Everyday pain management ideas

 Good news for you...from ScienceCodex.com/Imperial College of London A new drug treatment has been found to be effective against chronic pain caused by nerve damage, also known as neuropathic pain, in patients who have had shingles. The researchers hope that the drug might also be effective against other causes of chronic neuropathic pain, such as diabetes, HIV, nerve injury and cancer chemotherapy, as it targets a mechanism that is not targeted by any existing therapies and has fewer side effects. Drugs available now have limited success at treating neuropathic pain and often have unpleasant or disabling side effects. read more here... Source: ScienceCodex.com  

This is a poster that I did for a Pain Awareness Fair that was held the hospital where I was working last year.  The poster is my attempt at trying to help health care professionals determine whether a patient is really an addict, or if their current pain management regimen is insufficient for one reason or another. While manning my poster, I presented this example to the various doctors, nurses and patients who visited my poster: A young woman who becomes a frequent visitor to an ER.  She always complains of headache, for which she is treated and given a prescription for pain medication at discharge. The staff think she is an addict and express their concerns to the ER physician time and time again.  The doctor, however, is unsure if this is the case or not. After this pattern goes on for a time, the young woman returns to the ER to thank the staff for all their help. She says she's going off to college and asks the doctor for a prescription so she can get medication wh

Here's Your Gold Watch - Rheutired: Let Me In on Rheumatoid Awareness Day : February 2 is Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day and also Groundhog Day. We're nothing like the groundhog. Every morning when we get up ...

After all this time of posting information about ways to manage pain and various chronic pain issues it occurred to me that I had not posted anything to describe pain management . So in today's post I would like to describe pain management in my own words..feel free to comment because these are my thoughts.  You can only enhance what I am going to say here with anything relevant you have to contribute! So here goes: Pain management is a sub-specialty of medicine. The focus of pain management is to reduce pain and suffering, improve quality of life, enhance functionality and mobility--using various medical modalities.  Among these modalities are: medications interventional radiology epidural injections physical therapy medical devices surgery non-medical devices physical therapy weight loss exercise diet psychological interventions spiritual interventions etc. Pain management seeks to control pain levels in a given person's situation. While there is is

Migraine headache can be simply defined as severe head pain that lasts for several hours, sometimes even for days.  Usually the pain is only on one side of the head. For about  twenty percent of the 24+ million migraine sufferers in the US, it is accompanied by an aura--a sensory disturbance such as a visual disturbance, hallucination, numbness, or tingling . Migraine can be quite debilitating.  As a migraine sufferer myself, I cannot begin to tell you how many days of productivity I have personally lost due to migraine.  Multiply me by 24 million and...well, that's a lot!  The financial impact is also huge if you consider all the work days lost in addition to the money that is spent on doctor or ER visits and tests and prescription drugs related to this problem. What causes migraine, you might ask?  Well, the jury is still out on that but it is proposed that there is a cascade of neurological events that lead to the swelling of blood vessels in the brain. Pain and inflam

1. Acetaminophen is also known as Tylenol(brand name) and sometimes by its abbreviated name APAP. It is probably the most common fever and pain reducer on the market today. 2. Acetaminophen is an ingredient in many single and multi-ingredient products. Before taking any prescription or non prescription product it is a good idea to know if and how much acetaminophen is in that product.   3.It is recommended that no more than 4 grams of acetaminophen be ingested in a 24 hour period. The ceiling effect of acetaminophen is 3 grams-- meaning that anything over 3 grams does not really contribute to its analgesic effect. Make sure to include all the acetaminophen being ingested from all the products you are taking so you don't go over the 4 gram limit. 4. Tylenol overdose can cause liver damage, and even death if the limits are exceed. 5. Tylenol is useful for pain relief and also fever reduction. The mechanism of action is unclear. 6. Acetaminophen has no anti-inflammatory

If you are a chronic pain sufferer, you are well aware of the impact that being in pain has on your moods every day.  If you are a person who battles depression or anxiety, you know that when you are in pain, trying to tackle both issues makes putting on your best face a lot more challenging. The lack of sleep, the battle of dealing with discomfort that comes and goes when you least expect it, or doesn't go away...just all seems to takes its toll on your self-esteem, your sense of humor, despite all attempts to keep a positive demeanor. In a nutshell, when both of these problems occur together, they both become worse. Ughhhh... That being said, do not fear.  There is help for you! Here are some therapies you might like to consider.  You may need to combine remedies for best results: Counseling with a psychiatrist or psychologist.   Group therapy may also be of value. Antidepressant medications, especially SNRIs or tricyclic types Strategies to reduce stress: exercise, medit

 Aspirin: The first NSAID   Post by Marietta LeDonne . The origin of aspirin can be traced back to the era of Hippocrates, where historical records indicate the use of extracts of willow bark and spirea for relief of headache, pain and fever. Many years later, in the mid to late 1800s, chemists in France and Germany identified and then synthesized the active component of these extracts: Salicylic acid.  Hence, modern day aspirin was born! In the years that followed, aspirin gained popularity in use for pain and fever reduction. In the late 1950s, acetaminophen became a popular alternative for pain and fever, while aspirin gained popularity as an anti platelet agent for prevention of heart attack and stroke. In later years, other NSAID( N on -S teroidal A nti- I nflammatory D rug) and the COX- 2 inhibitors came onto the marketplace for treatment of pain, fever and inflammation. Aspirin is still widely used for prevention of clot formation by many patients, and chr

DISCOVERY CHANNEL DOCUMENTARY “PAIN MATTERS” CHRONICLES THE BURDENS OF LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN Loved Ones Provide Significant Support, But Many Still Struggle with Pain’s Invisibility, New Survey Finds North Wales, Pa., November 4, 2013 – There are 100 million American adults who live with chronic pain – more than cancer, diabetes and heart disease combined. A new documentary titled “Pain Matters,” airing Nov. 16 on the Discovery Channel, explores the realities of chronic pain through the eyes of individuals who live with it, as well as the perspective from leading national experts in pain management. The film features a range of stories of people living with chronic pain including a U.S. Navy veteran and a two-time Stanley Cup-winning hockey player. “Pain Matters” chronicles their individual challenges in managing their condition, including validation of their pain due to the difficulty in objectively measuring it and working with healthcare professional

OK..so if you've been following this blog you will notice that there are a good number of ideas to help manage chronic pain.  You might ask yourself, "Which one of these ideas is best for me ?" I would suggest that you might try any number of these things, depending on your level of ability/disability, health care team recommendations, and your personal interests.  There are a number of reasons for doing this: 1) The patient is in control..with few exceptions, it is your decision what to try/not try and how many different things you want to experiment with at any time. 2) Non drug pain management ideas do not have any of the drug interactions or side effects that medications have.  You may have to set limits or modify activity according to personal circumstances, but usually it does not hurt to try any of them. 3)You usually do not need a prescription for most of the ideas I have described.  There are a few exceptions, such as physical therapy.  There is no wait