Tuesday-Newsday #117

Time for Tuesday-Newsday! The Featured Blog Posts this week are: “55 Responses to ‘But You Look So Good’" by Lisa Copen and contributors and “PTMO: Permission To Miss Out (I give it to you!)” by Jenni Prokopy of ChronicBabe.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. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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 *INVISIBLE ILLNESS WEEK - COMING UP SEPTEMBER 10-16

FAQs on the ways you can be part of Invisible Illness Week

Watch all the Invisible Illness Seminars from last year’s event on YouTube

Find out more on topics such as parenting when ill, working when ill, how to improve your communication skills, transitioning to college and career, and much more

Full List of Helpful and Insightful Articles From Previous Invisible Illness Awareness Weeks

Living with Pain: An Invisible Disability

*PAIN MEDICATION NEWS

CVS cuts access to opioid pain-killers for suspect doctors

Remarkably Low Opioid Abuse in Pain Patients

Does Pain Reliever Misuse Lead to Heroin? Breaking down study results

Many medicines are safe during breastfeeding, panel finds: “'Caution is advised’ for certain powerful painkillers ... but others (are safer)...”

Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen Combo No Extra Help for Musculoskeletal Pain

*PATIENT NEWS

Dangerous Doctors Allowed to Keep Practicing: Thousands of doctors practicing despite errors and misconduct

Bracing for Obamacare: Nurse practitioners to fill doctor shortage gap

Online doctor visits offer convenience and often lower costs: But the benefits in convenience and cost are clearer than the data on quality of care

Path to United States Practice Is Long Slog to Foreign Doctors

Hospitals are turning to social media to engage patients and improve the patient experience

Worse Outcomes Seen When Patients Leave Hospital Against Medical Advice: Large study found more readmissions, higher death rates

Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers Aren't Cure-Alls, FDA Warns: Despite hype, treatment doesn't help for cancer or many other ills, and can have serious side effects

How learning to sing can improve your health

*ARTHRITIS - ALL TYPES

Massage Envy and Carrie Ann Inaba Help Arthritis Sufferers on September 18 with the event: Healing Hands for Arthritis™  

For every one-hour massage or facial session performed during the event, Massage Envy Spa makes a donation to the Arthritis Foundation. Click the headline to learn more!

The health benefits of massage are varied, but can it ease the pain of arthritis? 

Calcium Plus Vitamin D Won't Cure Joint Pain: Severity of condition did not improve in women who took supplements over 2-year period

Does Alcohol Lower the Risk of Arthritis?

ACR Publishes List of Top 5 Questionable Procedures: Some common – and costly – rheumatology services are not always needed, experts say

2013 National Arthritis Index Survey - Take the Quiz & Find Also See the Results

Occupational therapy can help people with arthritis

*JUVENILE ARTHRITIS

Kids Get Arthritis Too: A new website for Kids with JA

Juvenile arthritis doesn't need to mean a lifetime of pain: Symptoms can arrive as early as age 2, but a range of treatments lets patients lead normal lives

Easing the pain of kids' arthritis

How little ones live with childhood arthritis

Common Childhood Vaccine Won't Worsen Juvenile Arthritis: Safety of measles-mumps-rubella booster shot had previously been called into question

CHERISH trial demonstrates efficacy of tocilizumab in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

High-dose infliximab safely, effectively treated juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients

Potential Markers for Severity of Childhood Arthritis

Premature Aging of Immune Cells in Joints of Kids With Chronic Arthritis

*FEATURED BLOG POSTS

55 Responses to “But You Look So Good”

Wish you could convey the reality of your invisible illness and pain, but don’t want to be sarcastic? Here are some ideas

     by Lisa Copen and contributors (plus more in the comments)

PTMO: Permission To Miss Out (I give it to you!)

     by Jenni Prokopy of ChronicBabe.com (printed with permission)

Tuesday-Newsday #116

Time for Tuesday-Newsday! The Featured Blog Posts this week are: “Why Did Someone Send Me a Get Well Soon Card?" by Rhonda Sawtelle and “Strength, Invisible Illness and Chronic Pain” by Tracy Rydzy.

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. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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 *INVISIBLE ILLNESS WEEK - SEPTEMBER 10-16

If you live with an invisible illness, you may feel alone -- but e-patient bloggers are using it as an opportunity to speak about the pain you never see

Invisible Illness Week FAQs: Find Out All the Ways You Can Take Part & Spread the Word

*MEDICATION NEWS

Backlash Against Walgreen’s New Painkiller Crackdown

Pharmacy giant is suddenly requiring its pharmacists to take “additional steps” to verify prescriptions for controlled substances

One Pain Doctor’s View: Why he supports the AMA resolution to block pharmacists from interfering in the prescribing of pain medication 

Study Finds ‘Doctor Shopping’ Uncommon

Influences on Opioid Rx for Chronic Pain Studied

Declining Care for Pain Patients

More effective treatments for chronic pain: Personalized medicine used to be a thing of the future but the future is here

Quest launches lab-developed genetic test for personalized opioid pain-relieving treatment

Florida Pain Victims Trapped by Prescription Crackdown

Denied Pain Meds After Surgery

Husband forced to seek wife's painkiller on street

*CHRONIC PAIN NEWS

Ethical Questions Raised About UDT

Spouses lose sleep over partners' chronic pain, study finds

New Pain Diary App CatchMyPain Bears Hope for Chronic Pain Patients

The Color of Pain

*TMJ & TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS

Target for Drug Development for Chronic Jaw Pain Disorder Revealed

Study Assesses Mood Disorders with TMJ Pain

*FEMALE PAIN CONDITION

Veins linked to chronic pelvic pain among women

Scant data on seizure drugs for women's genital pain

Low-Dose Pill Linked to Chronic Pelvic Pain Symptoms

Women on low-estrogen pills report more pain overall, and during sex

Some Women Feel More Pain: Women who have been abused and who experience strong mood changes in tandem with their menstrual cycle also feel pain more acutely than other women

Vitamin D May Help Prevent Uterine Fibroids

A look at Focused Ultrasound Surgery: personalized non-invasive treatment for patients with uterine fibroids, bone tumors, brain treatments and more (video)

Interstitial Cystitis Studies Seeking Patients, click each one for details: Liris Study and the Leadership Study

Gene Therapy Could Offer New Treatment for Bladder Pain

Living with Interstitial Cystitis

*FEATURED BLOG POSTS

Why Did Someone Send Me a Get Well Soon Card?

by Rhonda Sawtelle

Strength, Invisible Illness and Chronic Pain

by Tracy Rydzy

Tuesday-Newsday #115

Time for Tuesday-Newsday! The Featured Blog Posts this week are: “About that guilt…” by Wren at Rheumablog and “When It’s Too Much” by Jan Sadler of PainSupportUK.

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. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*WARNING: Rx CONTAMINATION AT COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES

Texas pharmacy recalls products after infections

Update on Meningitis Outbreak from Contaminated Steroid Shots: Current Count: 749 Cases, 63 Deaths, Joint Infections 35

Revised Drug Compounding Bill Introduced in the U.S. Senate

*CHRONIC PAIN NEWS

Few Doctors Have Adequate Training to Effectively Treat Chronic Pain Patients

Throbbing pain 'surprisingly not linked to pulse'

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Issues Practice Alert on Assessing Patients’ Pain

Dry Eyes Tied to Lower Pain Threshold

Sex and Chronic Pain

Curing pain with light

How Pets Can Ease Chronic Pain: Finding room in your life for a pet can be part of your pain management plan

FDA Approves the First and Only Neurostimulation Systems for Chronic Pain Designed for Full-Body MRI Safety

Pain Reduction And Physiotherapy Patient Interaction Go Hand-In-Hand

Putting the Brakes On Pain: Researchers Protect GABA Neurons from Oxidative Stress

Inadequate Pain Research Funding Hampers Effort to Find Safer and More Effective Treatments

*COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME / RSD

Offering Neuromodulation Earlier Could be Better in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Living a Life in Pain: The Story of RSD/CRPS Documentary Trailer

Impaired spatial body representation in CRPS I

Should we turn away people with CRPS?

'Suicide disease' makes every day torturous for woman

Check on the latest news and information from organizations to help RSD/CRPS patients: RSDSA in America and PARC in Canada

*BACK PAIN

Surgery may not be better for spine fractures

Study Suggests Worsening Trends In Back Pain Management Improving the treatment of back pain could cut health care spending and better quality of care

Hydrocodone Curbs Back Pain All by Itself

Similar Lower Back Pain Relief Achieved By Weekly Yoga Class And Twice Weekly Classes

Ear Acupressure for chronic back pain?

Can Antibiotics Cure Chronic Back Pain? A deeper  look

Hands-On Therapy May Spell Relief for Low Back Pain: Study found osteopath worked better for patients than ultrasound therapy

Rare upright MRI shines light on chronic back pain and spine conditions

Spine MRIs Often Show Harmless 'Defects': After treatment, many people have visible evidence of a herniated disc without any symptoms

Is Glucosamine Effective for Low Back Pain?

This is Spinal TOPS: Revolutionary joint replacement for worn-out vertebrae curing severe back pain AND returning active life

Medtronic $$$ Buy Reports That Slam Spine Product

New Shapeshifting Biogel Could Help Heal Aging Spines: Along with cell therapy, the biomaterial could help stop or reverse the loss of material between vertebrae

Stem Cells to Relieve Low Back Pain? Early study says maybe, but experts say much more research on treatment is needed

*FEATURED BLOG POSTS

About that guilt …

by Wren at Rheumablog

When It’s Too Much

by Jan Sadler of PainSupportUK

Tuesday-Newsday #114

Time for Tuesday-Newsday! There are two Featured Blog Post this week: “Don’t Be Intimidated in the Doctor’s Office: Six Strategies” by Toni Bernhard and “The Tightrope of Chronic Illness” by Danea Horn.

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. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*CHRONIC PAIN NEWS

Freezing Nerves May Relieve Chronic Pain: A surgical procedure called cryoablation damages nerves to provide relief from chronic pain

Chronic Pain and Social Security Disability Benefits 

Comic books to help children understand chronic pain

*MEDICATION NEWS

Humiliated by a Pharmacist

This isn’t a news article, but a personal story that I felt was important to share. I also had my problem with this issue, which I wrote about in a previous blog post here: Shocked & Awestruck: Pain Patients Blocked from Meds

Increase in Urine Testing Raises Ethical Questions

FDA Issues New Warning about Rare Side Effect of Acetaminophen

The Quest for Better Pain Relief The unusual inspiration behind promising new pain drugs

Indiana: State rule changes on painkillers loom

New Opioid Formulation Appears More Tamper-Proof

Pain patch wearers must take extra care around children

Placebo effects of different therapies not identical

*PATIENT NEWS

'Top' hospitals aren't always tops, new report finds

Obamacare Has Doctors Confused And Skeptical About Future: Survey

Missed Diagnoses, Drug Errors Are Major Cause of Malpractice Suits: Study looked at data on lawsuits against primary care physicians

Too Little Vitamin D May Hasten Disability as You Age: Stair-climbing, other everyday tasks were harder for those with deficiency, researchers found

Hospital Pet Programs Unleash Healing Powers

The instant blood test that could help determine if you really need antibiotics

*CANCER

Antidepressant Lessens Chemo-Related Pain

Cancer pain management is poor

Don’t put up with pain after cancer treatment

Creative arts may ease cancer-related anxiety, pain

New drug offers hope, pain relief for terminal patients: Radium 223 targets cancer cells, adds 4-5 months of life

Therapy That Heats and Destroys Bone Tumors Eases Patients’ Pain

Post-Mastectomy Pain Persists for Many Women

Friends Could Help Ease Pain For Breast Cancer Patients

Chemoradiation Therapy for the Treatment of Bone Metastases in patients with advanced breast cancer

*TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA

Spreading Awareness about Trigeminal Neuralgia

'Suicide disease' man is pain-free after 20 years of suffering

CNV1014802 ('802), has been granted orphan-drug designation* by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia

*FEATURED BLOG POSTS

Don’t Be Intimidated in the Doctor’s Office: Six Strategies

by Toni Bernhard

The Tightrope of Chronic Illness

by Danea Horn