Thursday 14 January 2016

Dealing with Pain

As I write this post, I'm waiting for my last draw of blood  for today's lab test. Beside me is a little girl around the age of 5, waiting for her turn. She is very scared and her mom is lying to her that there will be no injections.

This scene made me think. 

How do we deal with pain? 

Personally, I acknowledge the arrival of a painful situation but I just look away at the very moment it happens.

For instance, during my wisdom tooth extraction, I brought my eye mask and my iPod filled with Disney songs.

When they take my blood, I look away as the needle penetrates my skin.

If anyone causes me stress or pain, I shut them out from my life.

In fact, when I ride a roller coaster, I also cover my ears and close my eyes!

I believe that seeing and hearing heightens the impact of pain. So I lessen the senses involve.

More often than not, pain is all in the mind. It's the mental anticipation of pain that's more painful than the physical aspect of it.

I'm not the type who would slash my wrist to physically feel my emotional pain. I once knew someone who did that. I never quite understood it. 

I do mentally condition myself that I will survive the pain. But, part of that mental conditioning is telling myself that the pain, however unbearable, will end.

So the little girl,whose mom lied about no injections, is now crying to the top of her lungs as she enters the lab.

 I wonder  what would've been a better approach. Lie about the injection or Be truthful about it and establish a reward system?


How about you...how do you deal with pain?


Starving,

L



2 comments:

  1. Technically, there's no injection because I assume that she's having her blood drawn diba ? (oo, pilosopo ako.)

    Sa mga bata, I've seen different approaches. My oldest nephew matured early, at age 1, nakakausap na siya. With him, kelangan i condition siya mentally ahead of time at sasabihan mo na "we'll be going to the doctor tomorrow/later" and then explain mo kung anong procedure ang gagawin and if meron or walang vaccinations. Then you also explain that if he doesn't get those shots, then he will get sick and get even more injections (pati dextrose). He will be cooperative.

    His shoti naman just says yes to everything and then will do whatever he wants anyway.

    My son has (mild) autism, medyo mahirap pa i predict pero these days I think naiintindihan nya kami, it's just that he may or may not choose to react to whatever you tell him. So I just tell him the truth and say that we're going to the doctor/dentist/salon/swimming... or wherever it is that we're going. Pag ayaw nya, he'll react and suggest other things and I tell him that he has to do it anyway. Nung una mahirap ang tantrums but now, parang tanggap na nya that it will happen anyway so he goes and cooperates pero laging may token resistance (verbal) pag ayaw nya.

    In a way, I get the mom at the lab who lied to her daughter. It was probably a choice between a tantrum beginning NOW (and risk bothering other clients - think of all the raised eyebrows and stares they're going to get) or getting a few more minutes of good behavior while waiting.

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    1. Napaisip din ako sa approach. I also don't know what to do. Pero na realize ko that the older we get the more accustomed we are to pain. We develop our own ways of dealing with it

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