Suicides are never easy to accept. Especially if they involve a loved one. Even more so if they could have been prevented. Lacy Stewart says her mother never would have killed herself if she’d been given proper medical care for her chronic fibromyalgia pain. “I feel angry about the way …
Read More »4 Reasons I Say, ‘I’m All Good’ When I’m Actually In Pain
When people ask me how I am feeling, 99 percent of the time I am lying. I often say “not bad,” because I feel it is slightly more honest than “good” or “fine.” I got sick of “fine. Anyway, I lie for many reasons. 1. I’m having a good pain …
Read More »When Chronic Pain and Exhaustion Take Over
Like a king desperately plotting his last few moves before he is overtaken, I plot my path around our kitchen. Using each movement to complete as many of my tasks as possible. When exhaustion was an uncomplicated feeling years ago, life was so blessedly simple. Even if I had pain …
Read More »Inside the Mind of Someone Kept Up at Night by Chronic Pain
“Painsomnia” is a term used by people with various forms of chronic pain and illness to describe insomnia that is fueled by pain. For people who don’t live with a chronic illness or a pain condition, you may be able to relate by remembering the worst flu you’ve ever had. Remember that time when …
Read More »New Cannabis Capsule Is So Powerful It May Completely Replace All Pain Killers
In places where medical marijuana is legal, opioid abuse and addiction has fallen by 25%, but the government maintain they are stumped as to why. Opioid abuse and addiction is a massive problem all over the US, hence why people are eager to find natural alternatives. The health benefits of …
Read More »6 Dangerous Prescription Drugs You Should Think Twice Before Taking
By medlineplus (NaturalNews) Just because your doctor prescribes it does not necessarily mean it is safe for you to take. Many popular prescription drugs, it turns out, come with the potential for serious side effects, including everything from short-term nausea and headaches to chronic inflammatory myopathy and heart disease or worse. …
Read More »Grieving the Person I Was Before Chronic Illness
“Click, click” is all I hear while I sit in front of my computer screen biting my lower lip trying my hardest not to cry (telling myself I need to be strong). “Oh no,” I can feel a tear fall down my face; there is the beginning of me grieving …
Read More »Sudden, Unexpected Death in Chronic Pain Patients
Sudden, unexpected death may occur in a severe, chronic pain patient, and the terminal event may be unrelated to medical therapeutics. Fortunately, sudden death is not as commonly observed in pain patients as in past years most likely due to better access to at least some treatment. Sudden death still …
Read More »When Do Epidural Steroid Injections Work for Back Pain?
For most people with back pain, surgery is recommended only after all other options have been exhausted. A common nonsurgical approach to pain relief is epidural steroid injections, which help reduce inflammation around your spinal cord and spinal nerves. They are primarily intended for temporary pain relief, but steroid injections …
Read More »15 Things People Don’t Realize You’re Doing Because Pain Is Your Normal
When pain crosses over from “acute” to “chronic” and it becomes an everyday part of your life, you may start to develop certain habits or coping techniques. Even the smallest bit of relief can be helpful when your pain is constant and “normal,” as Mighty contributor Amalia Miller described it so …
Read More »10 Foods That Cause Chronic Inflammation and Trigger Pain, Fatigue, Bloating + More
Inflammation is at the root of most diseases, and diet is largely what causes it. If you’re one to consume a Standard American Diet or even a vegan diet for that matter, you’re likely consuming these foods that cause inflammation and weight gain. Inflammation isn’t always bad, mind you. Our bodies naturally …
Read More »12 Things People With Chronic Pain Said That Were Code for ‘I’m Thinking About Suicide’
Editor’s Note If you experience suicidal thoughts, the following post could be potentially triggering. You can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “START” to 741741. While pain is of course the primary symptom for those with chronic pain conditions, there can be a wide range of accompany symptoms and side …
Read More »The Other Side of the Opioid Epidemic: Denying Treatment to People With Chronic Pain
When I went into the office one Saturday afternoon in August 1994, I planned to spend a few hours finishing a brief that was due in federal court Monday morning. At the time, I was a civil rights attorney for the justice department. After 30 minutes of working at my …
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