Understanding Chronic Pain
A Doctor Talks To His Patients
Understanding Chronic Pain is a personal narrative, a record of my passage among victims of chronic pain and the discoveries that have come from those encounters. I write for physicians, nurses, therapists, and caregivers, but mostly, I write for you who suffer the disease.
Understanding Chronic Pain: A Doctor Talks to His Patients
My book offers a series of essays about people who suffer chronic pain. From their case histories, I derive certain conclusions. Not all of them will apply to you, but some certainly will. My wish is that this book will help you gain greater understanding of your illness, for only by understanding it will you conquer it.
— Robert T. Cochran, M.D.
What are the Distinguishing Features of the Disease, Chronic Pain?
- Pain persists longer than anticipated time of recovery.
- Pain spreads beyond the bounds of the original site of injury.
- Sleep is disordered with worsening pain at night and nocturnal tremors (myoclonus and restless legs).
- Appetite is disordered, sometimes with anorexia and weight loss but more often with ravenous appetite, sweet cravings, and weight gain.
- Fatigue is pervasive.
- Mood is disordered, usually with despondency and depression, but sometimes restless hyperactivity.
- Memory is disordered, e.g., the "mind fog" of fibromyalgia.
- Thought is disordered with obsessive focus on pain, and sometimes suicidal ideation.
Dr. Cochran Interview
Hear Dr. Cochran speak on the SCTA Teleconference
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