Off to Minneapolis for the Pain Summit

I just finished packing. I leave early (really early) in the morning for the American Pain Foundation Pain Summit in Minneapolis.

Years ago, I used to travel regularly for work and learned to pack light – 1 pair of black pants, 1 pair of khaki pants, 1 black shirt, 1 tan shirt and 1 print shirt. That makes 6 outfits – black and black, black and tan, tan and black, tan and tan … you get the idea. I usually fly Southwest and am not used to the checked baggage charges (bags still fly free on Southwest). This trip I’m going Delta. Despite my expenses being reimbursed, I don’t like to pay for a checked bag (it just doesn’t seem right) so I re-learned packing light. No airline is getting an extra $25 to $40 from me!

I’m nervous about arriving in Minneapolis. The best way to the downtown hotel is by light rail. I don’t really know what that is and my back (and the accompanying pain) doesn’t allow me to carry luggage too well. Thank goodness for wheels.

No matter what, I’ll get there and then rest and be raring to go – learning about the APF and what I can do to help myself and others who live with pain!

Rx Medicine Interactions

On Monday, I went to a doctor appointment with one of my good friends from our pain support group. Sometimes it’s good to have a second person there to take notes and listen – without the pain, ownership and expectations of the patient. And I’m a good listener and note taker.

Because of screwed up thyroid test results, she went to see an endocrinologist. I was impressed that he spent a considerable amount of time with her and gave detailed explanations of his thoughts. His take on her hypo-thyroidism – it’s a result of the prescription medication she is taking to boost the anti-depressant medicine. I don’t know if this is true or not (she is going to get doctor consent, get off the thyroid medicine and get re-tested), but it raises the issue of too many medications and too many different doctors creating more problems.

My neighbor has a multitude of issues – heart, failed surgery, blood pressure, stroke, and who knows what else. He told me about all the different pain medications he is taking and all the side effects he is having. I am all about taking the right medicine to help me feel better, but I try hard to limit the number of different medicines I take. Every medicine has potential side effects and, in my opinion, taking TOO many medicines can’t be good … even if the doctor said everything will be OK.

Doctors, please take the time to review ALL our conditions and medications and get ALL the medical records so you can make informed diagnosis. And patients, don’t just rely on doctors, you need to be your own advocate. YOU are in charge of your health, not some doctor(s).

One thing I do know that works is a twisted Frosty (chocolate with M&Ms) from Wendy’s on the way home from a doctor’s appointment. YUM!

Painting and Paying a Price

I don’t normally talk too much about my pain. I figure that if I focus on it less, maybe it will have less power over me. As I start figuring my way through the American Pain Foundation (what am I going to do, how am I going to make a difference, etc.) I feel I have to be more willing to talk about my pain.

For those of you who don’t know, short story – I broke my back in 2003. Pain still here. Thanks to morphine and a significantly limited lifestyle, I am not bedridden. Sometimes I do things (that I know I shouldn’t do) and then I pay a price. We paid a professional painter to paint our house. He didn’t do a good job and didn’t finish. Yesterday, I decided to paint the garage door to get it finished. Ouch. BIG OUCH! I only did a couple small panels. After that I took my immediate release morphine (for the acute pain) and then reclined for the rest of the day. I took a Zanaflex (muscle relaxant) at bed time. This morning – still OUCH. Guess today I will do nothing and try to recover.

Sometimes I just get the need to DO something … even if I have to pay a price later.

Interesting side note: I didn’t have any hot flashes during the sleeping hours (as I usually do from going through menopause). Could Zanaflex have a side benefit? I don’t take the muscle relaxant very often, but will try it again to test my hypothesis. Has anyone else had this side benefit?

Business Cards and Chocolate – Easy Ways to Please this Girl

Since, I’ll be out of town next weekend at the American Pain Foundation Summit, I skipped my monthly chronic pain meet-up today to spend time with my husband. I miss my ‘in-pain’ friends, but know that whether in person or through e-mail we will always be there for each other.

I need face-to-face time with my husband. Since I no longer am able to work, I sit home most of the time alone while my husband works (and works). Today, our face-to-face time included a trip downtown Raleigh to Escazu, an artisan chocolate shop. This is NOT ordinary chocolate, but handmade dark chocolate. YUM! We had been there before in the winter for a delicious hot chocolate (like no other) and now we went and bought a couple dark chocolate bars (we only bought them for the health value, yeah, right!). More time together when we watch the NASCAR race on TV tonight (we love NASCAR!)

Another way to please this girl? Business cards. I received my American Pain Foundation business cards today. I guess that means I’m official. Something as simple as a business card (even though I told the APF I didn’t need them) really makes me feel worthy. I guess I have value again.

Chocolate and business cards. What a great day!

APF Motivating Me to Blog

I’ve said this before, I need to get motivated to blog more often. I think I have a reason this time … the American Pain Foundation (APF). For months, I’ve researched their site, talked to several people and found I like what they believe in. Plus, I still have to find my next chapter in life. I have a friend who gets satisfaction from helping individual people. Not me. I continue to find that I am still a corporate nerd. I like the idea of working in a big organization and helping to make change. I’m a small cog in the bigger wheel, but I’m not the entire wheel. I worked for General Motors and Saturn Corporations for more than 20 years. I enjoyed that environment. Most people say they don’t like that world. Too many rules. Too many boundaries. Too many personalities. Too many unmotivated, unprofessional people you have to work with. I agree. That’s the challenge. I like rules – so I can bend them. I like to know the boundaries – so I can push them. So, here is the American Pain Foundation.

Not that they have too many rules or unmotivated, unprofessional people. But, they are an established organization … with a mission that I believe in. I think I have found my next chapter – volunteer work with the APF. My schedule. My limitations. Maybe, I can make a difference for people with pain.

So, it’s time to start blogging again and continue to tell my story.