Endometriosis: Interactive Support & Information

Chronic Pain

Are you or someone you love in Chronic Pain? I am. My name is Jenn and I have been living with chronic pain for over fifteen years. I am 37. I know the frustration and hopelessness. Please know that you are not alone. I care and understand. Know that together we can accomplish miracles.

Through my years of battling endometriosis I have encountered several different modalities of pain treatment. Some have worked alone or in conjunction with another while some have not. I find that each individual has a personal fit to a specific form a treatment and that it is very important to keep and open mind and eclectic approach when treating chronic pain. It is vital to discuss your form of treatment with your physician to see which modality is best for you. The specific treatments I have tried include:

Conventional Surgery - This includes laparoscopic surgery and open abdominal surgery ( laparoscopic ) Laparoscopy in Women's Health

Medications - both narcotic and non narcotic RxList Drug Information

Therapy - Both individual and group or family sessions Psychotherapy Chronic Pain REACT

Trigger Point Injections - A trigger point injection is an injection of a substance into a tender muscle. Examples of substances injected include local anesthetic's, corticosteroids, saline solution, dextrose, Sarapin. Trigger Point Injections

Physical Therapy - Gentle exercises that improve overall function including stretching out adhesions and muscle groups which are sometimes neglected due to inability to do conventional exercise Physical Therapy & Chronic Pain

Relaxation and Visualization Techniques - Use of Visualization Techniques and self healing tapes which often include calming sounds or voices which instruct you to perform mental and physical relaxation Guidelines for Using Relaxation and Visualization for Living Well

TENS Unit - The word TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. As the name implies the treatment consists of passing very mild electrical currents through the skin to affect the underlying nerve fibres. The action of this comfortable electrical stimulation on the nerves results in moderation of the pain signals which pass through these nerve fibres to the brain. The result can be a dramatic reduction in the pain perception or sometimes a complete elimination of the pain sensation. Lower Back Pain, Neck Pain, Arthritis - Pain Management & Muscle Stimulation -

Spinal Cord Stimulator - The Neurostimulation System incorporates devices for the relief of chronic, intractable pain in the trunk and/or limbs. It applies precisely controlled low-voltage electrical stimulation to the spinal cord through two carefully placed, insulated "leads".Spinal cord stimulator insertion

Pressure Point Massage - Massage aimed at specific pressure points where tension builds up. Trigger points are tender muscles that refer a pattern of pain to other areas of the body when palpated or touched. These tender points are usually felt as knots or bands. Trigger points can be localized to one area of the body such as the muscles that support the neck. They can also occur in multiple areas throughout the entire body Trigger Point Injections

Biofeedback - Biofeedback operates on the notion that we have the innate ability and potential to influence the automatic functions of our bodies through the exertion of will and mind. Biofeedback has recently been shown to give us what had previously seemed an impossible degree of control over a variety of physiologic events. Biofeedback, Types of Biofeedback Machines, Techniques, The electromyogram (EMG), Temperature Biofeedback, Galvanic skin res

Please Read Chronic Pain And The Family
by Leslie F. Martel, Ph.D. and

Acute Versus Chronic Pain
By Julie Zimmerman, PT

MASTER

My Master rises, and every morning I follow. No matter that it may have kept me awake most of the night. It is the master, it does not have to be considerate. I try to make some plans for my life, unless my master dictates otherwise. It has put me to my knees, brought tears of frustration to my eyes, when I realize what really controls my life. When my heart and spirit break under my masters domination. Love is tainted, friends dwindle away bewildered, and family members struggle to understand as my anger over my slavery reach's where it does not belong.

Some days I desperately try to clean the shroud of doubt from my tainted and dimmed spirituality. God MUST surely know of this, how can such an evil master exist? How was this allowed to happen to me? Were my sins so bad? I cling to a faith, feeling there is still some unknown reason, in defiance of the master, ONE thing I cannot allow to be corrupt.

My master has broadened my experience. It puts me in front of doctors and therapist. I have explored areas of emotion in myself that I never dreamed of. I have been embarrassed by one examination and procedure after another. I have even found new guilt because of my attempts to cope under my master with drugs. My pantry has a new look, as rows of brown bottles have been placed there. A miniature Stonehenge to honor my wicked master. I constantly worry that I could even become a slave to a new master from one of these bottles.

There is no way to surrender, to lie down in front of this monster seems only to give it more strength. So I exercise, I do all that I can to hold it at bay. In the darkness of masters shadow, I somehow find light. Others that have their own masters. Some have wisdom, some understanding, some no more than a kind ear, and compassion.

God HAS provided relief, God works into the story and brings a possible peace. So many more who suffer, and I am not alone. There is strength in numbers and we come together to find a power within ourselves that makes the masters seem smaller and less important.

We are not alone with our PAIN, and our experience, and even as my master tries to persist....today I can find a smile

--Anonymous--

Fact sheet on chronic nonmalignant pain (CNP)

CNP, pain that lasts six months or more and does not respond well to conventional medical treatment, affects more people than any other type of pain. Thirty-four million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and most are significantly disabled by it, sometimes permanently.

The economic impact of CNP is staggering. Back pain, migraines, and arthritis alone account for medical costs of $40 billion annually, and pain is the cause of 25% of all sick days taken yearly. The annual total cost of pain from all causes is estimated to be more than $100 billion.

Despite the magnitude of suffering, CNP remains grossly under treated in most patients. The reasons for this are: the low priority of pain relief in our health care system; lack of knowledge among both health professionals and consumers about pain management; exaggerated fears of opioid side effects and addiction; and health professionals' fear of medical board and DEA scrutiny, even when controlled substances are used appropriately for pain relief.

Contrary to common fears, numerous studies have shown addiction is extremely rare inpatients taking opioid drugs, even in patients with histories of drug abuse and/or addiction. CNP patients will develop a physical dependence on opioid drugs, but this is not the same thing as addiction, which is an aberrant psychological state.

Unrelieved pain has many negative health consequences including, but not limited to: increased stress, metabolic rate, blood clotting and water retention; delayed healing; hormonal imbalances; impaired immune system and gastrointestinal functioning; decreased mobility; problems with appetite and sleep, and needless suffering. CNP also causes many psychological problems, such as feelings of low self-esteem, powerlessness, hopelessness, and depression.

Under treatment of CNP often results in suicide. In a recent survey, 50% of CNP patients had inadequate pain relief and had considered suicide to escape the unrelenting agony of their pain. Unrelieved pain also leads to requests for physician-assisted suicide, another indicator of pain's harsh impact on the quality of life of many patients and their families.

Discrimination against CNP patients is pervasive in the American health care system. Women, racial/ethnic minorities, children, the elderly, worker's compensation patients, and previously disabled patients (e.g., those with cerebral palsy, or who are deaf, blind, amputees, survivors of childhood polio, etc.) are at great risk for under treatment of their pain, even though patients belonging to one or more of these groups are the vast majority of all CNP patients.

CNP patients with severe, unrelenting pain from permanent structural damage to the necrologic or musculo-skeletal systems are often subjected to expensive and unnecessary surgeries and other painful invasive procedures. Arachnoiditis and reflex sympathetic dystrophy are the most common causes of severe CNP. Other common causes include: post-trauma, adhesions, systemic lupus, headaches, degenerative arthritis, fibromyalgia, and neuropathies.

Please feel to e-mail me with anything you would like...you are validated in your pain and deserve affirmation and information.

PAIN PATIENT BILL OF RIGHTS

The right to have your report of pain taken seriously and to be treated with dignity and respect by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.

* The right to have your pain thoroughly assessed and promptly treated.

* The right to be informed by your doctor about what may be causing your pain, possible treatments, and the benefits, risks and costs of each.

* The right to participate actively in decisions about how to manage your pain.

* The right to have your pain reassessed regularly and your treatment adjusted if your pain has not been eased.

* The right to be referred to a pain specialist if your pain persists.

* The right to get clear and prompt answers to your questions, take time to make decisions, and refuse a particular type of treatment if you choose.

Although not always required by law, these are the rights you should expect, and if necessary demand, for your pain care.

Bill of rights for People in Pain

1. I have the RIGHT to live a full and happy life.
2 I have the RIGHT not to have to prove my pain.
3. I have the RIGHT to control decisions regarding my pain.
4. I have the RIGHT to demand appropriate medical attention.
5. I have the RIGHT to be alone when I choose.
6. I have the RIGHT to refuse requests that may increase my pain.
7. I have the RIGHT to pain relief.

A Woman's Health Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

Daily Pain Journal

This is to be used an a daily basis to help you keep track of the severity and frequency of your pain. Feel free to make copies of it and to review it with your health care provider. Just click on the title above and use your browser back button to return here once you printed it.

Pain Related Links

Pain.com A World of Information on pain or search their library.

Pain Central Home Page

Partners Against Pain® Be a partner against pain!

Chronic Pelvic Pain Information from your family Doctor

Pelvic Pain Chronic Pelvic Pain Diagnosis and Management.

Chronic Pain: How to Get Relief

Chronic Pain, CFS, FMS and other Medical Resources

Chronic Pain Survival Site

A World of Information on Pain

Pain Policy & Law

Disability Awareness