The International Association of the Study of Pain ( IASP) defines pain this way, “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage”. I see pain as annoying, interrupting, concerning, often limiting, AND very normal. Say what now? Yup – that’s right I said…
I find myself deeply contemplative about the last week of information I was fortunate enough to be exposed to by attending the San Diego Pain Summit. It’s taken a bit to decide how to boil down what I am taking away beyond a deep sense of belonging and hope for all those experiencing pain. For…
Graded exposure is a simple tool anyone can use to help map out what causes fear and gives you a way to move through it and then past it. It’s a therapy that helps you face your fears in a gradual way. It can be used for any sort of anxiety but is often used…
6 key steps to pacing when living with chronic pain
Ever feel like a hamster stuck in a wheel of pain? Lord knows I have. Questioning if I would ever get my life back. Stuck in a wheel of Boom and bust. Good days and bad days, unpredictability, lost in brain fog and medication haze. Stuck in cycles of pushing hard and then being stuck…
New Year, new resolutions. Are you ready to try a different way of dealing with your pain? Read on to learn about the stages of readiness for change.
‘Tis the season of expectations, parties and all things pressure. Those experiencing chronic pain many experience increased pain and stress over the holidays. Learn to manage the season and your pain with pacing.
We all want to know how to calm a flare up right? I think we would all agree flares of pain are no fun. In prior posts, I’ve talked about Red Flags to watch for to know when to go to the ER, and things I’ve learned during my 20-year journey with pain in prior…
You’re writhing in your bed. You woke up and your back pain is out of control. It hurts to move. It hurts to breathe. You are scared. Rightfully so. Unsure what to do and if the pain might kill you. It feels like it might sometimes, I know I’ve been there. Laying in bed with…
Understanding Pain Flares: What I’ve Learned from My Journey Pain flares drove me up a freaking wall during my journey through pain. Just when I thought I had things under control, BAM! My pain would spike, and I’d lose my mind, my hope, and my will to keep going. In short, pain flares suck. One…
Stress and Pain: Part 2 If stress is linked to our experience of pain – as the sample papers indicate in my last post here Then what else do we need to know about stress and pain? How does it affect us? I find this an important idea to explore. I felt really validated in…
Why you should reconsider stress as a factor in your chronic pain Stress and Chronic pain We’ve all heard it before. You go to the doctor to discuss your pain and after all the scans come back with nothing abnormal and then they suggest you are depressed or have anxiety and should medicate it. Maybe…
Why is pain so distressing? Pain is such a personal experience. Often strange, seemingly unpredictable, hard to explain, and even harder to communicate to someone else what is being experienced. Do you know what else seems to be hard? Communicating facts and experiences about pain as a provider. Seems like it should be pretty straightforward,…
Meet Keith My name is Keith Meldrum and I live in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. I am 48 years old, married, with a 25-year-old step son. I am a civil engineering technologist and am the Manager of Special Projects and Health a Safety for a heavy civil construction company. Please share…
Play her episode at the bottom of the page Meet Debra Dennison from Carstairs, Alberta, Canada *Married for almost 30 years to a Police Officer *Two daughters – both are recently engaged, yikes! 🙂 *Worked in the field of Family Support/Crisis Intervention for several years. *Recovered from chronic pain by having a daily movement practice…
Play her episode at the bottom of the page Meet Lisa I have been doing CrossFit since 2004 and a former regional level competitor (2010 – 2013). I am a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer and also a Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Specialist. After having my second son, I decided to change careers from a high…
Kris Anne shares how she has overcome widespread body pain and the years of darkness.
She shares her story and her reflections on what it means to have and live with pain. How interrupting pain can be and the need to learn to live our best lives. We talk about the Work Comp system, the interruption of pain, and she shares my favorite story about Lorimer Mosley answering her question about pain. His answer will surprise you.
Over and over again I am asked why I do what I do. How I got to where I am. Why I believe the things I believe. It’s impossible to sum up a life time of experiences in a few thousand words on a blog post, and harder still in a couple sentences on social media. I still had to give it a try.
As a teacher, I emphasize to my students that art can be a release, but never had I thought of this going beyond self-expression. I certainly hadn’t considered it for my own pain management.
Listen in as Cheryl shares her story from pain to freedom. She recounts being told she was disabled and need outlearn to live like it. She shares how she discovered why love matters and how to make her way back from the belief it was better if she wasn’t here at all.
In the first episode of season2 join Amy Eicher as her daughter Erin hosts her in this very touching interview.
Have you ever thought about Goal setting with your provider? If not, you really should.
In this post I want to share with you why I think it’s important and how to do it.
7 Benefits of Volunteering for those suffering from Chronic Pain Living with chronic pain is hard. As I read Amy’s upcoming memoir, Restoring Venus, it brought to my attention how hard it can be. Struggling for years with my own severe depression and anxiety, I felt like no one really knew what I was going…
Keith Meldrum shares more thoughts as someone living in pain on pain. Keith has experienced 3 decades of pain after a near-fatal accident. Read on to hear his story and thoughts on resilience and self-management. Keith has lived with chronic pain for nearly 32 years ( as of 2018), following a serious single-vehicle motor vehicle…
Keith Meldrum is an amazing human living with pain. His posts throughout National Pain Awareness Week 2018 were so fantastic I asked if I could share them with all of you. Enjoy this 2 part post from Keith about the truths of living with pain. Keith has lived with chronic pain for nearly 32 years…
Meet Samantha Bonsack! Samatha is a long-distance motorcycle events company owner, avid hiker and explorer. Motorcycles have been at the heart of my life for years. My journey through chronic and debilitating pain within a medical system that did not understand the current pain science research left me in a tremendously difficult position, in addition…
Let’s get down to business and outline the important parts of your medical history to help your providers help you!
4 Helpful Way To Communicate About Pain Beyond the Pain Scale Let’s talk about the Pain Scale today, shall we? As a patient, I HATED them. I would go into an appointment hoping to talk about how the pain was affecting me and my life and my ability to function, and instead, I would be…
Opiates, Procedure Seeking, and the Power of Perspective Meet Lauren! My name is Lauren , I grew up in Alaska, Eagle River mostly ,but I have lived all over south central Alaska. I am approximately 29 years +2 is what I tell my kids. I have 5 children total. I am a military spouse, my…
