Pain Can Be Painful

Word came out yesterday that the arrest of Tiger Woods on suspicion of DUI came about due to his taking of prescription drugs following back surgery he had earlier this year. According to the police report, he blew a zero on the breathalyzer, but he admitted to a mismanagement of his medication. He had been found asleep at the wheel of his car at 3 a.m., and his mugshot reflected someone who looked to be under the influence of something.

Initially, Tiger was taking a lot of flak for drinking and driving but the truth is as we know it today is he mismanaged his pain medication. Or at least that is what it appears to be today. Whatever your thoughts are regarding Tiger and his past, you have to compartmentalize this particular issue in a way that allows you to have at least some compassion for his situation.

At the time of this writing, I don’t know the facts regarding why he was on the road in the middle of the night. But what I can empathize about is Tiger having to deal with insurmountable pain while trying to manage his daily life.

Tiger had just blogged a week ago about why he decided to go through another surgery on his back, which set back his chances of playing on the PGA tour again:

“I could no longer live with the pain I had. We tried every possible non-surgical route and nothing worked. I had good days and bad days, but the pain was usually there, and I couldn’t do much. Even lying down hurt. I had nerve pain with anything I did and was at the end of my rope.”

This comes on the heels of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr having to stop coaching for the second time in two seasons due to complications arising from back surgery. What I can tell you is I can understand what both of those guys are going through.

 

For years, I struggled with the pain that came with having sciatic nerve problems that would occur at some very inopportune times. The pain was unbearable. Most of the time, pain medication was a temporary band-aid. Sometimes, it didn’t help at all. Finally, I hit a wall with my back problems and the sciatic nerve got caught in between discs, causing me to lose all nerve function in my legs. I was medically a paraplegic and temporarily unable to walk.

The surgery helped immensely in terms of getting me back on track to walking again. And it did improve my chances of not having sciatic nerve problems for the rest of my life. But what it also did is leave me with daily pain for what is likely the remainder of my life. Every morning, I wake up with searing pain that requires me to just remain lying down until I feel well enough to start moving around. I have to take ibuprofen every day just to minimize what I have to endure, and I would definitely take something stronger if I could afford a pain management specialist.

So, before we take shots at Tiger or start calling Kerr weak, keep in mind just how painful back injuries can be. I’ve been there and remain in that place, and I can tell you it is mind-numbing pain. It shouldn’t be dismissed and it should be appreciated. I know what they are going through and it is a daily battle.  You might not like Tiger or Kerr or even me, but you should appreciate what we have to go through every day. And it is likely that it will be with each of us for a very long time.