Elizabeth's story

I was an advisory teacher when I suffered a spinal injury in 2007 that landed me in a Brisbane hospital emergency department.

Thanks to a neurosurgeon, I regained the use of my left leg and the crushing pain eased. However nerve root damage from the injury left me with radiculopathy.

When I returned to work, the injury was aggravated because my employer did not comply with my medical restrictions. Another round of spinal surgery partly resolved the problem to the point where I could lie on my left side for a short period of time.

Over the next year I put together a very supportive healthcare team consisting of a GP, a physiotherapist and a pain specialist who provided effective treatment through medication and an exercise program. I learnt to manage my pain levels and be unafraid of re-injury so that I could regain moderate levels of function.
 
After attending a private pain management clinic I was more-or-less able to gradually resume normal function with the assistance of my medical team. However, my employer resisted my efforts to return to work when it became evident I could not return to my former position and my superannuation fund deemed me to be totally and permanently incapacitated for full-time employment.

Following the pain clinic program, I established a consumer health charity for people suffering from persistent pain, the Australian Pain Management Association (APMA). This stemmed from difficulties pain program participants had in finding community-based support for sufferers of chronic pain.
 
We determined that if we could help others manage their persistent pain, we could also help each other and, significantly, control our own ongoing pain.

I concluded at this point that, left unmanaged, my pain levels would hover around seven to eight out of 10. Medication could improve this rate by three to four points and physiotherapy and changes to my reasoning about pain by another three to four points.  This way the pain could be well managed. It was always there, but if it was under five then I could have a reasonable quality of life and enjoy my increased leisure and “different work”.

One of my goals was to be able to travel to Singapore for my brother’s wedding at the Raffles Hotel in August 2009. I went and had a wonderful time, with a week in Penang as well and despite the pain, it was a holiday to remember.

I have left teaching but teaching hasn’t left me. Some of the most inspiring activities that APMA engages in are attending respite centres and seniors organisations to give presentations on managing chronic pain.

The learning often goes both ways as we pick up “tips and tricks” from others who have often been managing pain for decades. It is encouraging to be able to share the hurt and the humour that our life with persistent pain brings.