Now It’s Our Turn

By Dr. Lynn Webster, PNN Columnist

These are hard times. When our emotions are intense and frayed, it’s often helpful to share those feelings.

Pain News Network, in collaboration with the International Pain Foundation and the Chronic Pain Association of Canada, is conducting a survey to see how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting people with chronic pain and chronic illness — who are most at risk from the virus.

They want to hear about your worries, concerns, and how you are trying to find meaning and purpose in a time of crisis. The survey is one way in which you can stay connected with others.

I encourage you to take the survey and share it with as many people as possible. Click here for the link.

The survey findings will be sent to those who request them. Hopefully, seeing the results will reassure you that you are not alone.

Other Pandemics

History shows us again and again that we are not alone. The world has always experienced widespread traumas — and now, it seems, it is our turn.

Fortunately, COVID-19 is not the Plague of Justinian, which killed half the people in the world, or the Black Death (bubonic plague), which killed at least one-third of Europe’s population. Projections for COVID-19 are nowhere near as deadly.  

Our forebears have been through other crises, although they were not of the magnitude of the two plagues. Many of them lived to tell their children and grandchildren about them, as we’ve experienced in our own families.

My paternal grandfather was my lifelong hero. He was strong and selfless, and he worked hard to take care of his family. He did everything necessary and more, without ever questioning why or complaining about the unfairness of life.

He and my grandmother lived through the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which sickened and killed tens of millions of people during World War One. Doctors had no anti-viral medications or vaccines at the time.

Social distancing worked, fortunately, for the cities that practiced it. However, there were few other tools society could count on to cope with the pandemic. Beyond social distancing and masks, survival was a matter of luck more than anything else.

My parents endured the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. They also lived through World War II. Like all Americans, they experienced rationing of "luxury" items such as meat, sugar and gasoline. They hoped and trusted that their children, and their children's children, would never have to suffer the terror and deprivation they had faced.  

They hoped in vain. My siblings and I experienced the Vietnam War and the first Gulf Conflict in 1990. We saw the Twin Towers fall on September 11, 2001 and watched that lead to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,

We lived through the AIDS epidemic. We saw a mass shooting at Columbine in 1999, and then we watched as Sandy Hook and other schools in the United States also became scenes of carnage. We witnessed thousands of people needlessly lose their lives.  We also experienced two major stock market declines, the first in 1987 and the second in 2008.

My wife and I assumed, perhaps as you did, that we would never face life challenges as great as those our parents and grandparents endured. We were wrong. Along with our children, grandchildren and the rest of the world, we now face a pandemic that has already caused over 100,000 deaths, closed businesses and created mass unemployment.  

What Lies Ahead

It may be too early to predict the eventual toll this will take on human lives. The resultant economic disaster could lead to another depression. Some estimate that the U.S. could see more than 30% unemployment -- far exceeding the joblessness of the Great Depression. For those who survive, it may take years for their personal finances and retirement savings to recover. 

This feels different from everything we have read about in history books. Tragedies are only stories until they happen to you. 

People with chronic illnesses, those who are under-insured or uninsured, and healthcare workers who are on the front lines risking their lives every day will likely be hit the hardest. However, this horror affects all of us. We find ourselves socially isolated, financially challenged, frightened for our loved ones, worried about the unknown, and perhaps dealing with serious illness.  

The lack of access to healthcare, medications and even the basic necessities of life will impact our physical and mental health. Even if we ourselves aren't suffering, people we care about certainly are. 

However, it is times like this that can bring us together to fight a common enemy. The acts of decency, bravery, creativity and generosity we see everyday should inspire us. If you follow #upworthy on Instagram, you can see hundreds of examples.  

Someday, our children’s children will read about COVID-19 in history books. Surveys are one way we can record our challenges, feelings and responses to these extraordinary days. Please take this survey and share the link widely. Thanks, and be well. 

Lynn R. Webster, MD, is a vice president of scientific affairs for PRA Health Sciences and consults with the pharmaceutical industry. He is author of the award-winning book, “The Painful Truth,” and co-producer of the documentary, “It Hurts Until You Die.” You can find Lynn on Twitter: @LynnRWebsterMD.

Opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect the views or policy of PRA Health Sciences.