Therapy changed how I think about my chronic pain

Air Force Veteran Ed Lucero started having severe abdominal pain while undergoing dialysis for kidney failure. Even after a kidney transplant in 1987, his pain didn’t stop.

At the time, doctors couldn’t explain why. The surgery was successful. There was no sign of new damage, yet Lucero was in constant discomfort.

Decades later, Lucero learned that he was experiencing neuroplastic pain, which causes the brain to continue sending pain signals long after the body has healed.

“I thought that was just how it would be for the rest of my life,” he said. “Even with light yard work, I would have to lie down or sit and breathe through it.”

To manage his pain, Lucero was prescribed methadone, a long-acting opioid sometimes used when other pain medications do not work. He took it under medical supervision for 10 years.

“It dulled the ache, but it dulled everything else too,” he said. “I couldn’t think clearly. I was in meetings, holding the wall to stay balanced. That wasn’t me.” 

Breaking the loop

Eventually, Lucero reached a point where the side effects of methadone were no longer worth it. He talked with his VA provider and asked for help getting off the medication and finding other solutions.

That’s when he was introduced to a new treatment called pain reprocessing therapy (PRT).

PRT treats pain that happens when the brain gets stuck in a loop, constantly sending pain signals to the area because it expects to feel pain.

PRT breaks the pain loop by training the brain and nervous system through stress reduction, calming the nervous system and rebuilding confidence.

Learning from the pain

During therapy, Lucero noticed patterns. The pain showed up most often when he felt overwhelmed.

Before a trip overseas, he began having sharp pain in his neck and shoulders. He hadn’t lifted anything heavy or strained himself. He paused and checked in with what else was going on.

“I realized I was worried about the house, the dogs, the garden,” he said. “That was not an injury; it was stress showing up as pain. Once I worked through it, the pain went away.”

He said PRT gave him a way to step back, ask better questions about his situation and move through the discomfort with less fear.

“I still get pain, but it is different now,” he said. “I do not panic. Therapy changed how I think about my chronic pain.”

New tools

As his physical pain started to ease, Lucero noticed something else changing, too—how he interacts with himself and others.

Often, his chronic pain kept him from participating in events with friends and family. He began isolating more and more. When people did check in, he frequently brushed them off, trying to hide the pain he was in.

“People don’t always know how to respond to someone who’s sick,” he said. “So, I just told them I was fine.”

With techniques he learned in PRT, he is started telling his truth and resumed participating in activities.

“I have new tools I didn’t have before,” he said. “They’re helping me enjoy my life again.”

Lucero uses a combination of daily guided meditation, breathing exercises, yoga and Transcendental Meditation, which helps calm the mind and body through the repetition of a silent sound or phrase to settle the nervous system.

At home, he spends time gardening, stargazing with his backyard telescope and walking his two Yorkshire terriers. He and his wife travel and enjoy exploring with their grandchildren.

“My new favorite hobby is creating great memories,” he said. “I encourage Veterans living with chronic pain to seek treatment.”