rbell said:
Quite honestly, gang, I pray every day for freedom from pain. I have spondyloisthesis, grade 3. It involves my vertebrae disintegrating over time. The pain can be a bit harsh. There are nights I can't sleep at all for the pain.
If it were not for pain medication, I would seldom get any rest. Now: having said that, I have personally set up an accountability situation so that I am not overdoing the pain meds. (I voluntarily allow a couple of trusted friends in the church to know my prescriptions).
Think what you will...but I have a feeling most folks in here would do exactly what I do.
My conscience is clear.
Thank you for sharing that rbell. I am sorry you have to deal with this, and will add your situation to my prayers (although I know you weren't asking).
I'm glad you said this because I was going to jump in with the issue of continuous pain--which my now-departed husband dealt with for over four years, following a head injury that affected his head, his neck, his back, and his hips. This, in addition to a finally-diagnosed degenerative bone disease and his myriad other health problems meant he was on a cocktail of meds daily--some dealing with specific health issues such as diabetes....others to help control his pain. And that is ALL the meds did--"control" the pain; they never STOPPED the pain--they merely made it manageable. But my husband's quality of life suffered terribly.
He would try to reduce his meds on occasion--wishing to be free of some of the daily "grind"--and always was forced back to the previous level of pain meds just to function. He hurt all the time, but seldom complained with the pain itself--but make no mistake--the pain medication was absolutely necessary for him to be able to function even at the very limited level he had been reduced to by the injury itself. The thought of WITHHOLDING that medication from him--well, all I can say is that ANYONE would have had to go THROUGH me to take it away from him. He hurt badly enough as it was--the thought of increasing that pain--why I would rather have cut off my own arm. REALLY.
To say that he was in pain--and continued thusly--because of a lack of faith on his part would be doing two things: 1) Questioning my husband's faith--which no one has the right to do, and 2) Denying the very REAL facts of his infirmity. God ALLOWED that to happen to him; He ALLOWED the pain--and I won't know this side of Heaven WHY.....but I also know that God provided him a way to DEAL WITH THE PAIN so that he could live his life out with his loved ones.
And, HIS conscience was ALSO "clear" on those meds, as he spoke the last words to me before he died--he knew he was "going home"....and there wasn't anyone standing there guarding "The Gates" to keep him out because he'd had to be medicated just to survive the rest of THIS life before he departed for eternity. And I KNOW that, because I've never known or seen such peace as that moment he told me goodbye, knowing he would probably never wake up again (and didn't).
