I’ve seen claims that doctors know how to control pain, and no evidence that it’s true in general. (One of my friends has severe neuropathy from no known cause, and heavy duty meds, electrical stimulation, and I forgot what other medical methods have been tried leave her barely able to walk.)
I would like to have a method of recognizing it when someone makes a comforting generalization (“it will get done soon” is a small scale example) to check for evidence. There’s a temptation to accept the comfort too fast.
Another angle on doctors and pain control is that you don’t always know where to find competent help. A friend who had a major cancer and was picky about being able to think clearly didn’t get decent pain control until he was in a hospice.
Some people find that having access to suicide makes a hard life easier to endure.
I’ve seen claims that doctors know how to control pain, and no evidence that it’s true in general. (One of my friends has severe neuropathy from no known cause, and heavy duty meds, electrical stimulation, and I forgot what other medical methods have been tried leave her barely able to walk.)
I would like to have a method of recognizing it when someone makes a comforting generalization (“it will get done soon” is a small scale example) to check for evidence. There’s a temptation to accept the comfort too fast.
Another angle on doctors and pain control is that you don’t always know where to find competent help. A friend who had a major cancer and was picky about being able to think clearly didn’t get decent pain control until he was in a hospice.
Some people find that having access to suicide makes a hard life easier to endure.