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AS THE WEBMASTER, I AM ALWAYS INTERESTED IN YOUR OPINION ABOUT THIS SITE, HOW USEFUL YOU FOUND IT AND WAYS IT CAN BE IMPROVED.
PLEASE EMAIL ME ANYTIME.
Something important that I try to remember,
especially on the "bad" days, is that while my body may be suffering physically from pain, at the same time, my soul is very
much intact and I am still the same person on the inside that I was before the pain struck!! I can no longer work as a meeting
planner, but I still try to keep up with the industry as much as possible by reading industry periodicals and by logging on
to educational sites about meeting planning in general.
Comments about Nutrition (from THE CHRONIC PAIN
CONTROL WORKBOOK, written by Ellen Mohr Catalano, M.A. and Kimeron N. Hardin, Ph.D., Second Edition):
People
who are experiencing chronic pain are often prescribed a variety of medications to help get relief. Some of the most common
pain medications have nutritional side effects that can hinder your body's ability to heal itself. Common medications that
are prescribed for pain are narcotics (or opiates) and glucocorticoids.
Narcotics that include codeine and morphine
can lead to constipation. If you have any problems with constipation, it is vital for you to consume increased fluids and
increase the amount of insoluble fiber in your diet. Insoluble fiber is found in whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits;
it acts by stimulating the gastrointestinal tract and preventing constipation.
Medications, including Prednisone and
Decadron can cause sodium and water retention and increase vitamin C excretion. With long-term use, glucocorticoids can lead
to muscle atrophy, increased appetite, and weight gain. Therefore, eat foods low in sodium, increase your intake of vitamin
C-rich foods such as oranges, strawberries, and green peppers, and consume adequate amounts of protein--for example, two or
three servings of lean meat, fish, poultry, or legumes and two or three servings of lowfat or nonfat dairy products per day.
Comments on dealing with Chronic Pain psychologically (from THE CHRONIC PAIN CONTROL WORKBOOK):
Helping your chronic pain psychologically by stopping "negative thinking" should be a goal for anyone experiencing
intractable pain. Negative thinking is accomplished by "blaming", "should" statements, polarized thinking -- everything is
"black or white", "good or bad", "catastrophizing" -- imagining the worst possible outcome and then reacting to their fear-provoking
scenario as if it will surely come true. By "thought stopping" -- this is stopping negative thoughts cold and replacing them
with new thinking.
Here are some suggestions for a new way of thinking positively. Copy this list or cut it out and
put it next to your sink, refrigerator, word processor, desk, or dashboard of your car:
"I can cope".
"Relax.
I can manage the pain".
"I have managed this situation before. I can do it again".
"I am learning new coping skills
everyday".
"I
am not a bad person because I have this pain."
"The pain comes and goes. I know how to take care of it."
"No one thinks
less of me because I have this pain."
"I am a good worker". (for those still working)
"I am a loving person."
"The
pain comes in waves. Soon it will start to subside."
Add any other positive thoughts that come to you.
(FROM THE CHRONIC PAIN CONTROL WORKBOOK)
If chronic pain interferes with your sleep, you need
to learn and practice relaxation exercises for two simple and compelling reasons. First, the experience of sleeplessness
is itself stressful. It reduces your ability to function, to cope, and to feel good -- both mentally and physically.
If you can't function, you feel useless. If you cannot cope, then stressors begin to pile up. Second, you
tense your muscles in response to these negative feelings and behaviors, and grit your teeth in anticipation of sleeplessness.
This increases the body's overall tension level, which only makes your chronic pain worse, especially if you suffer from musculoskeletal
problems resulting in headaches, backaches and neckaches.
One step towards healthy sleep is to realize that
physical tension and mental anxiety lead to less sleep, which in turn, can make you more anxious and tense. It is a
vicious circle, but you can break by learning to manage the tension in your life.
Dr. Richard Bootzin, a psychologist, believes that
a primary goal of the insomnia sufferer should be to associate the bed solely with sleep and nothing else. Those who
have developed negative associations with the bed -- who dread it because they see it as a place to toss, turn and worry --
often find that their sleep is better when they travel away from home or even move into a different room. The cues that
usually keep them alert, anxious, or tense are absent, and so they sleep peacefully.
In order to avoid developing negative associations
with your bed, follow these guidelines as recommended by Dr. Bootzin:
1. Go to bed only when you are feeling
sleepy.
2. Do not use your bed as an activity
center. Sexual activity is the only exception.
3. If you do not fall asleep in about
ten minutes, get out of bed and go into another room. Do a non-arousing activity (no scary or intense books or television)
until you feel sleepy; when you feel drowsy, go back to bed.
4. If you are still awake after about
ten minutes, get up and return to your non-arousing activity or another one. Do not return to bed until you feel sleepy.
5. Repeat as often as necessary until
you fall asleep within ten minutes. Your goal is to associate your bed with falling asleep quickly.
6. Get up the same time each morning,
regardless of how little you slept. This is an important step and one that is not to be overlooked. A consistent
wake-up time will help your body begin to develop regular sleep rhythm.
7. Do not nap. Your goal is to
establish consistent sleep cues at regular times and naping can disrupt your sleep cues.
8. Option: sleep in a
different room or move your bed to a different location in your room or to another room altogether.
9. Avoid unconciously "punishing" yourself
for not sleeping by forcing yourself to do an unpleasant activity. It will be much harder to get out of bed if you think
you have to face laundry or an unbalanced checkbook. Make it easier on yourself by doing the following: leave
a warm bathrobe and flashlight by your bed. This way you can slip out comfortably without disrupting your partner.
Avoid eating, but if you must snack, eat a light food containing carbohydrates or dairy products.
10. Don't worry about following the
ten minute rule to the precise second; an estimate of the ten minute period will do. The point is that if you find yourself
lying in bed fully awake after a reasonable period of time, get up. If you feel yourself dropping off to sleep and you
estimate that it's been twenty minutes, stay there. Avoid clock watching.
11. Tell yourself to get up when the alarm
clock rings, no matter how restless your night has been. It's important that you adhere to this last step, because you
are re-regulating your internal mechanisms and settling your body into a steady rhythm.
12. Chart your progress in a bedside sleep
journal. Keeping a record of your sleep behavior will help you gain perspective of the problem, and you may spot patterns
or connections you had not noticed before. You will also feel a sense of mastery and control and see yourself making
progress.
I try to see my family as much as I can. Every
once in a while, I enjoy planning and cooking a nice meal for them. Instead of doing all the food prep and cooking in
one long, hectic day, I plan out and prepare the meal over several days -- cooking desserts ahead of time, even setting the
table a few days in advance! This allows periods to bring my pain under control. One very good way I have found to relieve
my own depression and isolation around the holiday season every year is to invite my family over for a huge meal and for the
"unveiling" of the "O'Brien Annual Christmas Tree"!!!! I found this website which sells REAL frasier fir
Christmas trees online. A person can order a tree from a choice of heights and have the tree shipped by federal express to
arrive on a predetermined date right at your own front door!!! No going out and breaking a back in getting the tree home.
THIS SERVICE IS ESPECIALLY GREAT FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BAD BACKS!!!!!!! My sister and brother each have
their own Christmas events and tree "unveilings" and we all have a wonderful time at each others' respective homes!!! By the
time I am done planning my event, cooking the meal and decorating the tree, with assistance, I am exhausted and have absolutely
NO time to get depressed!! (laughing)
Be good to yourself. Every now and then, try
and spend a day doing something that you enjoy such as lighting an aromatherapy candle, listening to a favorite CD, surfing
to your favorite site on the internet, participate in an online educational course!!! If I am out and pass a bookstore,
it doesn't matter where I am, I have to go in. I LOVE books -- everything
about them. In addition to the "storyline" of course, I love to feel the bindings, the new pages of a book. Recent
books I have read include "My Wars Are Laid Away In Books -- The Life of Emily Dickinson" by Alfred Habegger;
"An Unfinished Life --John F. Kennedy - 1917-1963" by Robert Dallek.
I particularly enjoy historical biographies and
sometimes when reading a book about someone, I will do some research on the internet as well. YOU WILL HAVE
OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT YOU ENJOY!! FIND SOMETHING THAT WILL TAKE YOUR MIND OFF OF THE PAIN.
Needlepoint is something I have been doing for quite
a long time, and while I cannot do as much as I use to, I will still occasionally finish a small project for gift giving.
Reading poetry, listening to classical music by Sarah Brightman or watching something hilarious on the tube are all relaxing
things I do to take my mind off of the pain. One book that I highly recommend reading is "The Illustrated
Discovery Journal -- Creating a visual Autobiography of Your Authentic Self" by Sarah Ban Breathnach. This
is a project more than a book -- and you will be very busy filling in the pages, making collages and keeping a journal --
all about yourself!!
Self-esteem is a huge problem for most individuals
with any kind of chronic disability, as I indicated earlier. I found a site on the web which has information and exercises
on journal keeping and there is a link on this page to this. There is also selfesteem.org, and a host of other sites
devoted to issues such as this one.
LISTED BELOW ARE SITES WHICH YOU MAY FIND
OF SOME USE TO YOU. SINCE THIS PAGE IS ENTITLED "NOURISHMENT FOR THE SOUL!", PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD THE SITES THAT
YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ON YOUR COPY OF THIS PAGE. ADD, DELETE, CHANGE AROUND AS YOU WISH!! I HAVE LISTED THESE
SITES BELOW BECAUSE THEY ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITES!! ONE LINK I HAVE INCLUDED IS ONE OF THE BED AND BACK SHOPS THAT
ARE OUT THERE WHICH OFFER ADJUSTMENT BEDS AND MATTRESSES FOR PEOPLE IN PAIN.
I AM ALWAYS UPDATING THIS LIST WHEN I COME
ACROSS SOMETHING THAT MAY BE OF POSSIBLE BENEFIT TO YOU. WHEN I HAVE FINISHED REDESIGNING THIS ENTIRE WEBSITE, THERE
WILL BE MANY ADDITIONAL LINKS LISTED!!!
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SITES
AND ARTICLES FOR YOUR POSSIBLE USE, FOR FUN, OR LISTED JUST BECAUSE THE SITE IS ONE OF "MY" FAVORITES!
"Learning Self-Therapy Through Writing" -- published by LifeEsteem
"Specific Coping Techniques" -- talks about techniques such as dissociation, symbolic imagery and pain movement -- from Spine-Health.com
PAIN MAP -- TO HELP WOMEN AND DOCTORS DOCUMENT PAIN SYMPTOMS
"Ten Steps From Patient to Person" -- published by the American Chronic Pain Association -- ..."Making the Journey from patient
to person takes time. The isolation and fear that can overwhelm a person with chronic pain grows over time. And the return
to a fuller, more rewarding life also takes time. It's a journey with many phases. The American Chronic Pain Association describes
these phases as Ten Steps"....
Painting Above: "The Shrine"
-- by John William Waterhouse
"Living With Your Pain" -- standing up for yourself, being assertive; the "Assertive Bill of Rights" -- The Mayday Pain Project
Primer on "Progressive Muscle Relaxation" -- helps to develop the necessary awareness and control over skeletal muscle systems
in order to reduce stress and anxiety. Reduces and prevents bracing and guarding associated with chronic pain.
"Taking Charge of Your Pain: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt" by Kevin Balter, M.D. and Stacy Waldron, Ph.D., The Center
for Pain Medicine, Encino, California -- acceptance, education, giving up guilt, learning your limits.
The Basic Rights
of the Chronic Pain Patient -- from the American Chronic Pain Association:
1. Right to act in a way that promotes
dignity and self respect.
2. Right to be treated with respect.
3. Right to make mistakes.
4. Right
to do less than you are humanly capable of doing.
5. Right to change your mind.
6. Right to ask for what you
want.
7. Right to take time to slow down and think before you act.
8. Right to ask for information.
9.
Right to feel good about yourself.
10. Right to ask for help or assistance.
11. Right to disagree.
12.
Right to feel that you don't have to explain everything you do and think.
13. Right to say "NO" and not feel guilty.
14. Right to ask why.
15. Right to be listened to and taken seriously when expressing your feelings.
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The painting "My Sweet Rose"
by John William Waterhouse, painted in 1880.
BodymindResources.com -- offers free classes to teach alternative techniques to help your chronic pain -- worth looking into!!
GAIAM -- A LIFESTYLE COMPANY -- great site for ordering exercise clothing, leggings, health & wellness materials, yoga, tai-chi
accessories, whole foods market!!
SELFGROWTH.COM -- website with many resources
CHOPRA.COM -- Deepak Chopra's website with articles, resources, conferences you can sign up for about the mind/body connection
to good emotional and physical health!
TRANSFORMATION.ORG--SELF-HELP SITE!
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| Yankee Candle's "Plumeria" Candle! |
YANKEE CANDLE
COOKING.COM
CALYX AND COROLLA.COM (if you love beautiful flowers!) -- I never get tired of logging on to this site -- flowers are available
for ordering online --for home delivery and special occasions.
EMOONLIGHT CREATIONS-- the Art of Healing Art That Heals.
VICTORIA MAGAZINE
JOANNE'S BED AND BACK SHOPS
AMAZON.COM
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| I love to work on needlepoint pieces like this one -- crisp, bright colors, has folk art look. |
| NEEDLEPOINT BOOK -- IN SPLENDID DETAIL |
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| Written by Catherine Reurs -- wonderful needlepoint designer |
I DO live for needlepoint!
One day when I am able to use a scanner, I will post pictures of a few of my finished needlepoint projects -- this is a wonderful
way to relax if you can find a good way to sit or lie down and stitch without causing additional pain. I have completed
pieces designed by Elizabeth Bradley and Catherine Reurs, as well as Kaffe
Fasset, wonderful designers.
"HOW DO I TALK WITH MY DOCTOR OR
NURSE ABOUT PAIN?"--FROM THE AMERICAN PAIN FOUNDATION:
1. Speak UP! Tell your doctor or nurse that you're
in pain. It's not a sign of personal weakness to talk about your pain. Pain is a common medical problem that requires urgent
attention. So don't be embarrassed or afraid to talk about it.
2. Tell your doctor or nurse where it hurts. Do you
have pain in one place or several places? Does the pain seem to move around?
3. Describe how much your pain hurts.
On a scale from 0 to 10, zero means no pain at all and 10 means the worst pain you can imagine. In the past week, what was
the highest level of pain you felt? When did you feel it? What were you doing at the time? When did it hurt the least? How
bad does it hurt right now?
4. Describe what makes your pain better or worse? Is the pain always there, or does it
go away sometimes? Does the pain get worse when you move in certain ways? Do other things make it better or worse?
5.
Describe what your pain feels like. Use specific words like sharp, stabbing, dull, aching, burning, shock-like, tingling,
throbbing, deep, pressing, etc.
6. Explain how the pain affects your daily life. Can you sleep? Work? Exercise? Are
you able to do activities with family and friends? Can you concentrate on tasks? How is your mood? Are you sad? Irritable?
Depressed? Do you feel unable to cope?
7. Tell your doctor or nurse about past treatments for pain. Describe any medical
treatments you've had such as medication or surgery, and mention other approaches you've tried. Have you done massage, yoga
or meditation? Applied heat or cold to the painful areas? Exercised? Taken over-the-counter medications, or supplements such
as vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies? Tried other treatments? Explain what worked and what didn't.
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