Listening to Pain: Finding Words, Compassion, and Relief

Pain regularly accompanies illness, as Dr. David Biro knows too well. When he was still in medical training, he needed to have a stem-cell transplant for a rare blood disease. He thought he would be able to take notes on the issue of pain for use as a doctor. What he found was such agony that it could not be communicated to even his wife and family, making him feel isolated in his own separate world. Now an accomplished New York doctor, Biro has discovered a way to break through the silent wall of suffering - physical and psychological - and wants to share it with others. In this new book, which is both a practical and philosophical look at how to put the inexpressibility of pain into language, he weaves together compelling stories and artwork from patients along with insights from some of our greatest thinkers, writers, and artists. Biro's groundbreaking work is sure to help patients' families understand what they are going through, enable doctors to appreciate the needs of their patients, and transform our understanding of and ability to communicate pain.