The Pained Life
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The Pained Life, 30 years, and counting, of living with chronic pain. Thoughts on the life, the struggle, the good, the bad, and more
The Pained Life
3w ago
Is the Hype About a New Non-Opioid Analgesic Justified? — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy In a previous column, I asked why pharmaceutical companies haven’t been able to “build a better mousetrap” by developing new and effective non-opioid medications for pain Every doctor I've seen about my chronic facial pain has only offered me opioids. As is true for many ..read more
The Pained Life
5M ago
A Pained Life: Stop the Denial — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist For many of us, pain is sporadic. Sometimes we know exactly when it will be start or what will set it off. Other times, it may hit spontaneously. When my trigeminal neuralgia pain started in 1976, it was constant, triggered and spontaneous. Now it can be triggered b ..read more
The Pained Life
6M ago
Living on False Hope — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist I live on false hope. I think hope is what keeps many of us afloat. And when the medical community tells you, “I have nothing left to offer you,” false hope is all there is. And then I open my email, and there is a story in KevinMD , a medical site that I trust. It’s ..read more
The Pained Life
11M ago
Is the DEA a Domestic Terrorist Organization? — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist Terrorism is very much in the news these days, given the Israeli-Hamas war and all the fallout from it around the world. But terrorism can also hit close to home and in unexpected ways. The FBI defines domestic terrorism this way: “Violent, criminal acts committed ..read more
The Pained Life
1y ago
A Pained Life: Let the Words Flow — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist I ended my last column with my favorite saying: “You don't know what you don't know. And if you don't know what you don't know, you don't know what to ask. Our doctors need to ask.” A couple of days later, I thought about the column and my second appointment with a n ..read more
The Pained Life
1y ago
What Doctors Should Ask Patients in Pain — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist I learned in childhood to keep my mouth shut if I had pain or was feeling sick. My siblings would say, "Stop your whining. Just go to your room if you're feeling so bad, so we don't have to hear about it!" I learned to say nothing, no matter how bad I felt ..read more
The Pained Life
3y ago
https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2021/12/24/a-gift-to-be-revered (first published on Pain News Network I was thinking, “It's Christmas time. I'm supposed to be happy.” Instead, I am by myself in the parking lot, observing others walking with friends, enjoying each other, and the frivolity of the season. And I am jealous. I hear the laughter as they walk past me, reveling in the joy of the holiday. And I am jealous. I feel the biting cold, as I watch them pull scarves tight around their necks, pulling them up over chins and around their ears. Others tugging on their hats to keep out the ..read more
The Pained Life
3y ago
By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist I recently read a post in one of the online chronic pain support groups. “Sue” had just left an appointment with her pain management doctor. She was enraged, so angry about the way the meeting had gone, that she went right to her computer and complained about it. “My doctor asked, ‘What do you think about my lowering the pain meds you're on?’” Sue wrote. “How dare he reduce them!” was her response. Sue said the medications were helping her and the doctor had some nerve to ask. All these doctors want to do is hurt us, she wrote, and if it wasn't for the CDC and FDA ..read more
The Pained Life
3y ago
What Would Sherlock Holmes Say About the Opioid Crisis? — Pain News Network ..read more