Old-time Pain Remedies......

Growing up in the country was never boring for me-it seemed each day held a new adventure-and many of them came with dangerous wounds-no simple knee scrapes but injuries that brought Fear racing among my family-because we lived so far away from any form of emergency care.  We rarely saw a doctor and a hospital seemed like a strange land I was never allowed to enter as children below the age of twelve were not allowed on the floors where patients lay sick.  Yet we did have our share of hospital trips with injuries happening as two brothers decided to have a "Wild West Shoot Out" with BB Guns-being given a harsh warning by my Dad "Now listen, Don't Shoot each others Eyes Out!"  I don't think they heard the warning and a few minutes later, off we rushed to the hospital, and being grateful all was okay.

Today my mind took a "visit back" when Medical treatment for Pain was very different-wounds and cuts were cleaned with water,  I recall a "tube of Medication" my Mom called "Ixiy Oil"  my brain tells me there had to be a different name for it.  She claimed it could cure any injury but it smelled horrible and was a  thick black ointment (perhaps today's version of Antibiotic Ointment) but she made sure to put this on and wrapped us with a make-do bandage.  My parents never told us how tight money was because life on the farm always seemed plentiful-especially on Sunday when we had Fried Chicken-I will leave out How we got the Chicken to the table.

When we were hit with one of the dreaded childhood diseases-Measles, Mumps, Chicken Pox-things took a serious note and I recall getting the Measles, being kept in a very dark room as Mom put some type of Warm  Mixture on my chest-it was the worst part of being sick with this illness because the smell would send everyone running from the room!  As I reflect back on those years, I  can't recall seeing anybody in Chronic Pain-people "toughed it out" and kept going.  My precious Dad was working with Cattle while in the midst of a full blown Appendix attack.  The cattle brought needed income to our family and his priority was to take care of them before he stopped to go see a doctor for the ache in his side.  Thank God he made it to the hospital in time-and was back at work in a matter of days!

There did come one terrible day when I got an early Introduction to Pain-I loved to go with my Dad to feed the Cattle and nothing would stop me. I can still hear his voice "Sister, you better hurry and get some warm clothes on-we are Burning Daylight" (one of his favorite expressions) and while rushing to get dressed, I got tangled in my pants, and fell back against a Hot Burning Wood Stove!  I recall screaming in agony and my Parents told me later the skin on my back had stuck to the stove- they had to pull me away from it.  All I  remember is spending months in bed, being wrapped in tight bandages and  seeing a look of deep worry as My Parents watched over me, I can't imagine the sorrow my Dad went through, seeing his little girl in such Pain and it was a long time before I finally heard him saying "Come on Sister, lets go feed those Cows!"   I gradually healed and forgot the awful Pain from being burned-not knowing how that "Burning Pain" would come back into my life many years later-and God always beside me, giving me the courage to fight through the Burn.

My Joy for this day came as I took a "walk" back in time-thinking about these many adventures of living on a farm, being treated with Old-Time Pain cures and now being so grateful for the tremendous advances made in the Medical Field-I will keep praying more progress is made for the treatment of Chronic Pain.

God bless you.  Martha