A few more thoughts about acceptance....

After writing the post about the Serenity Prayer, I thought it would be appropriate to share a few thoughts about acceptance. You might not think this is really an appropriate topic for a pain management blog, but if you'll bear with me for a few paragraphs, you'll see the connection.

Image source: Wikipedia

What is acceptance? Wikipedia seems to give me the most appropriate description for purposes of this discussion. The first paragraph under this topic goes like this:

Acceptance in human psychology is a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it, protest. The concept is close in meaning to 'acquiescence', derived from the Latin 'acquiēscere' (to find rest in).^[1]

When a person is accepting of a situation or condition--it changes everything! In chronic pain syndromes this simply means that you know that a certain level of discomfort is going to be present no matter what you do. You can choose to live with the discomfort the same way you deal with other unpleasantries in life.

Suppose for example that you live on a very busy street. Cars going by all day and night, lots of noise all the time. How do you deal with the problem if you are unable to relocate? The answer is simple...you learn to block it out. Perhaps you can make some home improvements that will help to reduce noise levels inside your four walls...or have a privacy fence installed. You can also mentally filter out some of the noise. The problems are all still there...but you make adaptations so that your life goes on in spite of them.

The same is true of chronic pain syndromes. When you have gained the acceptance that there's always going to be some level of discomfort and learn to cope/live with it...you have made a tremendous advance that you will benefit from immensely!

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Living with Chronic pain hits the big screen!

Been to the movies lately? Jennifer Aniston is on the big screen in a recent release titled "Cake." Her character, Claire is a victim of chronic pain...she belongs to a support group, where all of the members are coming to terms with the suicide of one of their members. Of course, she also takes pain medication and addiction is another of her problems...and of course there's more! I guess I am writing this post just to bring readers' attention to the fact that Hollywood has become aware of the crisis that is chronic pain. This movie is a testament to that. People that don't have to live with this kind of pain don't fully understand the whole story. Maybe this movie will shed some light on the issues. Here is the official trailer for the movie: Sources: prweb;NorthJersey.com;YouTube

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Most of us know someone who has osteoarthritis, if we don't have it ourselves. Joint replacement surgery is a pretty common remedy when the joint becomes severely damaged and the patient is in a lot of pain. With risk of complications from such a surgery, perhaps an alternative treatment should be tried first. One such remedy is the injection of a synthetic version of collagen(e.g. Synvisc®) into the affected joint. This procedure restores the cushioning to a joint that has degenerated over the years. It can diminish the pain substantially and help put off joint replacement surgery for months to years. The biggest drawback is that these products are expensive. GoodRX , a web site that can be used to estimate the cost of medications, estimates the cost of these products to be over $1,000 each. Here's another example--and I am not sure how widely accepted this protocol has become since study authors introduced it in November 2015. Are you ready for this? Inject

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It's tick season, everyone! And while we all know about Lyme Disease and its lingering effects, a new problem has entered the scene. According to the CDC, the Powassan virus is another tick-borne disease that has recently been recognized. The CDC says symptoms become apparent anywhere from one week to one month after infection. Symptoms include vomiting, weakness, confusion, loss of coordination, problems with speech and seizures. Approximately half of those infected by this virus have permanent neurological symptoms, which can include muscle wasting, problems with memory, and recurrent headaches. Many people who have been infected with Powassan virus required hospitalization and sometimes even respiratory support (i.e., a respirator). Treatment is focused on supportive measures. In the meantime, preventive measures are the best way to avoid Lyme disease, Powassan virus , or any other tick-borne virus. You can read more about preventive measures by clicking here . Sour

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