Pamper Your Pain

04/19/2023

I’m having a hard time coping with my untreated pain. But I know that I am fortunate to at least receive some help. I’m working on a big project that could help so many people who suffer severe chronic pain. I won’t give more details until I am certain that this is perfect.

In the meantime, my emotional support dog has been so healthy since mixing her kibble with fresh food. It’s so convenient because they deliver! Her coat is so soft and shiny. Right now they have 50% off your first order, customized for your pet’s size and energy level. My first order was $31.00!

A smarter, healthier dog food: 100% human-grade food, pre-portioned and delivered to your door. Better for them & easier for you. Create your plan today!

07/15/2020

A Reason to Live.

Every journey starts with one step. I got a Fitbit watch for Christmas 2018. It was freezing cold in Minnesota, but I knew that my weight was making my pain worse. I could sit there on the couch zombified watching tv, or I could move. I started doing couch aerobics - commercials joke about it, but I had to get my heart used to activity. I worked my way up to walking in place, very slowly. Then I started running when fast-forwarding commercials. Now I could run for miles on my 11’ x 7’ rectangle of carpet, but I usually just walk in place and run for commercial-length intervals. Who needs a treadmill? Within months, I lost 50 pounds.

Then suddenly last summer I felt like I came down with Mono - zero energy, so dizzy all of the time, I passed out and hit my head on the bottom rungs of a chair. Some mornings I literally could not lift a finger - see, my severe constant pain caused high blood pressure that started in 2008, wasn’t controlled until 2012. It took a whole year for my doctor to realize that I didn’t need my blood pressure meds due to the weight loss. I wasted an entire year of my life with dangerously low blood pressure because doctors are so focused on my pain that they don’t treat my whole body. They caught the Type 2 Diabetes when I passed out, but they didn’t look at the bigger picture.

I went off my blood pressure meds in March, and the added energy has breathed new life into me! I have my Master’s Degree in Painting (MFA - Master of Fine Arts) but I couldn’t do anything with it because of the 2008 car accident, 5 years misdiagnosis of migraine instead of Occipital Neuralgia, surgeon fusing the wrong disc in my neck, pain medication taper, etc. COVID brought the need for masks, and I went to work creating with color and the drive to create has given me a reason to be excited to wake up. My masks are reusable, reversible, 100% cotton with non-woven interfacing, removable nose wires, and I scour the Internet for the most unique fabrics to create prints and color combinations that make my heart happy! Plus it’s like wearable art, and I love seeing people rock their social distancing in style. I created an Etsy store, but I would also sell them here on Facebook on Hidden Gem Face Masks via PayPal or Amazon GCs. I’ll only post on Pamper Your Pain (because I started this page and I think the subject matter fits - who doesn’t want to look stylish even when you don’t feel your best?) when I add large batches, so please if you are interested in my masks Like my page Hidden Gem Face Masks to get more frequent updates!

The best part about my masks is that you get 2 masks for the price of one - they are color coordinated but different on each side so you can wear them with more outfits! You also get free shipping with purchased over $35, and the mask prices will start at $4.99 and up depending upon the cost of the fabric, most run in the $7.99 - $14.99 range.

I would love it if you would share this post to inspire everyone you know to give them the courage to take that first step - or make that first move! If I can do it, you can too!

Here’s the link to my Etsy page HiddenGemFaceMasks:

https://etsy.me/3epHGKV

03/21/2018

Excellent advice!

https://themighty.com/2017/12/what-to-know-just-diagnosed-with-chronic-illness/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Mighty_Page

"No one tells you your life will never be the same."

03/19/2018

Be a Heating Pad Pro!

Have you gone through more electric heating pads than you can count?

I have, and it’s gotten too expensive! I have major neck problems from a car accident, and then a surgeon fused the wrong disc - my neck collapsed 3 years later. Cold therapy works best for migraines or injuries, but for me, heat relaxes my muscles, which allows muscles to lose their grip on my nerves. I’ve gone through at least 6 Sunbeam neck & shoulder pads, and one from Dr. Bob’s. I had to find a solution. The cause of death of the pads (RIP😢) was overheating and shorting out - I lay back against them because I can’t hold my head up. My solution has made my cheap generic rectangle heating pad last over 10 months and counting!

If you have to lay back against your electric heat pads, the trick is to take a non-electric pad (Microwaveable, cloth with the beads/grains inside, not the gel packs) and simply place that pad under the electric pad. It absorbs the extra heat! Now I’ve found an awesome neck & shoulder pad that’s affordable and even a bit more functional than Sunbeams. It’s super soft, better shaped for more neck coverage, 4 heat settings, the “High” setting is 140 degrees which is the maximum allowed, and still has the magnetic closure...and it is on sale at Amazon for $26! Just click the coupon for 10% off near the “Add to Cart” button and the discount is calculated at checkout. Not sure how long the sale will last.

http://amzn.to/2IAKPJe

Here is an option for the “under-pad” that would work great. (I got my Sunbeam version from Target, but it seems department stores lately have few options for heating pads.) Sometimes you can find them at drug stores.

http://amzn.to/2FW1qFo

Let me know if you have any questions!

My Heating Pad- Neck & Shoulder Wrap is designed for the neck, shoulders, and upper back area. It targets relief and pain of muscles, joints, arthritis, neck area, tendonitis, stress, shoulders, and the list goes on. In addition, it can be used to keep warm and comfy during a cold winter. The gre...

03/17/2018

By Pat Anson, Editor Human Rights Watch is well-known internationally for its groundbreaking reports on human rights violations around the world. The organization has recently reported on the torture of prisoners in Sri Lanka, forced labor in Thailand, and corruption and mass arrests in Sau

02/28/2018

PPM Editor in Chief-authored article about sudden, unexpected death in patients with chronic pain.

12/12/2017

Here’s the picture with my “Rally Rant” ❤️

This is my first “Pain Self-Portrait.” I’d like for everyone to create more of these portraits as a declaration to fight for humane treatment of humans. Over 100 million Americans suffer from Chronic Pain and at least half suffer from Severe Chronic Pain. People are inflicted with pain from unforeseen, unfortunate circumstances such as car accidents, injuries in the workplace, bad falls, painful genetic conditions, medical mistakes, illness, cancer... innocent victims. Yet the Government blocks their access to life-sustaining pain medication based on 14,000 deaths almost entirely due to consumption of lethal doses of illegal drugs like He**in, Fentanyl, and Co***ne in combination with minimal amounts of opioid analgesic.

The Government’s arguments for opioid medication regulation and Painkiller Prohibition are based on anecdotal evidence and political rhetoric. Their tools consist entirely of misdirection- manipulation of statistics, conjured fear, and manufactured terroristic insinuations that are gobbled up and regurgitated by the misguided media. Reporting on “The Opioid Epidemic” truly is “Fake News” because the argument for Painkiller Prohibition is not based upon Science, logic, proof, or any medical study. Physiologically, stress is more dangerous to the body than ci******es and alcohol. What is the greatest stress the body can possibly endure? Severe pain! Uncontrolled pain is lethal.

The United States Constitution promises:
1.) Pursuit of happiness
2.) Freedom from cruel torture.

These things are deliberately withheld from Chronic Pain Sufferers. It is impossible to be happy when you are crying out in pain that could easily be subdued with a single tablet. Laws restricting necessary medications are made without consideration for Sufferers’ welfare. Pain medication regulation is a serious matter of life or death. Without access, Chronic Pain Patients become tragic statistics. Abandoned and left without pain control, people are left with very few options -
A.) Commit Su***de
B.) Consume dangerous unregulated street drugs

Please join me in the creation and display (posting) of similar portraits or memoirs of pain. Portraits can be created using pictures, text, art, drawing, written stories, or anything else that expresses yourself and your viewpoint on pain, suffering, torture, politics, frustration, etc.
***de
***deNation

11/16/2017

Is Anyone Else Experiencing Extreme Fatigue?

The question is asked regularly in every Chronic Pain Support Group. The body fighting the internal pain response is the major cause of fatigue. A lot of people (doctors) will try to blame fatigue on medications but the fact is that we all face fatigue irrespective of any and all treatments. If a body’s pain is not adequately controlled, the body will get exhausted just trying to fight the pain. Most doctors and patients don’t think about it physically- but the body was designed so that when something is wrong, the body’s nerves will send an alert in the form of pain and discomfort. If the source of the pain is never resolved, the body continues in this hyper-drive “SOMETHING IS WRONG!!!!” panic, trying to alert us so that we make sure the source of serious physical disruption is fixed. Within the hyper-vigilant emergency response to the dangerous state of “fight or flight,” pain sufferers exist constantly in the physically exhausting and dangerous “fight” mode. It is taxing on a person’s internal functioning to be in a relentlessly heightened state. In the case of damaged nerves, most times the physiological problem can’t be fixed. At that point, our body has a deficit. Something is very disturbing on a physiological level. What do we do in the case of other dangerous bodily deficits? Doctors treat diabetes with insulin, high blood pressure with blood pressure medication, and depression with anti-depressants. Doctors need to either resolve the issue causing the pain, or treat the patient by relieving the pain.

I don’t understand why more research hasn’t been done for finding medication and/or treatments for pain. Opioid analgesics have been used successfully for thousands of years, and if they are going to take them away, there needs to be a comparable solution. None exists currently, despite failed attempts to try to prove otherwise.

Our body can only handle so much pain before it shuts down, and fatigue is the physical response to the body’s shutting down- it’s working on reserves and energy fumes so it limits the activity the rest of the body can perform. Sleep allows the body’s processes to slow down and it gets the effect of being recharged.

We desperately need a reliably effective, inexpensive way to treat pain. People living with perpetual pain are being knocked over by fatigue, and that fatigue is proof that our bodies are malfunctioning and they need relief from their suffering. Every day, prescription restrictions lead to more and more suffering. Something must be done to protect people being tortured by pain!

09/21/2017

"This Is Too Much!"

"I Thought God Doesn't Give More Than I Can Handle?"

**Warning - this is a spiritual post with Christian thoughts/beliefs. If you are offended by "religious" thought, please skip this post.**

I've said this before and I've heard it said. I've discovered that the thought "God never gives you more than you can handle" is actually a misinterpretation. In the Bible, it is said that God never tempts us beyond what we can handle and He always gives us a way to escape temptation. As far as "giving more than you can handle" - first, God does not give us pain and suffering. He is not the source of destruction. God didn't suddenly decide to inflict pain upon me just for the heck of it. He gave us Free Will and thus He cannot impose upon on it. Pain and hardship come as a result of the improper use of man's Free Will - our own, or that of others. For example, a guy CHOSE to speed 45mph in a 5mph residential dorm parking lot and crashed into me, causing destruction of my life as I knew it. My surgeon fused the wrong disc, knew he made the mistake when he saw the post-op X-ray, and CHOSE not to right his mistake... You may see the direct cause if you think on it, or it could be a chain of events and multiple exertions of multiple wills, like a company deciding to take a calculated risk by including an ingredient that may cause cancer. The person who contracts it most likely won't know the origin of the cancer. But I know God did not directly and purposefully "give" that person cancer.

Now, can God fix things with a twitch of His eye? Yes. He has that power. But there are far deeper reasons that our suffering continues. I've heard it said that God trusts certain people to endure this pain for a much deeper purpose and I have come to understand this and try to help as many fellow sufferers as possible to make meaning out of the chaos.

But mainly I think that in times where we feel we have "too much to handle," the Bible says that we need to learn to lay down ALL of our burdens at God's feet and He will deal with them in His own timing. My marriage was shredded to dust and it isn't until I finally said, "God, this marriage is in Your name. This is Your battle to fight. Please, fight it for me! Save this marriage!" By the end of that day, a miracle did happen and we reached the point where we could hit the imaginary reset button and wipe the resentments clean to start over. It is frustrating that resolution will not always work that quickly, unless it is a matter of life or immediate impending ruin. So in a sense, I guess I was at a point where I could no longer "handle" my marriage- so giving it to God to handle was the way to resolve the matter and be unburdened.

The problem is that most people either shoulder their own burdens and wonder why they aren't getting fixed, or they give them to Him and then when it appears God is not solving any one or all of them by our own standards and opinions, a short time later we sn**ch back the burdens and put them back on our shoulders. This is essentially telling God that we don't trust Him to fix things. Then, we get angry with Him for not fixing problems that have not been given completely of free will to Him for Him to fix (when we take it back and think "This is taking WAY too long!! I have to handle this on my own") I think this form of anger is like telling God that He is a bad parent and it is akin to giving Him the middle finger.

The main point is - If you feel like you have too much to handle, you most likely do. He wants you to come to Him, just as much as Human parents want their children to come to them - parents don’t want their child to suffer on their own, especially if the parents can help. You need to hand ALL of the problem over to Him and He will help you endure until things work out according to His plan. God loves you so much! He wants you to lean in on Him especially in times like these.

Try giving all of your burdens to God. My personal technique is to imagine a large box and I put each problem in it. Then I lock the box hand it to God sitting on the throne. I give Him the key and walk away, feeling the weight fall off. Please come back and share your story with us!

09/13/2017

I think when we are asked, "How are you doing?" - the perpetually-pained all struggle frequently with the balance between truth+transparency versus polite avoidance or lying because the fear of judgment or making people uncomfortable. I try to notice if this is a question asked in passing that should be replaced with a new pleasantry. But if the person is stopped in front of me when they ask, I'm a "tell it like it is" person. I make the assumption that because I care when I ask, other people must too. But my family tells me that I need to stop telling people how I feel and put a halt on discussing my crazy story of misfortune & medical maladies. It hurts me that the people who "care" about me feel I should smile and lie. Mostly, it makes me very angry that we live in a world where people can't handle or don't care about the pain that people are suffering. I try to think why they are so contemptuous about how we answer the question with truth... Sometimes friends/family are jealous of the attention, they have resentments caused by your condition, they are judgmental, bullies, callous, or are without capacity for sympathy. Those are their own problems to sit with and they should put themselves in the same "Judgment Chair" for cross-examination!

To the friends/family that are tired of hearing the same old stories if they are with you, or if this question is asked of them regarding their "loved-one" when the suffering person is not there - maybe they should stop thinking of themselves for a minute and volunteer to answer the question for the sufferer with something nice like, "S/he is so strong, I can't imagine all that s/he has to go through and still stand here! It's a tough fight just to get through the day sometimes - I can see the pain in her/his eyes yet s/he grins through and bears it. I'm so proud of him/her - through the pain s/he has raised an outstanding, well-behaved, loving, intelligent, spunky child/grandchild! [Or - despite all the challenges, they were able to graduate college/work/or other accomplishments]."

I treasure the few people who actually care and are genuinely interested when they ask the question. I really don't care if someone is uncomfortable with the conversation. People need to care. If they don't, then they shouldn't ask a question if they aren't ready to handle the answer. Maybe they should re-program the act of empty gestures out of force of habit and get back into reality to face a world where 100 Million Americans suffer from perpetual pain and it's hard to see past it. Maybe people should learn a new go-to greeting if they really don't care how someone is doing:

*"It's a beautiful/ugly day out there, isn't it?"
*"It's good to see you out and I hope you are doing well."
*"What's good?"
*Ask about specific aspects or areas of a person's life like their children, family, work, hobbies,etc
*If you don't really care, don't ask the question!

I ran into a friend today. We bumped into each other at the polling place as I went to cast my vote for school board. She was working the polls as she does each election. This is a friend I used to work with on occasion in my previous position.Continue Reading...

09/12/2017

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) - could you have it? This is a little-known condition that many may have without knowledge that it is causing many of their symptoms. If there are lower degrees of this syndrome, I believe that I have it, but doctors don't listen to me because it rarely shows up in necks. Please watch this video for Awareness - if you don't have it, maybe someone in your support groups does and they are desperate for answers. If you really dislike Sarah McLaughlin's "Angel" please put your YouTube on mute - this is purely a visual documentation.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo-xQLigqDo

Awareness Video for CRPS/RSD.

08/24/2017

I try periodically to post these items to make sure that people know that they are out there, because they provide so much relief. Here is my list of the best Neck & Shoulder Heating and Cooling Pad choices~

Heat Choices

Major Heat:
XL Sunbeam Neck & Shoulders Heating Pad
•Strong heat
•Medium coverage
•Most expensive
http://amzn.to/2xeah1g

Wrapped in Soothing Deep Heat:
Dr. Bob's Neck & Shoulders Heating Pad
•Largest coverage
•Medium price point
•Very deep soothing heat (doesn't feel as hot on the skin as Sunbeam but I found it more comforting)
http://amzn.to/2w5eLqP

Economic Choice:
Sunbeam Regular Neck & Shoulder Heating Pad
•Less coverage
•Strong heat
•Least expensive
http://amzn.to/2g8sCZT

Cooling Choices:
(I don't use cooling packs on neck & shoulders so I can't do much of comparison outside of price and Amazon Customer Reviews)

Major Neck Coverage:
Cold or Heat Cervical Ice Pack
•Microwave or put in freezer
•Major neck coverage all around the neck instead of just in back
http://amzn.to/2vZcwXO

Economic Heating and Cooling:
Core 544 Tri-sectional Neck & Shoulder
•Microwave heat or Freezer cool
•Under $20 cheapest on the list
http://amzn.to/2wokeMk

08/17/2017

My dear friend Elaine Ballard is an inspiration. She has just published a book about living with pain, particularly Arachnoiditis, a horrifically painful degenerative disease of the spine that often causes the sufferer to become wheelchair-bound. This book reflects her contagious positive outlook and is a testament of her steadfast faith in God even through suffering unimaginable pain. I recommend it to anyone who struggles to find their way to the best path in life when obstacles and detours abound.

I've desired to write a number of books, and Elaine has shown me that it is possible to achieve a goal that seems out of reach when battling endless pain. Thank you for being an inspiration to all and congratulations on publishing this much-needed book!

http://amzn.to/2vK0sIf

Amazon.com: 1548426903

07/26/2017

I struggle to find the energy to shower and to deal with scalp sensitivity because of the irritated nerves from my Occipital Neuralgia. I completely identified with this letter and it made me feel like I was not alone.

https://themighty.com/2017/06/love-letter-to-those-who-struggle-to-shower-with-chronic-illness/

"To every person who week after week feels like crying when lather-rinse-repeating... I see you."

07/22/2017

Rebound Headaches

Also: Over the Counter (OTC) Medication Warning

Something everyone with pain should know:
OTC medications like Ibuprofen, aspirin, and Naproxen (NSAIDS) can cause you extra, unnecessary head pain. They cause what are called "Rebound Headaches."

Rebound headaches are caused by over-the-counter medications. I can't remember what specifically happens- if your body gets too used to it or if the inactive ingredients cause problems, but any person who suffers from chronic head pain needs to know about rebound headaches.

(Occipital Neuralgia is a type of head pain that occurs in the nerves due to injury to the neck or head. Please ask in the comments if you have questions about this condition.)

Rebound headaches are often confused with migraines, Chronic Daily Migraine, and/or Occipital Neuralgia because they are all forms of head pain, but you have to look closer at the pain itself to see it. Rebounds can occur together with other head pain types or separate or a rebound can set off a nerve flare of Occipital Neuralgia. The differences are that the pain of rebound headaches occur in blood vessels like a normal headache or migraine, manifest usually in the temples or forehead, and have an achy pain. Occipital Neuralgia pain occurs in and follows the length of the Greater and/or Lesser Occipital nerves. ON pain is sharp, burning, jolting, stabbing, or zapping.

Bad rebound headaches cause you to take more of them, and it's a neverending cycle.

(I do not endorse taking or not taking medications while pregnant-please consult your doctor first) If you look at the ranking of the danger of medications taken by a pregnant woman, narcotics are one or two levels safer - less harmful than Ibuprofen and Aspirin. Tylenol is ranked as a lesser threat at or above the same level of opioid analgesics, but can cause rebound headaches too.

Most opioids have Tylenol or Ibu in them, in amounts of 325-500 mg or more, so it is best to ask your doctor for Hydrocodone or Oxycodone without the extra NSAIDS. This will allow you to do away with the largest potential for rebound, and you should see improvement in your head pain.

Rebound Headaches aren't the only danger with OTC medications. People incorrectly assume that because they are legal and readily available, that they are safe. As with everything in life, you must take these medications in moderation. There are at least 10,000 deaths associated with OTC pain relievers and tens to hundreds of thousands of cases of organ damage, organ failure, and other dangerous risks like increasing risk of a brain bleed or excessive bleeding from a system overload of developing a tolerance for the pills. Watch your doses carefully and do NOT exceed taking the dosages on the label. If normal doses do not help, please tell your doctor about your inadequate pain control.

If your doctor refuses to prescribe opioid analgesics (even though they truly are safer than OTC medication) do NOT take more than 1000 mg of an OTC drug. Because Tylenol is different from NSAIDs, you can take a normal dose of Tylenol, a regular dose of Ibuprofen/Aspirin/Naproxen, and an antihistamine like Benedryl will help you rest and relax which helps most kinds of pain.

I'm not in the medical field, but have discovered this in my long fight with Occipital Neuralgia and Migraines. My mom once gave me flack for taking narcotics when she said that just an aspirin would do the job. I made a bet with her that she had to watch my little girl if she was wrong, and sure enough, half an hour later I still had the ON pain with a rebound headache on top of it.

Be safe everyone!

07/04/2017

We all work SO hard fighting our pain, we all deserve a vacation. I know money is tight with all of our medical costs, but I have ways to help anyone on a budget to find a relaxing getaway. It was tips like this one that I had in mind when I started this page.

How to Book the Cheapest Vacation Ever!

I have decided that I need to give people something of value to exchange for donations, so I am going to give away my Super Secret Vacation Savings Techniques to booking a gorgeous vacation on practically any budget. In my college days, I helped book 3 separate vacations for myself and friends & family to Mexico for under $600 per person - airfare and hotel combined! My Spring Break to Cancun, airfare + condo, cost us $325 each! That was a little while ago, but the technique is even easier today! If you appreciate my advice, please donate to my cause! If you can't, please Share, Share, Share because your friends and family probably want to know the secret techniques to save on vacations!

My tricks:

1. Divert From Hotel Search-engine Sites. Use a website like hotels.com to locate a hotel/property that you like. It usually needs to be a larger facility. Once you find the name of the place, go to Google to search the name and location. If you found the right type of place, you will start to see postings for independent websites renting out the same rooms for hundreds less than the "Easy Locator" conglomerate Hotel Search Engines. This is because the building has Time-share rooms or condos! There are a number of Time-share websites that post these properties available across the world. People list their time slots on a Co-op Time-share listing Classified Ad-type of website for when owners can't use their time. They want to get their slot sold but usually are not in a huge hurry. Continue looking for a different property if there are no Time-shares available until you find the right place and book directly with the property.
2. Travel with friends! The easiest way to cut your lodging in half is to share! Find a condo with two bedrooms and a couple that you have fun with. Twice we invited a fifth person who slept on the couch and we divided up the cost!
3. Airfare - the easiest way to save money is to be flexible with your departure/arrival dates. Fridays and weekends cost top dollar. Tuesday - Thursday departures are significantly cheaper, sometimes hundreds cheaper.
A. Travel Agents: I looked in the newspaper classifieds to find an actual travel agent, and they worked hard to get me the best deal possible. Their commission was very reasonable, since everyone is booking online and business is slow.
B. Google Flights: google.com/flights
C. Facebook Cheap Flight Groups: on the top of most FB pages, there is a search bar. Search for your airport's Abbreviation + "flights" - For example, I'm in Minneapolis, so searched "MSP Flights" and came up with a group called Minneapolis Flight Deals that puts out an alert for cheap flight discounts. Search terms: "City of airport + flights" "Airport + Airfare" or "Cheap flights + Destination"

I want to thank all who have contributed to my campaign- donations and Shares. I appreciate it so much!

If this information was helpful, please donate:
Gofundme.com/ipadforpainactivism

Please sign in to access your GoFundMe account.

07/01/2017

I think I may have devised a way to get doctors more inclined to take your pain seriously!

Lately I've been on this kick where I have been assessing the anti-Opioid sentiments and contradicting them with fact, logic, reasoning, and Science. Because their arguments are almost always emotional ploys or unsubstantiated anecdotal claims. So there's the scientific knowledge of the metabolic processing of opioids in a brain of someone in pain versus someone not in pain. I've probably explained that one a bit too much, but I will extend the explanation in the comments.

So the most recent angle I am exploring is the severe physical/physiological detriment caused by unresolved pain. Most of us have seen our blood pressure and pulse skyrocket since before the pain. The entire medical field agrees that stress can be more damaging to your body than alcohol and ci******es. Well, what is the absolute most potent form of stress? Severe pain! There are studies done about significant loss of grey matter of the brain of Pain Sufferers. Then there is the ever-mounting list of "co-morbid" conditions that get tacked on. That's because your body NEVER gives up fulfilling its biological purpose of the nerves alerting you that there is a problem. It's like a "Check Engine" light that gets ignored (by doctors) for years, and because the repair place can't figure out what is wrong, the light never goes out and other parts and systems in the car begin to fail.

So what is my hypothesis? I bought a blood pressure and pulse monitor and I am going to keep track of my stats when my pain spikes, and where it hits rare lows. My blood pressure was controlled before my doctor cut my pain meds in half, and today was the second appointment with high blood pressure. These monitors are really cheap! I just ordered one for $21 on a gc I had left over from my birthday. Here's the one I bought, although there are more expensive ones with fancier features:
http://amzn.to/2tAzzbF

Then you just need to track it. You can use a pen and paper, or there are various free apps I believe. But I found a gem of a Pain Diary. It's called My Pain Diary 2. You can keep track of at least 8 separate conditions, it pulls in data for local weather at the time of the entry, there are great presets but you have options for adding new categories/symptoms/remedies/triggers, etc. You can make a category like "Time spent being upright" and choose for it to have a slide scale 1 to 10, a yes/no button, a blank box to write in, a list of possible choices you can always add on. It was made by a Chronic Pain Sufferer who knows how to create an app that is full of features yet surprisingly uncomplicated. It was $10 when I got it, but I thought it was well worth it!

Hope this helps!

Start testing with this Care Touch Digital Fully Automatic Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor - Classic Edition, Medium Cuff - Batteries and Carrying Case IncludedFeatures: •It is easy to use and is clinically accurate. •It can keep track of up to 90 readings each for 2 people, with a...