dahlia in my garden: Rio Fuego in Coleus leaves

Saturday, April 28, 2012

A Change is Coming...

It’s been so crazy lately with doctors appointments, insurance confusion, mail order prescription insanity, a nasty pain level spike, and the normal complications of every day life. I’m finding it difficult to keep writing a full blog post on Saturdays. As hard as it is for me to admit, I need to back off just a little and not push myself past my limits.

So here’s my promise to you: 

~Tuesday-Newsday will continue as usual every week with no change. I do not intend to compromise on that!

~On Saturdays, I will commit to writing a blog post at least every other week. However, I’m hoping that occasionally I will be able to step up more often. On those off weeks, I’ll try post garden photos (see below) or even just a link to great post on someone else’s web page that I think shouldn’t be missed.

I feel bad that I can’t keep going at the same pace I’ve kept over the last year with this blog, but I have listen to my body and be honest about my limitations - which is what I always tell others who have chronic pain. I hope you’ll stick with me.

I wish you a pain-free weekend!

Blessings,
~Shannon  

A pair of Dianthus in my garden.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Tuesday-Newsday #61

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is, “The Role of Tolerance in a Life of Chronic Pain” by Sue Falkner-Wood.

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!
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*CHRONIC PAIN






*PAIN Rx






*CANCER PAIN










*MILITARY VETERANS and CHRONIC PAIN






Many veterans of the conflict in Southwest Asia have attributed a range of undiagnosed or poorly understood medical problems to their military services. At issue is the eligibility of Veterans to claim VA disability compensation based upon those undiagnosed illnesses, and the ability of survivors to qualify for VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. Under long-standing VA rules, any undiagnosed illnesses used to establish eligibility for VA benefits must become apparent by Dec. 31, 2011. The new change pushes the date back to Dec. 31, 2016. Veterans or survivors who believe they qualify for these benefits should contact VA at 1-800-827-1000 or click above.



*FEATURED BLOG POST

by Sue Falkner-Wood

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Planning for Plants... and Life in General

Today is my annual “Go-to-the-Local-Nursery-And-Spend-My-Birthday-Money” Trip. It’s finally time to buy colorful flowers and plants to fill up all my pots. I *love* going to nurseries and wandering through the rows. Only one problem: I get so distracted by the plants that I forget to pay attention to my body and my pain level. It’s a problem I have a lot, and I imagine I’m not the only one who does. When I get overly focused on doing things I like, I completely block out my perception of my pain. This can be a useful way to distract myself during a pain spike, but when I’m trying to avoid causing one - I find it hard!

Knowing that I am likely to fall into this trap, I have to plan carefully. The day before my nursery trip, I will look at my pots and decide what plants I want to buy to fill for those that didn’t survive the winter and I’ll make a list. Today when we get there, since the terrain will prevent me from using my wheelchair, I will ask my husband to set the timer on his watch for 20 minutes. When it goes off, I will know it’s time to pause, sit for five minutes, and have some water. If I honor my body by pacing wisely then I will be able to truly relish my time there and not end up collapsing in pain into the car and spending the rest of the day feeling miserable. 

In my garden last year: a bloom on a tiny cactus.

Planning isn’t just something I do when I go shopping at the nursery. If you live with pain or a chronic illness, you know how hard it is to be spontaneous. The hardest part of it is getting friends and family to understand. Of course I would love to have lunch with you and see a movie - but I just can’t physically do both and still enjoy myself. Frankly, I’m not much fun to be with when I’m trapped in a severe pain spike. Planning is just as important in this situation as when going to the nursery. I would offer to my friend that we see the movie *or* do lunch, but not both. Even so, I can’t predict what my pain will be like at any given time. Loved ones have to learn to accept that when I cancel plans at the last minute, it’s not any reflection on how I feel about them. One way you can educate your friends and family is to have them read The Spoon Theory by Christine Miserandino. I’ve never read a more perfect piece for describing to those who are well what it is like to live with pain/illness. I always have this wonderful essay as the first link under my Recommended Websites at the right side of my blog. I know that I recommend it a lot, but it really is fantastic. (thank you, Christine!)

It’s not easy to live day to day with chronic pain/illness, especially when it is invisible to others. All we can do is try to balance it out, carefully weighing our limits against our wishes, and live each day to the fullest.

Now if you’ll excuse me... I’m off to buy my greatly-anticipated spring plants.  ; >

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Tuesday-Newsday #60

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is, “What to Do when Doctors Make You Feel Like a Hot Potato” by Lisa Copen.

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!
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*CHRONIC PAIN 





articles include:
-The Ins and Outs of Personal Caregiving
-Avoiding Caregiver Burnout
-Resources for Caregivers
-A Perspective from a Person with Pain
-8 Ways to Get More Laughter in Your Life



*PATIENT NEWS







*MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS







*RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS









*MANAGING CHRONIC PAIN

by Lisa Copen

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Rise to the Challenge: Never Give Up On Yourself

Why is it that we often give up too easily? That we don’t give ourselves one extra push to get past a difficulty that we perceive is too overwhelming? How can we find the faith and confidence to continue?

Just about a year ago I bought a new carnivorous plant: a small Venus flytrap I named Fang. You can read about his introduction into my home in this blog post, “Don’t Isolate Yourself”.  I enjoy the unusual and unique varieties of carnivorous plants, and I didn’t foresee any difficultly in caring for Fang. For some unknown reason, Fang began doing very poorly. A large number of his traps began to turn black and rot away, like some  kind of plant gangrene. In an effort to help him, I resorted to repotting and I wrote about that in a post called, “Sometimes We Need a ‘Jump Start’”.

I had great hope that a change of ‘scenery’ in a new pot would invigorate Fang and he would slowly, over time, replace his blackened traps with new green growth. But it didn’t happen. The downward spiral continued and it wasn’t long before more than half of Fang had turned black. Winter was coming, and I knew that in his weakened condition he couldn’t survive the cold and rain on my deck all season. I can’t have plants inside my home because my cat eats them, so I decided to ask my Mom if Fang could winter in the sunny window of my childhood bedroom. She agreed to take him the next time she came over to our apartment.

However, as the days passed and Fang continued to look worse and worse, I was ready to just throw him out and buy a new venus flytrap in the spring. By the time Mom picked him up, he was almost 3/4 black. I told her just to forget it. Fang seemed to be a lost cause. I almost threw him into compost pile but Mom intervened, saying I had nothing to lose in letting her try to save him. So I told her to go ahead, but not to fret about giving up on him because he would be easy to replace.

Things got busy with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and dealing with my very stressful insurance change. I didn't really spare a thought for Fang. Little did I know that with Mom's tender loving care - watering with special filtered water, gently trimming away the blackened traps, and even talking to him (she checks on him every morning, saying "How are you doing little guy?) - Fang was making a miraculous recovery. 

Fang's flower grows up toward the sunlit window.

When I finally went to see him, I was amazed. This ailing plant, which I had completely written off, was not only a vibrant healthy green but had flowered. It was as if Fang reached out toward my Mom’s hope and faith in him, and used it to rise up past his obstacles and display his thanks.

I’m still flabbergasted at Fang’s improvement, and he reminded me of an important lesson. In our society, we so easily dispose of things and replace them without a thought. I think we often take the path of least resistance in many parts of our lives, especially when we are dealing with chronic pain / illness which can take away so much of our energy and focus.

If you are currently struggling with an issue, big or small, which seems too overwhelming to deal with or would just be easier to give up on - think of Fang. Have faith in your ability to overcome problems. Hold out hope your situation will improve if you keep moving forward. Seek guidance from those with the knowledge or power to help you solve the issue at hand. Don’t feel guilty about asking for assistance from those who can support your through the difficulty. 

Rise to your challenges and never give up!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Tuesday-Newsday #59

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is, “Renewal in a Life of Chronic Pain: Truisms to Live By” by Sue Falkner-Wood.

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!
====++++====++++====++++====++++====++++===


*PAIN Rx








*PATIENT NEWS

Teen dies after 'routine' wisdom tooth surgery: Expert warns those with ‘serious medical conditions’ need to talk to their doctor before having dental anesthesia

(Note from me: Patients aren’t averages! Just look at the difference in my age to the recommended age for Osteoporosis testing. I think this issue is a very big deal. Remember all the concern over what age woman should be able to get a mammogram?)



*LUPUS








*OSTEOARTHRITIS




FDA Panel to Weigh Second Chance for New Class of Painkillers: Trials halted in 2010 after some taking the drugs may have overworked damaged knees






*LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN

by Sue Falkner-Wood

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Keep Informed Each Visit: What is Your Doctor Writing?

A few weeks ago, I read a horrifying article about a chronic pain patient in New Zealand and the terrible agony she suffered as she went years without a diagnosis. You really must read the entire piece HERE. Poor Elizabeth Howan tried for 12 years to find the cause of her pain, seeing doctor after doctor and even doing her own research to try to find a cause. At one point she was so desperate, she believed mercury poisoning from her fillings might be to blame - and she had ALL of her teeth removed!  Sadly, it did not stop her pain. 

As time went on, doctors who were unable to diagnose her pain began to label her as “delusional” and “probably schizophrenic” - and even wrote it in her medical records. But that’s not even the most outrageous part of Elizabeth’s story. In 2006, her complaints of stomach pain and difficult bowel movements were noted by a physician in her records, and he made a written recommendation to follow-up on that issue. However, it was never pursued. 
  
Six years later, Elizabeth’s “it’s-all-in-you-head” pain was finally diagnosed as advanced bowel cancer. She died one month later at age 68.

I find it absolutely appalling that she suffered so long and right there in her records was the one solid suggestion that could have led to a diagnosis - and perhaps saved her life. 

Please let me say first that I do not know anything about how the Australian National Health Care System works and whether Elizabeth had access to her medical records, nor am I blaming or judging her at all. I just wanted to use her story to remind us how important it is to know what your doctors are recommending for your treatment. 

When you are ready to leave your appointment, ask your doctor if he is making any referrals or recommendations for you. You can also request a copy of the notes from your visit - with most medical offices completely switched over to computers, it’s a very easy for them to print or email it to you. Consequently, if that recommendation doesn’t get followed up, *you* must advocate for yourself. Make sure to voice your concern to your doctor, and if necessary, contact your insurance company and find out what is stopping access to the care you need. No one will advocate for you better than you can. No matter how great your doctor or how much you like them, they have many patients and cannot be on top of everything at every moment. Counting on the computer system or administrative network to inform you and properly keep track doesn’t always work. Orders get lost. Computers and people make mistakes. Your health is too important to leave it up to others.

If you keep your medical records and doctors' notes in a binder as I do, put your list of pending referrals and recommendations in the front inside pocket where you can find them easily and not forget about them.

Now for the further shocker...

Little did I know how close to home the lesson from Elizabeth Howan’s story was going to come for me. I recently had to switch health insurance companies. I had to gather up all my medical records and sort them out for the new doctors I was going to meet. I wrote about it HERE. Like the majority of patients, I never before kept copies of my records or ever asked for doctors visit notes...

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Tuesday-Newsday #58

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is, “Letting The World Turn Without You…” by Agnes Reis from ButYouDontLookSick.com

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!
====++++====++++====++++====++++====++++===


*CHRONIC PAIN







*PATIENT NEWS





*MIGRAINES / HEADACHES








*OSTEOPOROSIS







*LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN

by Agnes Reis from ButYouDontLookSick.com