Covid-19 has become a deadly pandemic across the world, and it is likely that almost no place on earth will go untouched. It is not a hoax, and for many the threat is very real. Projections suggest that somewhere around 60 percent or more of the population will become infected over the next several months, and 80 percent of these infections will be mild. However, if one has another significant medical problem, than they may be at risk for a complication and become seriously ill or require hospitalization. Those who have one of many medical problems that cause pain often have conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung disease or are elderly and at a high risk for Covid-19, however pain itself does not increase risks of the virus. Currently, becoming ill with Covid-19 is like playing Russian Roulette, as there is between 1-4 percent chance if you get become sick it will kill you.
If you have a pain condition, in general one needs to continue working on safe management and try to avoid anything that would increase your risk for infection. First and most importantly, chronic pain does not kill you and is not an emergency problem. Chronic pain is a management problem and there are usually multiple options in treatment. Sometimes a temporary solution is safer than a more definitive option. Sometimes the best treatment may be unavailable due to medical restrictions on procedures like injections or surgery. Fortunately, usually an adequate and temporary plan can be implemented until a better solution is available. There also is a fair likelihood that your pain still may feel intense and that you wish control would be better, but it’s something we have to deal with amid the pandemic.
Managing Chronic Pain During The Pandemic
There are things that one can do to make the pain better. First, it is important to realize that pain is a cognitive/emotional experience and a response to sensory inputs to the brain. Pain is the perception of the sensory signals from various nerves. A soldier in the heat of battle often will not feel a serious injury while someone sitting at home with nothing to do will feel horrible sensations since the brain is not occupied by other thoughts. Therefore, the busier the mind is, the less it can think about distressing thoughts. Distract the brain and keep it busy with positive thoughts, work or even television.
The second thing that helps pain is keeping physically active and healthy. Most activities will not make chronic symptoms worse. Continue to exercise, as it is important to maintain a good stretching, strengthening and general conditioning program. Stretching keeps muscles from tightening up, feeling like bands and spasming. Strengthening keeps muscle able to have the power to perform activities. Aerobic conditioning allows muscle to have the endurance to perform activities, increases your own endorphins that reduce pain and overall helps to relax the body and mind. Activity fights off deterioration of the body.
The third thing to do is maintain an overall healthy lifestyle. Try to improve your diet such that you are not gaining weight and stressing the body. If possible, improve your diet, consider healthy choices like fruits, vegetables, diary and meats and learn to cook while staying away from highly-processed foods and excess carbohydrates. Keep your diet sustainable and something that you can afford and enjoy. If you are ambitious, try an inflammatory diet or a Mediterranean diet. On top of diet, sleeping an adequate amount is necessary. Turn off your electronic devices an hour before bed and relax the brain. Try clearing your thoughts with mindfulness, meditation or relaxation. There are many phone and computer applications that can help with relaxation. Sometimes, having professional psychological help is even beneficial. Good sleep and less stress help maintain or boost the immune system.
If you have pain, there are many ways to treat it. Now with the Covid-19 virus and the medical and social precautions being taken to prevent spread, some of the options for treatment are not available. The coronavirus may not be affecting you at the moment, but the risk of infections at this time and the possible risk of even death due to your actions is very real. One can be a spreader of the disease without symptoms, and medical workers have a very high incidence of the disease. Further, many medical procedures such as injections use up valuable protective equipment that really is needed for hospitals and senior living centers where there are not adequate supplies. At this time, pain can be treated for the short term with other options besides injections and elective surgery in most cases. If the procedure is not essential to prevent loss of life or limb, currently it can be postponed until the medical system is past the critical time of Covid-19 spread.
This week, another issue of opioid use to control pain came to light in the news. In a suburb of Minneapolis, a patient was in a nursing home type facility. Along with whatever issues brought them to the facility, apparently they had pain and were receiving opioid medications. At the nighttime dose, a staff nurse, probably in a hurry, gave a huge dose of the medication instead of the proper dose without noticing the mistake. By morning the patient was dead from an overdose. All opioids can cause breathing problems especially in those who are sick, and too much medication can easily be deadly.
