dahlia in my garden: Rio Fuego in Coleus leaves

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Tuesday-Newsday #75

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is “Witch or Martyr? One of the greatest challenges of chronic pain is finding ways to live with others” by Deborah A. Barrett.

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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*MIGRAINES / HEADACHES
















*CANCER 










*FEATURED BLOG POST

by Deborah A. Barrett

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Looking inside the body to understand pain

When you have chronic pain, a key part of dealing with it is being able to understand exactly what your body is (or is not) doing functionally. For over a year I’ve been dealing with terrible pain in my sacrum and coccyx which makes sitting difficult. In May I had an MRI and a CT scan of my entire spine with the aim of trying to find what is causing my pain. When talking with my doctor and physical therapist, they would refer to parts of my spine and pelvic bones. I recognized some of the names and of course they would point them out on a skeleton poster or model to demonstrate what they were talking about. However, it was hard for me to put it into the perspective of my own body. Even if you have a problem with a bone, that bone does not operate as a single entity. There are blood vessels, nerves, muscles, and many more layers which work together to make the body function. A problem with any of these can lead to pain. 

This week I found a great website called AnatomyZone which produces 3D animations showing how all those layers from the bones outward make up the human body. It also has a YouTube Channel, Facebook Page, and Twitter account. I'm finding it very educational and it’s helping me to better understand all the areas where I’m having chronic pain. The first video I watched was “Bones of the Pelvis” and I know that when return to see my doctor or physical therapist I’ll be able to catch on more quickly when we talk about my scans. Also, the next time I have a new x-ray or scan I’m certainly going to watch the 3D animation for that area as well.

Here are just a few of the animations on AnatomyZone that you can watch:

~ Muscles of the Neck
~ Bones of the Hand and Wrist
~ Shoulder Joint
~ Heart Structure and Function Basics
~ Fascia and Retinacula of the Foot
~ Muscle of the Thigh and Gluteal Region
~ Knee Joint
~ Rotator Cuff
~ Features of a Vertebra
~ Scapula and Clavicle - the Shoulder Girdle

The site says that it “is aimed at many different levels and at a wide range of different users, from nurses, to physiotherapists, to osteopaths, to medical students. This website and concept are currently in development, so there are many areas of anatomy which are yet to be covered.” In my opinion, what is currently available on the site is extremely helpful and I'll be checking to see what gets added over time. 

I’ve bookmarked this site, and I think you might want to do the same!
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~* MESSAGE FOR MIGRAINE PATIENTS *
Live web event this coming Tuesday

This week the site Migraine.com will present the results of their landmark study “Migraine In America 2012” during a live online event on July 31, 2012 at 8PM EDT. This survey was completed by over 2,600 migraine patients in May and June of this year and represents one of the largest studies of this type ever completed. Physical pain is merely the tip of the iceberg for individuals living with migraine. As the data will show, migraine dramatically impacts quality of life, careers, and relationships. We will also review community feedback regarding symptoms, triggers, and treatments. Learn more about the Migraine In America study here. So please join Migraine.com and Dr. Dawn Marcus, MD as we unveil the data in this event.

You can register for the free live web event by going HERE.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tuesday-Newsday #74

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is a video by Rest Ministries founder Lisa Copen: “Illness Isn't Cured by Attitude or Eating Right.”

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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*PAIN Rx





What Can Pain Patients Do When They Can’t Get Their Medication? 
Has it happened to you? Tell me in the comments



*RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS















*MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS












*FEATURED BLOG POST

This video by RestMinistries.com founder Lisa Copen shares her frustration over continuing to see and here the message, "if you stopped taking your medications and ate better" or "if people just had a good attitude"... they'd be cured. If you are chronically ill and tired of the attitude of "if you did THIS {fill-in-the-blank} you'd be healed," you may be encouraged to know that you are doing the best you can every day.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Tiptoe thru the Garden

It's been such a crazy busy week. I just didn't have time to work on an educational blog post for today, but I promise I'll pen something for next Saturday. So today I'm going to share some more photos from my garden... a lot of people have been asking for another peek! 

Dahlia "Timona Pastel"

Pansies, Lobelia, and some various other plants.

Dahlia "Gloriosa" with a background of duckfoot Coleus.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Tuesday-Newsday #73

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog posts this week are connected to the upcoming event, National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week, which is in September.

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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*PAIN Rx







*CHRONIC PAIN NEWS



     Check out Superbetter HERE



*PATIENT NEWS



     Read the Doctor's Interview and see the Research Summary



*FIBROMYALGIA and CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME






     Watch his Video appeal and then go sign his Petition








*PEDIATRIC CANCER







*FEATURED BLOG POST

National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week is coming up in September. Here are two items to help get you thinking ahead to the event:

by Lisa Copen

by Susannah Hunt

Saturday, July 14, 2012

The Garden Giant

 At last my dahlias are starting to hit their stride. Not so much in my primary garden, but my overflow dahlias which are growing at my parents house are amazing! I've got to share with you one particular variety. This dinner plate dahlia plant seems to produce bigger and bigger blooms each week. I picked one today that is eleven inches in diameter - and it will continue to open up as it sits in the vase! 

Dahlia: Harvest Moonlight


Another new item in my garden is a fun succulent tea pot I put together. I had the pot and found a tea cup to match at a second hand store. I picked out particular succulent plants: one type to make it look like steam coming up out of the pot and cup, and another to simulate tea pouring out of the spout. It turned out so cute!



I hope you are also enjoying the summer and taking advantage of the growing season. Whether you love gardening or just getting out to enjoy nature as it is, please take time to stop and smell the roses... um, I mean admire the dahlias!  ; >

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Tuesday-Newsday #72

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is “How Sweet It Is!” 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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~* Rx ALERT *~



*PAIN Rx






Living with Pain: Why Rescheduling Hydrocodone is a Bad Thing (an excellent & thoughtful piece that all pain patients should read)



*SHINGLES / POST HERPETIC NEURALGIA (PHN)







*SICKLE CELL ANEMIA








*IBD: INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES









*FEATURED BLOG POST

by Sue Falkner-Wood

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Fail First Update: The Good and the Bad News

If you don’t know about Fail First, you need most definitely need to! For a quick overview about what it is and why pain patients don’t want it, click to read my previous post HERE.

California update:
Thanks to all of you who wrote faxes to support the anti-Fail First bill, AB 369. Good news! It narrowly passed out of the Senate Health Committee. The bill will now move to the Senate Appropriations Committee, so we need to keep the pressure on! This is my home state and I’m very eager to get this bill signed into law. To my fellow Californians: I will certainly keep you updated and let you know when our help is needed again to tell the legislature we support AB 369 and they should too!

New York update:
Legislation regulating First Fail did not move out of the Insurance Committee in either the Assembly or Senate. However, there will be Committee hearings over the summer and early fall on this issue. Hopefully, if Committee Members are convinced that there is enough support for this legislation after hearing testimony, it can move out of committee in the next legislative session.

Other states:
To find out what is going on in your state with regard to Fail First, go to Fail First Hurts and check out the Legislative Updates. You can also check the Interactive Map to see what bills you should support in your state - or maybe you'll find that your help is needed to get legislation written. As you search around the website, you can read about how Fail First policy has impacted other patients like you and read the latest News updates about bills pending across the country. 

This issue is so important for *all* patients, whether they have chronic pain or not!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Tuesday-Newsday #71

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is You're too Young to Be That Sick, and Other Misconceptions About Invisible Illnessby Lisa Copen of Rest Ministries.

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 NEWS

The more cross-talk between two particular brain regions, the greater the chance of the pain becoming chronic





*PAIN Rx





(Note: Always be responsible in how you store and dispose of your meds. Consider using a safe or locked closet for storage especially if you have kids in your home)




*PATIENT NEWS

(Note: Many with chronic pain suffer severe sleep loss - like myself. This an article you need read)







*DIABETIC NEUROPATHY






*OSTEOARTHRITIS









*FEATURED BLOG POST

by Lisa Copen of RestMinistries.com