A documentary airing on the Discovery Channel sheds new light on what it’s like to be one of the millions of Americans dealing with chronic pain.
Penney Cowan, founder and executive director of the American Chronic Pain Association is one of the experts featured in the documentary. Penney also has a personal connection to chronic pain. After the birth of her second child, she experienced pain throughout her body. Six years after the pain started she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at the Cleveland Clinic. “For the first time, I realized I wasn’t alone. I was there for seven weeks, and in that time I moved from patient to person. They didn’t take the pain away, but they taught me how to live with it.”
The documentary also looks at the effects of pain on the the family. Penney points out that family members don’t feel the physical pain, but they feel everything else…. including anger, guilt, frustration and confusion. Sometimes the pain of the individual may dominate the dynamics of the family unit.
“Pain Matters” will be shown on the Discovery Channel on December 7th and 14th. For more information go to painmattersfilm.com Chicago Tribune 11/20/13