Chronic Pain Triggers Resources

Hi, readers. As a person with chronic migraines, I do my best to monitor my "triggers" and try to avoid them. In case you don't know, triggers are activities, substances, or occurrences that tend to cause worse pain episodes in individuals. For example, some of my triggers are stress, the lights in Walmart, shifts in barometric pressure, and artificial sweeteners, but triggers are different for every person. While most people associate triggers with migraines, they do play a role in other chronic pain disorders as well--just think about the people with arthritis who get worse pain when it rains, or my relative with Fibromyalgia who gets worse pain when she eats certain preservatives. If you are interested, I have gathered several resources that contain information about what triggers are, how to identify triggers, common triggers, etc.

Since I couldn't find a good online resource about this, I would also like to briefly discuss the difference between triggers and causes. I got this information from talking a doctor at Mayo Clinic, as well as my local headache specialist. They said that people with chronic pain are predisposed to feel pain, and often react to things that would not cause pain in other people. In other words, triggers don't cause the chronic pain disorder (usually), but it can still be important to identify and avoid them because it can help decrease the frequency of your worse pain attacks.

1. Identifying Pain Triggers

Link: http://www.headache-help.org/identify-migraine-triggers

This website is discussing migraine triggers, but  this advice is easily transferable for any pain disorder. The article explains the correlation between triggers and pain attacks, and offers some advice about how to track your activities, food, etc. with a pain diary to watch for any possible triggers that might be making things worse.

2. Some Common Pain Triggers

Coping with Pain Through Non-Written Arts--Discussion with Resources

Below this discussion, I have listed some great resources about using art to cope with chronic pain, including a document with ideas about what types of art projects to do. These resources may be found by clicking the "read more" tag in this document.

Hello again, readers. I designed this entire blog and corresponding honors project around the idea that writing and reading literature can help people cope with and learn from their chronic pain (see the about this project page for details). However, I am well aware that writing is not the only art form that can be used as a coping mechanism for chronic pain. Any form of artistic expression, such as painting, sculpting, playing music, sketching, or dancing can be a means of expressing pain in ways that is hard to do through normal conversation. Personally, I have found that simply finding a way to express the pain makes a world of difference, as doing so helps me feel less powerless and encourages me to learn from my own expression of pain.

Many, if not all, chronic pain patients know how to stay silent and hide their pain. It's a matter of survival most of the time. Even friends may tire of endless complaints about pain, people may incorrectly label us or underestimate us if they find out about our chronic pain too soon, and those closest to us may grow aggravated by the details of our suffering. Often, it makes sense to stay silent about our pain, and I don't think that is wrong. I cannot count the number of times I have hidden my pain. Yet, staying silent all of the time can hurt us, both in the forms of misunderstandings with others who do not fully understand our pain, and in the sense that we need an outlet for the pain we endure. The arts can help provide this outlet, and, if you wish to share them, the artwork you produce can also help inform others about your pain in a way that conversation cannot.

Resources About Going to the ER

Hello, readers. Many of the people I have met who have chronic pain (both through the internet and in person) have expressed bewilderment about whether or not they should go to the E.R. when their pain is at it's worst--emergency rooms are not always equipped to treat chronic problems, but, sometimes, our pain becomes some physically unendurable that we need some kind of intervention.

Unfortunately, this is not a question I can answer, as I feel that the answer will depend on each person's situation. Personally, I have never gone to the emergency room because of my pain because, when my pain is at its absolute worst, my migraines temporarily paralyze my limbs so I cannot move and riding in a car always aggravates my headaches. Yet, I know the situation is different for others. As it is difficult to think when pain is that extreme, it is helpful to consider this scenario in advance. Whatever you decide, I gathered some resources that will both inform you about the factors to consider when going to an emergency room for chronic pain and help you prepare for the trip if you decide to go during one of your worst bouts of pain. I hope they help. As always, click "read more" to see all of the resources and my annotations (There are 3 resources.)

1. Form to Carry with You in Case You do Need to Go to the Emergency Room

Link: http://theacpa.org/uploads/documents/ACPA%20pain%20form.pdf

This form, produced by the ever-amazing American Chronic Pain Association, can be printed and filled out in advance in case you ever have a terrible bout of pain and require emergency assistance. This form is not part of official emergency room paperwork, but is very helpful because you can list your medical history, including current medications, on it. If you do end up in the emergency room, you can give this paper to the doctor instead of explaining it all at the time, which can be helpful if your pain makes it hard to think or speak.

2. Brochure About How to Prepare for Going to the ER and What to Expect

PowerPoint for Educating Others

Dear Readers,

Hello! I recently combined some research and my own knowledge into a PowerPoint that others can use as an introduction to chronic pain. I have great news about it...a couple professors in the education department at my university have agreed to add it to units in their classes about diversity! The PowerPoint is meant as a way to introduce chronic pain, address some misconceptions about it, and discuss societal biases about it with people who have not heard much about chronic pain previously. Still, I thought it might interest some of you. Feel free to use it for educational purposes if you wish.

Also, I created a collage of advertisements and memes representing biases that people in chronic pain face on page six of the powerpoint. If anyone is interested, you may find the PowerPoint linked below.

Link: http://www.slideshare.net/leahalsaker/chronic-pain-49794274

If anyone has other ideas about ways to educate others about chronic pain, please comment on this blog (or contact me).

Resources about Pain Killers

Hello. This may sound strange coming from a chronic pain patient, but I am terrified of pain killers. They can help me bear my pain when it is at its worse, but I am also afraid that I will become too dependent on them and actually worsen my condition by taking too many pain killers (The overuse of painkillers can cause rebound headaches for people with Chronic Migraine Syndrome, which I have.) Because of this fear, I tend to overcompensate by refusing to take pain killers when I probably should, causing myself unnecessary suffering. For me, at least, trying to decide when to take pain killers for my constant pain and when not to is very difficult.

Here, I have provided some resources about pain killer addiction, as well as alternatives to pain killers. I am not posting these resources because I believe that people in chronic pain should not take pain killers (When they need to, they should) or because I think many chronic pain patients abuse pain killers (That's actually a dangerous stereotype). Rather, I am posting these because I recognize that people in chronic pain have to make tough decisions about when to take pain killers. I am hoping these posts will reassure you about your pain killer usage.

1. Warning signs of addiction to pain killers

Link: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/addiction-recovery/2012/05/5-signs-addicted-pain-medication/

This article presents and discusses five different signs that you are becoming addicted to your painkillers. This article mostly discusses early signs of pain killer addiction, so if you do some of these things, it does not mean you are an addict, it just means you might want to monitor your use of pain killers more closely. I especially appreciate warning sign number one, which states that it can be dangerous if you start considering taking your painkillers for reasons besides lessening pain.

2. Chronic pain management myths and facts

Resources for Explaining Chronic Pain to Those who are Pain Free

If you are interested, please also see my last blog post, which included a brief discussion about talking to doctors about your chronic pain, as well as some resources to help with this matter. In this post I would like to discuss the difficulty of explaining chronic pain to people without pain, as well as to provide some resources to help in your endeavors. These resources include a Ted Talk and a video you may want to show someone without chronic pain, as well as a useful simulation. You can find the resources below.

Explaining chronic pain to someone without chronic pain is difficult. Many, many people I have meant often refuse to believe me that there are people, such as myself, who are simply in pain all of the time. Many of the Chronics (my code name for chronic pain patients) I know express frustration about the difficulty of trying to make those close to them understand that their pain is real and can actually be quite debilitating, even if they seem to be doing "alright on the outside." I can understand this frustration, and I often feel the same way. Yet, I think I understand why people without pain seem not to understand the gravity and reality of chronic pain. I have been in constant or near constant pain nearly as long as I could remember, and it took me a long time (well into my teenage years) to tell my parents this. It didn't take me that long because I didn't want help with my pain--it took me that long because I had always been in pain, that's the way my body has always worked, and it was hard for me to understand that there are people who aren't in pain all of the time.

Resources for Explaining your Pain to your Doctor

Dear Readers,

I love doctors. I think they are amazing people, and I can't imagine what kind of bravery and compassion it must take to devote your whole life to dealing with sickness. Yet, I'm sure we all know that sometimes doctors and patients misunderstand each other of or have difficulty communicating with each other. I think this happens especially frequently for those in chronic pain. Chronic pain is often (though of course not always) an invisible disease. By this, I mean there is often no outside evidence of chronic pain, so doctors can only take the patient's word that the pain he or she feels is, in fact, real. 

With this sort of situation, it is no wonder that miscommunications sometimes occur. I myself, have sometimes gotten off on the wrong foot with a doctor because I feel unsure how to describe my symptoms accurately. Below, you will find a list of three helpful resources t that may help you when trying to talk about pain to your doctor. Please note that I had posted one of these resources before, but decided to reorganize the resources a bit. The other two are new. Click "read more" to see the resources.

1. Things to remember while talking to your pain doctor

 http://chronicpainrecovery.com/Article_Talking_to_your_doctor.asp

Resources for Tracking Symptoms

Here are some resources to help those with chronic pain keep track of their various symptoms.


1. Pain Mapping
http://theacpa.org/painMappingTools/

This website primarily focuses on four types of pain Fibromyalgia, Neuropathy, back pain, and headache pain. It allows users with at least one of these types of pain to pinpoint the areas in which they feel pain, the intensity of the pain in each area, and the texture of this pain (throbbing, aching, shooting, etc.). Patients can print out this pain map to show it to their doctor or others.


2. Online Symptom checker

Link: http://symptoms.webmd.com/#introView

This website allows patients to put in their genders, ages, and health symptoms to receive ideas about what conditions they may have. Of course, this tool is no substitute for a doctor's advice and should not be considered a professional diagnosis. Yet, this website provides some useful suggestions and ideas that you may want to discuss with your doctor if you do not know which chronic pain condition you have. It provides some helpful information about each possible condition.

Writing Activities to Help You Write About Pain

Hello, everyone. I recently realized that, even though I encourage others to write about their pain, I have not previously discussed ideas or activities to help with these endeavors. Below, you will find some resources with ideas to get you started.

1.Five Tips to Help People Achieve Better Results While Writing with Pain.

Link: http://www.writetosellyourbook.com/writing-advice/how-to-write-the-pain

This useful website provides tips to help people achieve better results while writing about their pain. Actually, these tips may prove useful for many different types of writing, but I find them especially useful when I write about my pain. Personally, I think the most valuable tip is to take breaks when the I feel overcome with emotion--I find it important for me to write about my pain, but I also know that it does not work well if I push myself to write about something I'm not ready to address. Beaks help

Interactive Online Tools for Chronic Pain Patients

1. Online Tools Including Guided Imagery Practice and Medication Side Effect Charts

Link: http://www.painaction.com/Members/Library.aspx?t=550

This useful website provides many interactive tools related to chronic pain. These tools include guided imagery activities, in which an audio recording guides chronic pain patients to relax by using mental images, and a side effect chart. In the side effect chart, a chronic pain patient can place the mouse over a medication and learn about the potential side effects of the medication. This may help chronic pain patients when making decisions about which medications to use.

2. Chronic Pain Assessment

Miscellaneous Resources

1.  Surviving Finals Week with Chronic Pain

Link:
http://chroniccurve.tumblr.com/post/21332969917/college-and-chronic-illness-finals-week

While all college students struggle during finals week, finals week poses even more challenges to college students who have chronic pain. This blog post gives some useful advice about what students can do to make their finals week a little more manageable. I also feel that this advice could help college students with chronic pain during any point in the semester, not just during finals week.

2. Yoga for Chronic Pain

Link: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/lupuscommunity/search?query=yoga+for+chronic+pain

This youtube channel contains a series of instructional videos that walk chronic pain patients through gentle yoga specifically designed for people with Lupus and other chronic pain disorders. These relaxing activities an opportunity for patients to exercise in a less intense way that is less likely to aggravate pain. Of course, if you start following these instructions and feel that it aggravates your pain, stop doing these yoga activities.

3. Tips for Dealing with Lack of Sleep Due to Chronic Pain

Link:
http://www.lupus.org/resources/15-questions-strategies-for-restful-sleep

This webpage contains commonly asked questions about lack of sleep and Lupus, although I feel that certain parts of the FAQ can apply to other chronic pain condition as well. For some advice on how to improve sleep that is complicated by chronic pain, see responses numbers two, four, and seven.

Resources for Staying Connected to the Chronic Pain Community

1. List of Chronic Pain Organizations

Link: http://www.forgrace.org/resources/pain-organizations/

First of all, I would like to point out that the website that contains this list of great chronic pain organizations is a great chronic pain organization itself. This organization, For Grace, was founded by a chronic pain victim and advocate and contains many great resources, with a focus on women in pain, that may be of use to you. This list contains links to the websites of many prestigious organizations, such as the American Chronic Pain Association and Partners Against Pain. If you are looking for organizations that can help you get in touch with other people in chronic pain, or places you can call to ask questions about living in chronic pain, these websites may be a great place to start.


2. Partners Against Pain

Link:http://www.partnersagainstpain.com/measuring-pain/assessment-tool.aspx

This is one of the many organizations listed in the above resource list, but I felt it merited it's own post in my resource list as well. This website has many useful resources and tools for chronic pain patients, including pain measurement guides and pain diaries that patients can print out to track their pain levels. People with chronic pain may find that these resources will help them assess their own pain.

3. Chronic Pain Site

Resources About Mental Coping Practices

1. Mental Coping Techniques

Link:
http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/chronic-pain/11-chronic-pain-control-techniques

This article, from spine-health.com, explains some mental exercises that can help people cope with especially painful episodes. While these exercises do not erase the pain, it may make the painful episode more tolerable.


2. Inner Health Studio-Meditation

Resources About the Emotional Side Effects of Pain

1. Endohope- Guilt As Side Effect of Chronic Illness

Link:
http://endohope.org/2013/05/08/guilt-is-an-understandable-side-effect-of-chronic-illness/

This blog post breaks down several reasons why people with chronic illness, including chronic pain, feel guilty. Personally, I enjoy this article because it helps me understand some of my own reasons for the guilt I sometimes feel.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior-Dealing with Guilt

2. Link:
http://rawarrior.com/3-questions-3-answers-about-guilt-chronic-illness/

This short blog post offers some helpful tips about dealing with the guilt that often comes with chronic illness. While it focuses on people with arthritis, I think the tips can apply to people with different conditions as well.


3. Interviews from Others Coping with Pain

http://www.healthtalk.org/peoples-experiences/chronic-health-issues/chronic-pain/coping-emotional-impact-pain

This article, from HealthTalk.org, contains many short video interviews of people with chronic pain.

People who Accomplished Great Things with Chronic Pain

Dear Blog Readers,

Hello. I have been trying to find a list for the resource page of celebrities and important people from history who had chronic pain. However, since most lists only have three or so people listed, I have decided to compile my own list. I am hoping this list will remind you that you can accomplish important things, even with your pain.

1. Lewis Carol wrote Alice in Wonderland while suffering from chronic migraines.

2. John F. Kennedy suffered from intense chronic back and stomach pain.

3. George Clooney, a movie star, suffers from cervicogenic headaches.