“Boot Camp” for Chronic Pain

There’s an intensive “boot camp” for sufferers of chronic pain.

But an intensive, four-week “boot camp” got the 55-year-old dancer from Toledo, Ohio, back to the barre. The program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago taught her to manage the chronic pain that had tormented her for more than a year.

[...]The Chicago program, affiliated with Northwestern’s medical school, attacks pain on three fronts — biological, psychological and social. It doesn’t claim to cure chronic pain, but instead gives patients tools to lessen its hold on their lives.

Patients spend Monday through Friday stretching, exercising and moving in new ways. They meet with a physician, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a biofeedback therapist, a clinical psychologist and a movement specialist.

They may address depression or sleep problems or adjust their medications. And they learn from the other patients in the program.

Getting all of these things under one roof differs from most approaches to treating chronic pain, said Dr. Steven Stanos, the program’s medical director.

The article continues on how chronic pain becomes chronic and how it effects interpersonal relationships. I don’t have to go on about that to those of you who suffer through it. When the cause of the pain is invisible, as in the case of most pain, there’s a lot of doubt about what extent we actually feel the pain. People tell us to get over it, to quit whining, that it’s “convenient” our flares come when they do- and that’s (a lot of times) from people around us. When we do find someone who backs us all the way, we’re overjoyed and most likely experience a better quality of life (who wouldn’t?). This hasn’t happened for me yet, but I’ve read first-hand accounts of this elusive phenomenon.

In 2005, Americans with aching backs and necks spent $20 billion on prescription drugs and another $31 billion for outpatient doctor visits, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Total spending on spine treatments increased 65 percent from 1997, adjusted for inflation. But rising alongside that was the proportion of people with spine problems who reported limited function.

Such spending with such poor results gets insurance companies’ attention.

Chronic pain patients’ medical and pharmacy bills “show up on our radar,” said Dr. James Cross, Aetna’s national medical policy chief. The patients are “frustrated and clearly suffering” and “looking for an answer,” he said.

It can be financially draining to try to find a cause of the pain and ultimately to learn to control it. Many people rely strictly on drugs to manage pain and can find themselves jumping from one type to the other, at varying doses, looking for relief. This boot camp teaches patients how to manage the pain without jumping through the dosage hoops. And in the end, save thousands of dollars in pharmacy bills.

I personally believe in alternative therapies, in conjunction with traditional medicine. I’ve completely eliminated my need for the Ultram from my regimen and only take the Vicodin a couple of times a week now¹ and my energy levels are better. I’ve looked for other ways to manage my illness because my doctor’s didn’t seem to want to take the effort to help me. I don’t regret that.

This boot camp would be perfect for someone like me, though I would prefer it be on one of those carnival cruises to the Caribbean, because it’s different and empowering. The price seems pretty high at this point, at $20K a pop, but there are techniques that they use in that camp which can be utilized from home. When you find that regimen (the one with less pills and less doctor’s visits) you can consider yourself a graduate of your own “boot camp”.

1. Previously I was taking 2 of those a day, plus 2 or 3 Ultram [↩]

Elavil May Help- to a Degree

My new rheumatologist put me on a new medication, Elavil. He only prescribed 25 mg and I’m to take before I go to bed at night. I wasn’t too keen on starting yet another pill, but I was getting to the point that I would do practically anything to get some relief. So, I started taking it last weekend.

He wasn’t kidding when he said to make sure to take it right before bed. Wow! That stuff knocks me out. There was no way I could possibly have stayed awake after taking that the first few times. When I woke up I was still wonky. Not like “I didn’t get enough sleep” wonky, but “I’m still high off that pill” wonky. It really took me a couple of hours to wake up in the morning. And I was pretty bitchy last week too. More so than usual, but it wasn’t really a bad thing, I think. I considered it a good thing that I could be emotionally bitchy again.

Tonight I was considering whether I’ll continue on this pill. All week I was pain free. Literally. I didn’t have so much as a backache. And when the pain disappeared so did my rash. BUT… and this is really important here… it made the brain fog worse for the first few days. I completely bombed a test and I know it was because of that. Like any other antidepressant it makes my brain crazy. I can’t focus, my thoughts go beserk, I most certainly can’t learn anything. But the pain was gone. And I could sleep. But I was bitch and my mind was nuts…

I don’t know if the medicine actually helped me through a flare or not. Today my face broke out and my right eye got droopy. That’s a sure sign a flare is coming. I look horrid, to say the least. But so far I don’t feel so bad. My ankles are a little sore, but I was raking leaves, so that might explain it a little. I’ll wait to see if this flare is as bad as the last one before I decide to keep taking this medication. It’s a little up in the air right now.

I’ve got to say, though, it’s way better than that other crap Dr. Quack was trying to shove down my throat. I’m surprised, actually, that he didn’t think to prescribe it. I wonder if they’ve stopped giving out kick-backs for prescribing the oldie-but-goodies.

Dentemp OS Saves the Day

Many people with fibromyalgia also have TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) Syndrome. I’m no different. My biggest symptom with this particular syndrome is jaw clenching and teeth grinding. I’ve clenched my jaw so hard that I’ve broken two molars. Of course, that led to crowns. Unfortunately, I don’t have much luck with those either- especially if I’m having an episode.

Right after I got my first crown, I waited the prescribed amount of time and then went out to dinner with my husband, just as we had planned. I ordered soup, which is one of my favorite things to eat. Not long into the meal I felt my cap pop right off. I almost swallowed it when I felt it rolling around in my mouth. There I was, at dinner, spitting my own tooth out into a napkin. It was too late to get back into the dentist, so I was stuck. So much for a good meal. Soup was all I had that night.

It was after I got fixed up that I heard about Dentemp OS for temporary dental repair. Dentemp OS is a magical little solution that will temporarily repair loose crowns, replace lost fillings, and relieve pain. It comes in a small plastic vial and is ready to use. Just take it out and pop it in. No mixing, no mess and you can eat on it within 30 minutes. It’s FDA approved for oral care, so you know it’s been fully tested and safe. Each vial contains at least 6 repairs. That’s a comforting thought when you’re out eating and want to avoid the embarrassment of holding your own tooth in your napkin.

I now keep Dentemp OS in my purse for “just in case”. I know I have this problem and I know that eventually it’ll cause me more problems with my teeth. So, why should I risk ruining dinner again? This is a perfect solution for people like me. I’ll still be careful with my crowns and fillings, but now at least I don’t have to worry about them.