Patient Testimonial: Johnny Sullivan Johnny Sullivan is a 43 year-old general contractor whose life and livelihood were turned upside down when he was diagnosed with lumbar discectomy and fusion, a condition that left him in chronic pain.
After surgery in 1994, Johnny's pain forced him to shut down his construction business. "To make ends meet, I sold off my construction equipment piece-by-piece," says Johnny. "My 12 year old son went to work for a farmer to bring in $300 dollars a week."
When Johnny managed to get disability payments, it was not enough to meet his family's expenses. "I lost my hospitalization insurance, my homeowners insurance, my life insurance policy that I had been contributing to for years and even my telephone service was cut off," recalls Johnny. "We were as poor as you can get."
Johnny continued to experience constant pain. "It felt like somebody stuck an ice pick down my backbone," recalls Johnny. "The only time I didn't feel pain was when I was asleep, but the pain usually kept me awake -- over three days I might get five or six hours of sleep."
Johnny sought treatment for his pain and was frightened to find out how little his physicians knew about pain management. "I think the pain patient has been the most neglected segment of society," says Johnny. "I have been told to learn to live with my pain, been accused of being a drug addict, or just out to 'get high'." He knew medicine existed to alleviate his pain, but he could not receive proper treatment.
Finally, Johnny found a doctor who understood how to appropriately treat his pain. "Now I can really enjoy every day," says Johnny. "I have a full future ahead of me -- I can't explain how happy I am today." He has rebuilt a thriving contracting business and he is able to provide for his family once again.
"To deny a person proper pain management is cruel," continues Johnny. "If you get the right pain treatment there is all the hope in the world.
http://www.jcaho.org/news/pain_kit/sullivan.html