Hurting Like Hell Living with Gusto

<p> Tuesday morning I spent an hour with a neurologist trying to figure out why I kept tripping over my feet. He pushed and pulled on my legs whacked me with a reflex hammer and shone a light so deep into my eyes I thought it might illuminate the wall behind my head. That afternoon I drove home and ordered a new backpacking tent.</p><p> Pain is an unforgiving equalizer--forget social status race or gender. For people suffering from chronic pain real life can get lost among endless appointments diagnoses prescriptions and medical bills. Living a life beyond mere survival becomes as big a battle as fighting the pain itself.</p><p> Drawing on her experiences as both a patient and a health-care professional the author candidly describes her sudden transition from a healthy active lifestyle to years of learning to live with debilitating pain.</p>