I have this itch to help people, mainly those suffering from chronic pain. I know that I am a dreamer I always have been. Night time is the best, I'm not sure why but everything seems possible at 3 am for me, it's the daylight hours that wash those feelings away. I wish I could make a significant difference. I lay awake at night designing these crazy intergrative facilities where people like me could go for help and research.
It goes something like this:
A building designed to house chronic pain/fatigue patients for a significant amount of time. An apartment complex designed specifically for fibromyalgia. This facility would provide the many facets of pain management services; physical therapy, pool therapy, massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, bio-feedback and mental health, nutrition support. Maybe it would go as far as meal preparation designed for the individuals and other lifestyle management. You would have access to support groups and activities and the facility would be there to do research on all the aspects of chronic pain and fatigue. Blood work, imaging, genetic testing, clinical trials, data configuration all focused on really digging in collectively to find effective treatments and possible cures for fibromyalgia. I would happily pick up and move, donate my time, support, track my every moment in the name of research, for a facility dedicated to figuring this out. I'd pay rent to them in a heartbeat.
I imagine something like this would require a lot of sacrifice. Doctors and nurses willing to accept lower pay or maybe some kind of loan forgiveness program for years dedicated or housing provided for staff kind of situation. Or maybe it's a teaching program and all the treatment staff aren't actually doctors yet but in training and the researchers and data collaborators are the ones receiving the breaks. I have no idea how it would work practically, but I think about it and I picture the concepts in my head.
I know that's a weird pipe dream but sometimes I wish there was some uber rich philanthropist out there willing to make this kind of dream possible. Could you imagine the impact it would have? How many lives would be improved if we could even just understand pain better.
So many of us are capable of so much but pain prevents us from reaching even our basic potential. Pain is an epidemic and it goes on silently misunderstood and exponentially increasing, somebody needs to start thinking radically about figuring this out. Unfortunately those suffering from chronic pain are often the least likely to make this a reality because of our lack of resources. Physically, emotionally, and financially.
But I still dream. Weird impossible sounding dreams.