain-- we learned about physical dependence vs addiction, about the economics driving the decision-making, the fact that not only the old deal with pain, but the young as well as the strong, smart, in-shape, energetic, and brave people who can all equally be brought down to their knees-- that reaching the wrong way for a file on the floor might ultimately cost you your husband and all your friends. Nightmare. But then he shows us that we are still holding a torch and it is our choice to light it.
It was a brilliant read and one I think will/has helped me. The compassion is what I left with mainly. His compassion becomes ours; his understanding of the wholeness of people and his plea that we look at the whole human and try to empathize with them versus judge, stereotype and discard is so powerful. This book could be written for education in almost the exact same way- kids left behind who are so very misunderstood, and teachers who are up against some huge odds and are often blamed versus supported, etc.
I was enlightened-- the book is well-rounded, non-judgmental, kind and much needed. There is work to do-people are unnecessarily being stigmatized and are suffering. There needs to be a big cultural shift when it comes to helping people in pain, and this book ignites the fire.
Suzi
November 27, 2015
There are so many reasons that I love this book. As a pain patient and advocate, I appreciate the challenges on both sides of the pain medication dilemma. Yes, there are problems with drug overdoses and death. On the other end of the spectrum there is a problem with pain patients not getting adequate treatment. I personally know people who have died from an overdose of pain medications and people who have committed suicide due to inadequate pain relief. Both ends of the spectrum are deadly.
The main reason I appreciate Dr. Webster's book is this: he correctly identifies that we do not have a pain medication problem -- we have a PAIN problem.
In this book, Dr. Webster tells many stories illustrating the painful truth of the problem of pain. In story after story, Dr. Webster shows that pain patients, for the most part, don't want drugs, per se. They simply want to be able to live their lives. He also poignantly tells, from an insider perspective, what it's like to work as a pain physician. In one chapter, Dr. Webster tells of his own clinic coming under suspicion and how that investigation affected him, his clinic, and his patients.
At a conference I attended in the fall of 2014, one attendee (a pain patient) asked Dr. Webster, "Are we being treated like drug seekers because doctors are being treated like drug dealers?" I think that the answer, in part, is yes. While Dr. Webster's stories might be horrific, they are all too common. I hear stories like these every day as I coach my clients.
I recommend this book to anyone seeking to better understand the problem facing us today -- both the problem of prescription drug abuse and the problem of pain. This book puts real faces to that problem. If you are a pain patient, please read this to better understand the challenge that your pain physician is facing in trying to give you the best treatment possible. If you're a physician, please read this to understand how living in pain affects us as patients. If you love someone in pain, or simply want to understand the way that politics is affecting the healthcare choices of those of us in pain, please read this book.
The main reason I appreciate Dr. Webster's book is this: he correctly identifies that we do not have a pain medication problem -- we have a PAIN problem.
In this book, Dr. Webster tells many stories illustrating the painful truth of the problem of pain. In story after story, Dr. Webster shows that pain patients, for the most part, don't want drugs, per se. They simply want to be able to live their lives. He also poignantly tells, from an insider perspective, what it's like to work as a pain physician. In one chapter, Dr. Webster tells of his own clinic coming under suspicion and how that investigation affected him, his clinic, and his patients.
At a conference I attended in the fall of 2014, one attendee (a pain patient) asked Dr. Webster, "Are we being treated like drug seekers because doctors are being treated like drug dealers?" I think that the answer, in part, is yes. While Dr. Webster's stories might be horrific, they are all too common. I hear stories like these every day as I coach my clients.
I recommend this book to anyone seeking to better understand the problem facing us today -- both the problem of prescription drug abuse and the problem of pain. This book puts real faces to that problem. If you are a pain patient, please read this to better understand the challenge that your pain physician is facing in trying to give you the best treatment possible. If you're a physician, please read this to understand how living in pain affects us as patients. If you love someone in pain, or simply want to understand the way that politics is affecting the healthcare choices of those of us in pain, please read this book.
June 7, 2025
It's meaningful, healing, and encouraging to hear of a physician so passionate and fiercely dedicated to caring for people with chronic pain, and also his desire to hear his patients stories and his strong belief in what they have to say. Dr. Webster did an awesome job of writing and giving examples of different types of chronic pain, with different people/backgrounds/situations in each of them so the reader could find themselves/someone they love in a story in the book, and gain empathy for people relating to experiences the reader doesn't have personal context for. I appreciated the mix of research and personal opinions Dr. Webster gave on opioids as well. I had to check myself and acknowledge the weight of some of the content a few times, which is why it took me a while to work through. Definitely not a light read but a very informative one!!
January 7, 2016
'One day a young grandchild asked [Marsha] to give him a piggyback ride.
“I’m sorry, honey, I just can’t,” she apologised.
“Why not, Grandma? You used to give piggyback rides.”'
**
The above quote, from The Painful Truth: What Chronic Pain is Really Like and Why it Matters to Each of Us, sums up the effect that developing chronic pain can have on an individual. One day a grandmother is able to give her young grandchildren piggyback rides, and then next her pain makes it impossible.
The Painful Truth is an important book which covers many aspects of chronic pain, mostly by presenting individual accounts of patients treated by author Lynn R. Webster (all are based in the United States, and medications mentioned are those available in the US; many of the patients had been seen by many medical professionals before they saw Webster). These accounts are varied in terms of causes of the chronic pain – from accidents, spinal surgery and the development of chronic regional pain syndrome – but almost all of them describe a “before” and “after”. Once, the patients had a life free from chronic pain, and after, their lives were completely changed.
Much of the discussion of these cases naturally involves medication and the many ways in which chronic pain is treated. The thinking around chronic pain treatment has changed – at one time, it was thought that opiates could be given in ever-increasing doses as patients developed tolerance to the dose they were on. It’s unsurprising that so many chronic pain patients – including many of the patients included in this book – developed opiate addictions.
Webster talks a lot about how these types of patients need to be treated, including some new experimental treatments, and the use of things like implanted pain medication pumps and anticonvulsants. Webster also talks a lot about the mindset that patients can take to help living with chronic pain – about learning that the pain is always going to be part of their lives, and then moving on to figure out how to make the best of their situation.
There is no shying away from the darker side of chronic pain, either. Webster talks about patients whose pain and/or opiate addiction has resulted in divorce and suicide. There is discussion about how some patients are seen as addicts, and how others struggle to get the medication they need, either because doctors won’t prescribe it, or pharmacies won’t fill it for fear of litigation.
This book emphasises the need for better ways to deal with chronic pain and better attitudes by medical professionals towards patients with chronic pain. If you deal with chronic pain yourself or know someone who does, this is worthwhile reading.
“I’m sorry, honey, I just can’t,” she apologised.
“Why not, Grandma? You used to give piggyback rides.”'
**
The above quote, from The Painful Truth: What Chronic Pain is Really Like and Why it Matters to Each of Us, sums up the effect that developing chronic pain can have on an individual. One day a grandmother is able to give her young grandchildren piggyback rides, and then next her pain makes it impossible.
The Painful Truth is an important book which covers many aspects of chronic pain, mostly by presenting individual accounts of patients treated by author Lynn R. Webster (all are based in the United States, and medications mentioned are those available in the US; many of the patients had been seen by many medical professionals before they saw Webster). These accounts are varied in terms of causes of the chronic pain – from accidents, spinal surgery and the development of chronic regional pain syndrome – but almost all of them describe a “before” and “after”. Once, the patients had a life free from chronic pain, and after, their lives were completely changed.
Much of the discussion of these cases naturally involves medication and the many ways in which chronic pain is treated. The thinking around chronic pain treatment has changed – at one time, it was thought that opiates could be given in ever-increasing doses as patients developed tolerance to the dose they were on. It’s unsurprising that so many chronic pain patients – including many of the patients included in this book – developed opiate addictions.
Webster talks a lot about how these types of patients need to be treated, including some new experimental treatments, and the use of things like implanted pain medication pumps and anticonvulsants. Webster also talks a lot about the mindset that patients can take to help living with chronic pain – about learning that the pain is always going to be part of their lives, and then moving on to figure out how to make the best of their situation.
There is no shying away from the darker side of chronic pain, either. Webster talks about patients whose pain and/or opiate addiction has resulted in divorce and suicide. There is discussion about how some patients are seen as addicts, and how others struggle to get the medication they need, either because doctors won’t prescribe it, or pharmacies won’t fill it for fear of litigation.
This book emphasises the need for better ways to deal with chronic pain and better attitudes by medical professionals towards patients with chronic pain. If you deal with chronic pain yourself or know someone who does, this is worthwhile reading.
December 9, 2015
The Painful Truth: What Chronic Pain Is Really Like and Why It Matters to Each of Us wasn't quite what I expected - but once I had reset my expectations I realized how important this book is.
Lynn R. Webster, MD, ran a pain clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah, for many years, and more than most doctors he understands the situation that chronic pain patients find themselves in. A sort-of catch-22 between needing strong pain medications to ensure decent quality of life, while increasingly being treated with suspicion, denied or have the acquisition of the needed pain medications made almost impossible.
While The Painful Truth naturally has a very US-centric outlook, it is still very valuable for the rest of the world, and is an eye-opener that can help those who are lucky enough not to have experienced chronic pain, get a small glimpse into what such a life is like, as well as showing us the steps we need to take to be able to better handle our chronic pain problem on a society-wide basis.
*I received an advanced copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
Lynn R. Webster, MD, ran a pain clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah, for many years, and more than most doctors he understands the situation that chronic pain patients find themselves in. A sort-of catch-22 between needing strong pain medications to ensure decent quality of life, while increasingly being treated with suspicion, denied or have the acquisition of the needed pain medications made almost impossible.
While The Painful Truth naturally has a very US-centric outlook, it is still very valuable for the rest of the world, and is an eye-opener that can help those who are lucky enough not to have experienced chronic pain, get a small glimpse into what such a life is like, as well as showing us the steps we need to take to be able to better handle our chronic pain problem on a society-wide basis.
*I received an advanced copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
October 13, 2015
Surprisingly good read.
April 8, 2019
Great info.
May 27, 2020
See pbs documentary based on findings on this amazing, thorough, clear work by Dr Lynn Webster.
March 1, 2017
I wasn't sure I would like this book, since I've been dealing with chronic pain for almost 3 years now. The stigma associated with chronic pain and pain management is horrible. I have people in my family that are addicted to opioids and their stories are similar to one of the football players mentioned in the book. I understand the need to get the opiate issue under control, but at the same time, it makes it difficult for those of us with chronic pain who aren't abusing the medication.
December 21, 2015
Dr. Webster’s message in The Painful Truth is irresistible. At the heart of this book are the real stories of nine of his patients. Through his story telling, we learn that every patient has individual needs that span the vast chasm of pain care, all compelling and heart wrenching, yet even in the darkest hour, there is a sense of hope.
Even though the stories in this book are very real, the book reads like a bestselling novel eloquently meshing Dr Webster’s knowledge as a pain care provider and his gift for writing. He understands and shares the importance of knowing who we are as a patient, as a human being. He understands and shares the role of our social, emotional, and spiritual being and the balance it plays in how we feel physically. This book will capture your heart, your mind, and your empathy.
I am in awe of his motivation for being an advocate, researcher, author, and physician with a dream to make a difference. By giving his patients a voice, he underscores the importance of heart, listening, and understanding that pain is more than a symptom of disease. He wants everyone across America to know the benefits and risks of opioid prescriptions, the cultural attitudes, the role caregivers take in our lives and most of all—hope.
In retirement, Dr. Webster was called to send an important message. Medical organizations, bloggers, advocates, social media, and patients are abuzz because of the message of hope for patients, education for providers, and recognition of the “The Painful TRUTH.” A documentary of the same name, but somewhat different, has been funded and produced by Dr. Webster and his wife. You can watch the trailer on You Tube.
Whether you are a patient or you know someone who lives with chronic pain, you must read this book. You will be glad you did.
Even though the stories in this book are very real, the book reads like a bestselling novel eloquently meshing Dr Webster’s knowledge as a pain care provider and his gift for writing. He understands and shares the importance of knowing who we are as a patient, as a human being. He understands and shares the role of our social, emotional, and spiritual being and the balance it plays in how we feel physically. This book will capture your heart, your mind, and your empathy.
I am in awe of his motivation for being an advocate, researcher, author, and physician with a dream to make a difference. By giving his patients a voice, he underscores the importance of heart, listening, and understanding that pain is more than a symptom of disease. He wants everyone across America to know the benefits and risks of opioid prescriptions, the cultural attitudes, the role caregivers take in our lives and most of all—hope.
In retirement, Dr. Webster was called to send an important message. Medical organizations, bloggers, advocates, social media, and patients are abuzz because of the message of hope for patients, education for providers, and recognition of the “The Painful TRUTH.” A documentary of the same name, but somewhat different, has been funded and produced by Dr. Webster and his wife. You can watch the trailer on You Tube.
Whether you are a patient or you know someone who lives with chronic pain, you must read this book. You will be glad you did.
Read
November 3, 2015I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for a review.
As someone who suffers from chronic pain due to numerous autoimmune disorders, and someone who does not see a pain management specialist, I was looking forward to reading The Painful Truth to get the perspective of the condition from a doctor. I’m not sure what I expected the structure of the book to be, so I can’t say I was disappointed, but I don’t know if I was specifically looking for the majority of the book to be individual experiences supplemented by Dr. Webster’s approach to helping each individual. It just seemed that his approach was generally very similar for every patient, and that he was just touting his pain management techniques.
One thing I did appreciate was that Webster did address the issue of health insurance. He writes that 1/3 of Americans have government health insurance, which makes it harder for these individuals to get pain management treatment. While I have not had any issues thus far getting the treatment I need for my illnesses, that could well have more to do with the fact that I have not yet needed significant pain management treatment. As someone with preexisting conditions, I am unable to get insurance through my employer due to a one year waiting period, and while my current specialists have worked with me to accept my Health Exchange insurance, I might not always be so lucky. As such, I am glad that Webster did include this section in his book.
As someone who suffers from chronic pain due to numerous autoimmune disorders, and someone who does not see a pain management specialist, I was looking forward to reading The Painful Truth to get the perspective of the condition from a doctor. I’m not sure what I expected the structure of the book to be, so I can’t say I was disappointed, but I don’t know if I was specifically looking for the majority of the book to be individual experiences supplemented by Dr. Webster’s approach to helping each individual. It just seemed that his approach was generally very similar for every patient, and that he was just touting his pain management techniques.
One thing I did appreciate was that Webster did address the issue of health insurance. He writes that 1/3 of Americans have government health insurance, which makes it harder for these individuals to get pain management treatment. While I have not had any issues thus far getting the treatment I need for my illnesses, that could well have more to do with the fact that I have not yet needed significant pain management treatment. As someone with preexisting conditions, I am unable to get insurance through my employer due to a one year waiting period, and while my current specialists have worked with me to accept my Health Exchange insurance, I might not always be so lucky. As such, I am glad that Webster did include this section in his book.
October 2, 2016
Very Good
It's a long-term pain sufferer, this book was both comforting and informative. The author is a pain management doctor and her compassion for chronic pain sufferers is obvious from the very beginning. The stories she tells feature people from all walks of life who have experienced chronic pain in many ways. However, the crux here is that chronic pain must be viewed differently by both doctors and society at large. I was impressed by the author's perspective on the use of opioid medications. Her "pro-patient" stance regarding the use of these meds makes perfect sense. This will make a good read for the curious and and an inspired read for fellow sufferers. Good Stuff.
It's a long-term pain sufferer, this book was both comforting and informative. The author is a pain management doctor and her compassion for chronic pain sufferers is obvious from the very beginning. The stories she tells feature people from all walks of life who have experienced chronic pain in many ways. However, the crux here is that chronic pain must be viewed differently by both doctors and society at large. I was impressed by the author's perspective on the use of opioid medications. Her "pro-patient" stance regarding the use of these meds makes perfect sense. This will make a good read for the curious and and an inspired read for fellow sufferers. Good Stuff.
October 27, 2016
The best book I have found that says it straight.
I have lived with chronic pain for over half my life. This book has put into words how I have experienced dealing with the medical professionals and how I have viewed myself at times. I highly recommend this for ALL medical professionals and anyone experiencing chronic pain. This is a ray of hope for our society as a whole.
I have lived with chronic pain for over half my life. This book has put into words how I have experienced dealing with the medical professionals and how I have viewed myself at times. I highly recommend this for ALL medical professionals and anyone experiencing chronic pain. This is a ray of hope for our society as a whole.
April 24, 2016
This is a decent book about acute and chronic pain and the difficulties in treating chronic pain in particular. Examples of people with chronic pain helped highlight the complexities of treating it Government regulations are making it more difficult for the sufferer than any time before.
December 3, 2016
The first part
Was really good and I could see myself and others in the mirror he held up. Towards the end of the book it got political and I felt that was really what the book was about. Cut in half and you have a worthy book.
Was really good and I could see myself and others in the mirror he held up. Towards the end of the book it got political and I felt that was really what the book was about. Cut in half and you have a worthy book.
August 21, 2019
He gets the people who suffer
The author is one of the few people on earth that understands the world of chronic pain. It was a great read!
The author is one of the few people on earth that understands the world of chronic pain. It was a great read!
May 16, 2016
Didn't find it helpful.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews