Embracing Life: Living With Chronic Pain Review

Chronic pain is pain that doesn't go away. It is pain that undermines the quality of life. It is real pain, not imaginary. At times, it is difficult to pin down a specific physical cause for the pain, this does not lessen the suffering. When we experience any pain, it is in both our bodies and minds. We cannot separate the physical and psychological affects any situation has on us.

Litchfield, Connecticut, resident Lois Pike is a chrnoic pain sufferer who knows too well the deliterious effects of chronic pain on every aspect of her life. She tells her story in her book Embracing Life, Living with Chronic Pain. "The book is written from a patient's point of view; it contains minimal medical facts; rather, the writings chronicle the day to day life of a real patient living each day, continually focusing on the many blessings that I receive," Pike said in a recent interview.

Based on a one-year journey dealing with the challenges of chronic pain while trying to live a full life, Pike's book is written in the form of light poetry that reveals her perspective on her condition. She encourages readers to enter into their own private journey involving chronic pain--be it physical, emotional, or both.

Because chronic pain affects the mind, body and soul, "Writing this book has been a huge factor in my continued healing of body and mind," Pike says. "To quote my friend Susan, 'We are not human beings having spiritual experiences; rather we are spiritual beings having human experiences.' "

Describing her experiences of chronic pain, Pike said, "I and others have learned to acknowledge, accept, and be responsible for living with chronic pain. Adjusting to limitations and a totally different way of life, at times can be most disturbing. The book also highlights that chronic pain and depression are first cousins, an often overlooked and dismissed side effect.

"You have found meaning and purpose through your pain and there are people around who want to read and hear what you have to say," says Louis Donne, Connecticut Community Care, Inc., after reading the book.

The United States cannot effectively address escalating health care costs without addressing the problem of chronic diseases, according to the Center for Disease Control, which reports that more than 90 million Americans live with chronic illnesses. The medical care costs of people with chronic diseases account for more than 75 percent of the nation's $1.4 trillion medical care costs. Chronic diseases account for 70 percent of all deaths in the United States.

Today, chronic diseases--such as cardiovascular disease (primarily heart disease and stroke), cancer, and diabetes--are among the most prevalent, costly, and preventable of all health problems, according to the CDC. Seven of every 10 Americans who die each year, or more than 1.7 million people, die of a chronic disease. The prolonged course of illness and disability from such chronic diseases as diabetes and arthritis results in extended pain and suffering and decreased quality of life for millions of Americans. Chronic, disabling conditions cause major limitations in activity for more than one of every 10 Americans, or 25 million people.



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