Tuesday-Newsday #34

The subjects today are Chronic Pain News, Chronic Pain & the Law, Pain Rx, Lupus, and Burn Pain. The final subject is Coping with Chronic Pain and the piece is from the Creaky Joints website. It’s written by Dr. Laurie Ferguson and is titled, “Resilience.”

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

How the Brain’s Own Marijuana-Like Chemicals Suppress Pain

Pain Coping Strategies Differ in Depression, Anxiety

*CHRONIC PAIN & THE LAW

Step-Therapy Fails for Fibromyalgia Patients - podcast episode 

The National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA) is calling for an end to Step-Therapy or Fail First as insufficient treatment options which needlessly prolong the suffering of fibromyalgia and all chronic pain patients. This subjects was discussed NFMCPA’s newly launched bi-weekly online radio program. You can hear the 15 minute podcast by going HERE 

Fail First legislation is popping up in different states across the U.S. I’ve written two blog post about it this year. You can read them by clicking below:

--We must stop 'Fail First'!

--Update on the fight against ‘Fail First’ policy. Your help needed if you live in CA, CT, or NY

Good News! California Pain Management Legislation Passes

Thanx to letters, email and phone calls from chronic pain patients, AB 507 has passed both houses in California and been signed by Governor Brown. AB 507 addresses the removal of obsolete or inconsistent language in California’s pain management policy. To find out how this bill improves pain management policy, you can read the complete text of the bill HERE

*PAIN Rx

Orthopaedic Surgery Patients At Risk Of Dangerous Drug Interactions If Taking Herbal Supplements

Researchers Block Morphine's Itchy Side Effect

It's Easy to Mistake Medicine for Candy: Findings from an elementary school science project presented at the American Academy of pediatricians national conference

Cancer Pain: Fentanyl Nasal Spray Lazanda® now available in the U.S.

*AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: New Test Could Give SLE Patients a More Tolerable Life

'Master Key' to Unlock New Treatments for Autoimmune Disorders Discovered

1 in 4 With Psoriasis May Have Undiagnosed Arthritis: Missed diagnosis leads to treatment delays, more joint damage

*BURN PAIN

J.R. Martinez Burn Recovery: From Coma to 'Dancing With The Stars'


Shock Waves May Speed Burn Wound Healing

Virtual Reality Game Helps Burn Victims

--Research Summary

--In-Depth Doctor's Interview

*COPING WITH CHRONIC PAIN

Resilience

by Dr. Laurie Ferguson from Creaky Joints

Living Picture

This week I took a class on vertical gardening. For the project we used tiny succulent cuttings which we arranged in unique plant boxes (cement board bottom, redwood framing, and wire mesh). Once the plants have rooted, hopefully in a few weeks, I will be able to hang the box on a wall in my garden to display.  

And once again, I found myself contemplating a gardening metaphor for our lives! Seems like they blossom up at me nearly every time I’m working with plants. Here’s what I noticed this time:

As I sat and looked at the empty plant box, filled with soil and waiting, I looked at the cuttings and tried to decide where to start. In my head, I wanted to get really creative and lay out the plants in an obvious pattern like a diamond shape or a heart. I decided to go with a diamond, so I selected a bunch of tiny, gray, perfectly round succulents and laid them out as that shape on the wire grid. With the basic outline in place, it looked great! I started adding in more cuttings, trying to keep to the design and match up everything perfectly. But I didn’t have enough of the same plants to continue the pattern and they weren’t different enough from the rest to make my design obviously stand out. As I filled in the blank areas, my pattern began to gradually disappear. 

I was so disappointed... at first. However, when I was about half-finished I began to notice how amazing it looked. The succulents were blending from one to the next with their subtle differences a wonderful patchwork of texture and color; and it was created simply by mixing up the cuttings and placing them tip to tip.

This is my succulent 'Living Picture'. I sure hope all those cuttings will take root!

Most of us try to keep our lives in constant pattern, setting things up so they’ll always be the same way, the same time, the same everything! As a species, we dislike change and tend toward a comfortable sameness of order. As I worked on my project, each single succulent cutting began to represent a part of my life that I’m always trying to force into place. When we are looking up close at the individual puzzle pieces of our life's schedule: health care, relationships, pain needs, employment, etc... it’s hard to see how we might be pushing too hard to make them fit in a perceived to be perfect way. Stepping back and taking a moment to examine the overall ‘picture’ might reveal how we are fighting against the grain, and possibly to our detriment. 

When I relaxed and just let the succulent cuttings slide in where there was an open spot relative to their size, my feelings of tension and stress began to ease. I realized my over-focused effort to keep to a pattern was never going to be exactly what I planned, but that the result would still be enjoyable. In fact, in surrendering my control, it turned out for the better!

If you are feeling stressed, stop and take a serious look at how you have the patterns set up in your life. Are you forcing yourself to maintain a level of activity beyond your endurance? Are you trying to put certain life ‘puzzle pieces’ which should have less priority closer to the center than they should be? Are you respecting your pain needs and allowing time to care for your body and emotions?

Step back and evaluate your own ‘living picture’. Maybe the tension and worry you’re feeling is telling you something. It might be time to rearrange those puzzle pieces of your life. Let go of your tight control and allow them to fall into place - it may be that a better and healthier pattern will evolve on its own.

Tuesday-Newsday #33

Today for Tuesday-Newsday our subjects are *Chronic Pain, *Pain Rx, *Migraine/Headache, and *Back/Spine Pain. The final subject is *Acknowledging Your Condition and the blog post by Lisa Copen is entitled, “If it walks like a duck, then... Words have power when it comes to chronic illness."

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-plagued kids & teens desperately want to be normal

Depression often compounds treatment of chronic illness for those over age 50, Canadian study finds

Actress, Dancing with the Stars champion & chronic pain sufferer Jennifer Grey joins forces with Partners Against Pain 
--Her New Role: Educating Chronic Pain Sufferers

*PAIN Rx

NSAIDs May Raise Miscarriage Risk

Genetic Differences Responsible For Varying Degrees Of Pain And Different Reactions To Pain Medications - Tailored Therapies Possible

Flesh-Eating Spider Helps Researchers Fight Chronic Pain

*MIGRAINE / HEADACHE

Big Contest! “Rewrite” a special day lost to migraine and get to live it again - exactly the way you want

Exercise May Offer Drug-Free Migraine Prevention

Frequent Nausea Worsens Migraine Severity

Too Many Heart Patients Getting Migraine Drugs: Triptans Taken by 22% of Migraine Sufferers With Heart Problems Who Shouldn't Take Them

Overcoming Pain: Can a Pacemaker Cure Migraines?

Preventive Medication, Behavior Management Skills Help Combat Frequent Migraines

Treatment Options for Cluster Headache

*BACK / SPINE PAIN

Targeted back pain care 'cheaper and better for patients'

Patients Who Followed Recommendations to Move Despite Back Pain Fared Better Than Those That Rested

In the Battle to Relieve Back Aches, Researchers Create Bioengineered Spinal Disc Implants

Risk Factors for Complications After Spine Surgery Identified in New Study

Superion Spacer eases back and leg pain of Spinal Stenosis, study finds

--In Depth Doctor's Interview

--Research Summary

--Clinical Trial enrollment

*ACKNOWLEDGING YOUR CONDITION

If it walks like a duck, then... Words have power when it comes to chronic illness

by Lisa Copen

Falling in to Autumn

The last few weeks where I live we’ve been in a mild Indian summer and my dahlias and tomatoes finally in full production. But three days ago, we hit that day where everything changes overnight. You wake up and it’s so chilly you need a coat. The dark sky warns you to dig out the umbrella put away at the end of spring. You want the pilot light lit so the furnace can add a little warmth to the house. Whatever the calendar may say about the actual date, this day is the true start of autumn and portends the end of the gardening season.

I always find it a bit sad as I watch my lush green dahlia and tomato plants begin turning brown and wilting down to the ground. I will miss my wall vases filled with blooms which make me smile as I marvel at their beauty. I do have some plants which will make it through the winter: succulents, cactus, air plants, and carnivorous plants; but none of them will brighten up my home like that rainbow of dahlias. It will be a long wait until next summer when the sun will warm the soil and they will burst forth in glorious hues again.

Farewell, my beautiful dahlias!  See you next year!

However, now is the time to focus on autumn and the coming winter weather. With chronic pain, I always get stiffer and more painful when the temperature drops. Besides making sure I am prepared for the season by getting new windshield wipers on my car, checking flashlight batteries, making sure I have candles at the ready for power outages (scented ones to add an element of aromatherapy), and all the other normal practical things we need to do, I also prepare for the needs of my chronic pain/illness.

I’ve already got a stack of good books waiting for my attention when I need a little pleasant distraction. I’m getting out my favorite blanket so it’s ready to cuddle under. I’ve got the longest extension cord hooked up to my heating pad so I can use it anywhere I’m sitting. I stocked my pantry with all my favorite kinds of decaf tea so I can choose whatever suits my mood, from Oolong to English Breakfast, and more. I’ve jotted down a list of classic old films that I can rent or borrow from the library. I pulled out my recipe cards and picked out all my special cold-weather soup recipes (my mouth is already watering!). My comfy velour bathrobe is washed and waiting and there's a new pair of warm fuzzy slippers by my bed.

My last star dahlia 'shines' through to autumn.

I am now completely ready for the next stormy day when I will snuggle under my blanket with a cup of tea, book in hand, and a purring cat applied to my lap... while I listen to the rain fall and start daydreaming about next summer's garden.

Tuesday-Newsday #32

Today for Tuesday-Newsday our subjects are Chronic Pain, Pain Rx, Military Veterans & Chronic Pain, and Osteoarthritis. The last category is Coping With Chronic Pain, and it features a piece by Sue Falkner-Wood about dealing with guilt.

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, meds, etc., nor can I guarantee that 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

Observers are less sympathetic and estimate lower pain levels of patients they don’t like 

Acupuncture, Acupressure And Aromatherapy Efficient In Tackling Pain

Study shows link between smoking and chronic pain in women

Study Finds Cognitive Strategies to Reduce Pain Involve Different Brain Systems

Dr. Oz Raises Awareness of Pain in America

Chronic Pain was featured on his show this week. The American Pain Foundation recommends watching it, and you can see the whole show starting with part one (of four) if you click on the headline above.

*PAIN Rx: Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatories

New Insights Into The Actions Of NSAIDs raise the possibility of developing a new class of inflammation- and pain-fighting drugs

Study Links NSAIDs To Increased Heart Attack Risk

Two NSAIDs Have Lower Cardiovascular Risk Profile than Others

*MILITARY VETERANS and CHRONIC PAIN

Army looking for new ways to fight pain

Researchers investigate exercise to help soldiers prevent back pain

Scuba Diving Helps Paralyzed Vets: Small study finds shows physical and mental improvements

*OSTEOARTHRITIS

Healing Hands for Arthritis: Massage Envy Raises Funds to Fight Arthritis on Oct. 12th

In honor of World Arthritis Day, Massage Envy clinics throughout the country are donating $10 from every massage and facial to the Arthritis Foundation. Massage therapy plays a helpful role in relieving painful symptoms of arthritis and related diseases. To find a location to schedule an appointment for World Arthritis Day massages or facials, click HERE

Chondroitin Sulphate Effective Treatment For Patients With Osteoarthritis

New Gene Identified That Affects Levels Of Pain In Osteoarthritis

Exercise could ease Arthritis even without Weight Loss

New Knee Replacement Procedure Reduces Pain More Quickly and Cuts Recovery Time

--Research Summary

--In Depth Doctor's Interview

*COPING WITH CHRONIC PAIN

Guilty or Not Guilty in the Case of Chronic Pain

by Sue Falkner-Wood

Be An Educated Patient: Understanding Your Meds

Even a week later, I’m still disturbed by the tragic death of the student I posted about last week. To read that piece, click here: 

Protect Yourself from Your Own Medications

It’s so easy when we live with chronic pain/illness to get complaisant about our medical issues. Particularly about our medicines: not knowing how they work, not understanding everything about them, not being careful about how we store them, not being diligent in our dosing schedule, etc.

By coincidence, October is "Talk About Prescriptions Month," which is sponsored by the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE). This effort is designed to maximize safety for those taking prescription medications. (NCPIE’s main focus is safe Acetaminophen use, since it is used in many prescription & OTC medications. Visit this website for more details)

It’s up to us to be educated patients in all respects of our health management. To that end, I’m going to continue to focus this week on medications.

~*  WHAT THE HECK ARE THE ABBREVIATIONS ON MY Rx SLIP ?  *~

The first step is to fully comprehend what the doctor is writing on his prescription pad. Do you know what “agit”, ”p.c.” and “q.h.s.” mean?* 

Doctors use latin-derived abbreviations so a pharmacist will select the right medication and fill out the drug label correctly. An educated patient should know how to read them (or where to look them up) so you can be certain you receive the correct drug and dosage instructions. The pharmacist could make an error when reading the doctor’s handwriting, and you could end up injured if the wrong drug is dispensed or improper directions printed. Knowing what the abbreviations stand for is vital.

*Just so you know, “agit” means to stir or shake the drug before taking it. The abbreviation “p.c.” means to take the drug before eating a meal. And “q.h.s.” indicates the drug should be taken every night at bedtime.

For a complete list of abbreviations which you can easily print out and save, click here: Master List of Prescription Abbreviations

~*  WHAT'S ALL THIS TYPE ON MY MEDICATION BOTTLE ?  *~ 

All prescription bottles and boxes come with a label which provides the basic information you need as a patient. Besides your name and the doctor’s name, you’ll find the drug’s brand and generic names, directions for use, warning labels, expiration date, and more. To see all the parts of a drug label identified, go HERE. 

Be aware that pharmacies use different font sizes, colors, and warnings on their prescription labels. Consumer Reports has done a surprising test to compare just how different the labels can be, and how this could be dangerous if you are not an educated patient. 

~*  WHY SHOULD I KEEP ALL THESE PAPERS ?  *~

All pharmacies are required to include with your medication a Patient Information Sheet with an FDA-approved Medication Guide. These include information on such things as side effects, drug interactions, how to store it, precautions, how the drug works, how to use the drug, what to do if you miss a dose, and more. You should double check that you received it in your bag; if you did not, ask the pharmacist for one or you can go to the FDA website and see if they your drug is on the print out list HERE. Keep these sheets along with your important health documents in case you should ever need to review them. 

Being an educated patient may take a little extra time and effort, but it can certainly help prevent another such tragedy as happened in Colorado. Please keep yourselves safe!

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Additional info for educated patients:

Several months ago I wrote a 3-part series on Medication Safety which can also keep you and your family safe. You can read each section by clicking below:

Medication Safety series:

part 1:  Check & double-check to save your life

part 2:  Prevent Drug Interactions

part 3:  A Clean Sweep