I’ll be off on vacation for the next few weeks, so I’m inviting you to relax and enjoy these May Pain-Blog Carnival articles while I’m gone. Rest Ministries offers… 8 Signs You May Not Need a Support Group For Your Illness and 10 Tips to Be Sure Your Illness Support Group Isn’t Depressing Andrea’s Buzzing [...]

Each year when I renew my malpractice insurance policy, they look at my website and blog to suggest various ways to decrease liability risk.  This time they suggested these items: 1.  Take off all advertising.  Any advertising on a site may be mistaken for an endorsement by me of a product, in which case I might [...]

Today’s the deadline for your May Pain-Blog Carnival submission. Ready for a challenge? 1. Name 3 good things about today. 2. Next, name 3 bad things about today. Which was easier for you? You might think that being an optimist and finding the good in life is a trait you either have or don’t have.  That [...]

College: Long walks across campus for classes, eating, and socializing Carting stacks of books in a weighed-down backpack A required number of courses per semester A limited time to complete a degree Although college has lots of perks – I remember my own college days fondly – college can be tough for those with a [...]

Today’s topic for Monday Chat: What Pain Charity Will You Support This Year?   What’s your favorite place to donate to support pain education, research or patient assistance?  I ask this question today because those of us in the United States will be receiving some extra cash this month.  Our government is sending $600 – [...]

How are you doing with acceptance of your pain and limitations? I came across a study which evaluated how well people have accepted their chronic illness.  The study designed a questionnaire to test how well people have adapted to their chronic conditions and accepted changes in their lives. The authors define acceptance as giving up fruitless efforts [...]

A reader, Maria (of Going Down Swinging:  An RSD Blog), sent in this inspiring link of Carnegie Mellon’s Professor Pausch’s “Last Lecture.”  For those of you who don’t know, this professor has an incurable illness, but continues to inspire students and many others. Maria writes, “This is one of the best examples of invisible illness and what it [...]

A recent study in the journal Surgical Neurology recommended that MRI’s be done while the patient is in the position that causes symptoms.  This is helpful advice.  MRI’s are usually done while the patient is lying down.  Lying down takes stress off the spine and changes the positions of spinal structures, sometime making things look normal [...]

A reader, Heidi, recently asked about time management and pain.  I invited Jeisea of CRPS-RSD A Better Life to share her thoughts about this topic. Getting the right balance between doing pain management therapy and family, work or social activities is almost like walking a tightrope for people with chronic pain.  One of the hardest [...]