Pain management - Rene Goossens

'Mother Killed, Baby Lives in Freak Accident, Oxford Times 20 February 1962. The newspaper was wrong. I was that young woman', writes Renee Goossens, an extraordinary woman who has suffered both physical and emotional pain throughout her life. This book will change how you understand and cope with pain. It took Renee five and half years of research and forty five years of living it. Renee shares not only her own coping strategies, but those of over one hundred families she has interviewed in England, France and Australia. It also includes the advice of medical practitioners and complementary therapists. "There is no family anywhere in the world who has not experienced pain, be it physical, emotional or in the form of grieving for a loved one", says Renee. In 1962 at the age of 21, Renee was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident that kept her in an English hospital for nearly two years depriving her temporarily of her husband and baby. When Renee was finally able to leave hospital, her husband left her for his pregnant girlfriend. Wheelchair-bound with a lively toddler to raise, Renee beat the odds and walked again. She has since then endured over fifteen spinal operations and ongoing chronic pain. Renee has required a wheelchair since 1995. Renee Goossens recounts her battles with pain and her inspirational resilience in surviving pain. Drawing on her own experiences and those of other pain sufferers, she describes how to get the best out of practitioners, seek a second opinion without damaging relationships, and assess complementary therapies. Most importantly, she demonstrates how to maximise the quality of life. Written in plain language, Pain Management provides up-to-date information, reference material and case histories on the sensitive issues of neurological diseases, the work of carers, respite care, children's hospices, caring for those with life-limiting illnesses, death and grief counselling. Pain Management is a practical guide for families suffering from physical and emotional pain written by a patient for patients.