I was interning at the hospital in orthopedics. We had this elderly man who had cancer that was affecting his leg. He was in terrible pain all the time. He was poor and had a small family. He was screaming and moaning in pain all the time despite being on strong medications. Pain had taken over his being and consciousness to such an extent that he was incapable of doing or thinking anything else. We decided to operate.
As the operating room was being prepared, one of the main things worrying us was his advanced age and frailty. The pain and suffering had sapped his strength and stamina. We decided to proceed anyway and started operating from 10 PM till we were done at 1 AM. The operation was a lengthy affair with a few close calls but in the end successful.
After surgery, we had him transferred to the observation room that in those days was quite primitive. The hospital was older, understaffed and dirty. Someone needed to watch him while he recovered through the night. I volunteered to stay. As time stretched into the night, I was by his side monitoring and managing his care. It is amazing what pure awareness is there while you watch someone in pain relax and just breathe. It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. As the patient woke up in the early morning, he smiled blissfully as he held my hand, kissed it and said, ” I have no more pain, I have no more pain, bless you, my son”.
Even after all these years, the memory of this encounter is fresh and vivid in my mind. Bad things happen. Processes or organs get affected. We injure ourselves. We develop conditions. Aging happens. These cause pain. Pain, while beneficial acutely, can cause severe physical or psychological stress if it continues at a certain intensity or chronicity. Pain and freedom from pain are about affirming life. If we live, we love. To do this, we need to know more about pain and know what causes it and causes it to go on. We need to understand. If we understand, we know. If we know, we solve. If we solve, we attenuate or relieve pain. Knowledge is power. Knowledge can lead us on the path to the cessation of pain and suffering.
About Me
- Mahesh Kuthuru MD
- Dr. Mahesh Reddy Kuthuru was accepted into the top medical schools in India at the ripe young age of 17. He completed his medical training and graduated from Gandhi Medical College in Hyderabad, India. He went on to complete his residency from Temple University Hospital, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Later, he went into private practice in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation from 1999 till 2002. In 2003, he completed a fellowship in Pain Management from University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. He is Board Certified in Pain Management and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Clinical services are provided at multiple locations in the Northeast US. Dr. Kuthuru has published extensively both nationally and internationally in the field of Pain Management and is involved in a wide range of clinical, teaching and research activities. His areas of interests include cutting edge space based technologies, anti aging medicine and minimally invasive spine surgery.