Robert Judge’s chronic pain overshadowed every aspect of his life.
His pain was constant and overwhelming. It ruled over his social life, physical activity and mental health. After having multiple operations, including lower back and kidney removal surgeries, this 65-year-old Veteran from Illinois knew he needed to get his pain under control.
Judge began participating in VA’s TelePain Management program to help him start addressing his pain. TelePain Management connects Veterans to virtual pain management care which includes occupational therapy and mental health care. Judge said the program Completely turned his life around.
“Within six weeks of going into this program, I became my old self. I get up in the morning and I’m cheerful. Before, I was very short with people because I was always in some sort of pain. Now, I have the tools and abilities to manage my pain and my life,” he shared.
Virtual pain management care
The virtual aspect of the TelePain Management program enabled Judge to receive care that he otherwise would have had to travel long distances for. Judge lives nearly 300 miles from the closest VA in Chicago. To attend in-person appointments he needed to spend multiple hours on the road and often stay in the city overnight.
TelePain Management enabled him to connect with his VA care team from home and his local Clinical Resource Hub.
“I can communicate with my doctors and I can communicate more openly and freely. TelePain has been probably one of the best services I’ve ever been involved with because somebody listened to my story when I told them what was going on,” he said.
Becoming his old self
Judge’s success with TelePain Management empowered him to pick up old hobbies and exercise more. He has gained more energy and flexibility because of the care he received and the pain management skills he developed. He has also lost more than 60 pounds.
Judge also struggled with his mental health as his chronic pain led to him experiencing depression. “Until you get that pain under control or remove as much of it as possible, you don’t understand how far deep you’ve gone down into that dark rabbit hole of pain. And you don’t know how far you’re down there because it just consumes you,” he said.
TelePain Management enabled him to reduce his pain so he could focus on his mental health. Judge says he is now more social and happier in his everyday life.
Now Judge encourages other Veterans to use TelePain Management and other VA virtual services. Whether he’s at a VA facility or even around his town, he lets others in pain know about his experience. “When I meet somebody like myself who’s struggling and I know they’re a Veteran, I always tell them, ‘Hey if you have pain or need pain management, there’s this VA program.’”
To learn more about VA’s TelePain Management program, talk to your VA care team. For more information on telehealth resources, visit the VA Telehealth Services page.
