November Days of Gratitude
First up? Pain relief!
November Days of Gratitude is a little celebration I made up several years ago to make my Thanksgiving season a little more thankful. There's just so much in life to be grateful for, even amidst stress and difficulty. So, pardon my late start! For the rest of the month, please enjoy the sometimes-silly, sometimes-sweet, always-sincere parts of life I'm appreciating the most this year!
Today I'm thankful for pain relief!
Pain is the absolute worst, right? It ruins your mood, your day, and really, anything you’re trying to do. If it lasts long enough, it exhausts you, embitters you, and even alienates you. Pain is truly a misery.
If you've ever had so much as a headache, you know what I'm talking about. Or a toothache. Or a burn. Or a broken bone, a torn tendon, or some God-awful combination of those things, along with a hearty side of nerve damage. Or worse. But the tiniest mishaps can trigger it, too! A nearly-invisible cut; a miniscule tear in a cuticle; a weird-shaped rock stepped upon at precisely the wrong angle - all can result in scalding, shocking, shrieking pain. And it stops everything.
What a melodramatic way for the human body to announce that something has gone wrong with one of its parts - it seems like a real design flaw.
Especially since, very often, whatever's “wrong” is actually not a very big deal! Usually, whatever causes a headache, a toothache, a pulled muscle, or other pain will resolve by itself. But until then, life's not so fun.
Well, I shudder to think how much less fun life would be without pain relief! Guys, I've been on every medication from Ambien to Zoloft for one thing or another - most related to my chronic injury - and I can tell you, prescription pain meds certainly have their place, but over-the-counter pain medicine is a wonder drug.
Can you imagine how revolutionary it must have been to move from herbal tinctures and salves to anesthetics to, finally, something safe, easy to get, and standardized? Bayer was selling aspirin by 1899, and acetaminophen and ibuprofen came along in 1956 and 1962, respectively. That must have represented a true revolution in taking control of one's health.
Nowadays, of course, we still rely on those staples, but we have more choices than ever to treat pain ourselves. For example, you might try out lidocaine patches or a mentholated cream for pulled or aching muscles. If you've got a toothache, there's Orajel (it's not just for teething babies!). For the itchy, sore pain of bites and allergic reactions, there's Benadryl, calamine lotion, cortisone cream, and steroid options. And, for more serious situations, there are a host of options available by prescription.
This is amazing!
I simply couldn't function without my ibuprofen. I'm so grateful for it - not to mention my gratitude for acetaminophen and IcyHot! These deceptively simple products dial back the intensity of my constant shoulder and arm pain, and they make it something I can live with.
Thank you so much, pain relief! I salute you!