Chronic Pain Blog

This is a blog dedicated to those who suffer with chronic pain or to those who want to understand it.

[baroque-o-llama]

Just a reminder that I have an Instagram page for my poetry which basically stopped me going insane.

Follow if ya fancy, I have a book out soon and will be doing a giveaway!!!!

[baroque-o-llama]

Guys guys guys!! I made an Instagram for my poetry and I’d be a super eternally grateful little bean if you could check it out!!

[baroque-o-llama]

so ya boi (me) has spent the last 12 months working through depression and anxiety caused by a shit storm of things in my life. during this time of crying constantly, not speaking and generally staying in my bed 24/7 I’ve never felt lonelier and more worthless so I spent my time writing poetry - something I used to do when I was sad. turns out, I wrote enough poems to make a book - so here it is - Peace.

I wrote this because I didn’t want people to feel alone and it gave me a channel which felt like my only solice in a world that seemed to hate my fucking guts.

pls enjoy xoxo

[princess-of-positivity]

whatever is ailing you, i hope the pain eases

[harmony-is-happiness]

[chronicpain09]

Get The Shirt

Donate Directly

Chronicpain09 is proud to announce that we have started Operation Care, which benefits St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa, FL. Operation Care raises money to bring care items to hospitalized patients.  We hope you decide to donate, a small donation can go a long way!

[freeingeileen-blog]

[smoofza]

How r u supposed to take care of a dog if u use a wheelchair you can't even take it for a walk

[purplebuddhaquotes]

10,000 KILOGRAMS OF RICE FOR SCHOOLS IN CAMBODIA

With you support, I will be donating 10,000 Kilograms of rice to the Aranh School in Siem Reap, Cambodia through a 501©(3) registered charity, Caring for Cambodia. CFC sponsors students to attend school free of costs for students whom come from disadvantaged socio economic backgrounds. CFC has a program called, Food for thought, which sponsors meals breakfast and lunch to make sure every student has a meal to eat.

* This campaign beneficiary is tied directly to the account of Caring for Cambodia, which means CFC will be directly receiving funds from Gofundme. Funds will be 100% directly be going towards Caring for Cambodia’s Food for Thought Program as part of Gofundme’s Certified charity program.

How to Help:

1. Donate to our fundraising campaign to purchase 10,000 kilograms of rice for schools in Cambodia that sponsor children attendance free of cost.

2. Reblog this post so that as many people can see this campaign.

3. Pledge a Fb, Twitter, or Tumblr Share on Thunderclap

Thanks you for your support of my project in Cambodia,

Forrest Curran

About Purple Buddha Project

[kubrickstares]

Click here to support help 2 disabled, uninsured LGBT folx survive

we're two disabled & uninsured LGBT folx living in southern Mississippi, & our names are Alex (25, they/them) and Maggie (23, she/her). we urgently need to make it to a new state where we anticipate we'll be able to receive health insurance & decent healthcare.

I had brain surgery fairly recently & haven’t rly recovered yet due to multiple chronic illnesses / being in an environment where I can’t rly heal. I have severe chronic pain (intractable chronic migraines) and bc I’m uninsured, my pain isn’t being treated, so I’m mostly homebound. Most days my pain is a 7-8 out of ten, but never gets below a five. I very recently found out I have severe food allergies, and I’ve experienced anaphylaxis at least 5 times in the last 2 months. my family is abusive, homophobic, and transphobic, and they are putting me in danger by regularly cooking with my allergens. I’m sick, depressed, and suicidal living here - moving would help my physical & mental health so immensely.  I know so many of us are broke right now so please don’t feel pressured to give what you don’t have, but if you are able to give anything it would mean the world to us both. <3  feel free to msg me (Alex) or @verticallabret (Maggie) if you’re considering donating but have questions first! 

you can donate through: cash $autistpsyche  venmo @autistpsyche youcaring 

[chronic-illness-resources]

(update: April 12th, 2017)

right now, I take 5 to 15 Benadryl per day to keep from having anaphylaxis (again). I have chronic pain that’s an 8/10 daily, and my neurologist and neurosurgeon are no longer treating me. I’m living with no pain management at the moment, which takes a toll on mental health. I’m *really* close to being able to move w/ a fellow chronically ill friend to somewhere where my health would do much better. if you’re able to help out at all, it’s very much appreciated.

[kubrickstares]

thank u so much to everyone who has donated & shared! 💖

we’ve received $250 in donations, and we have spent a little over $200 on food, medications, and gas. we are moving in 7 days & could really use help with travel expenses - pls keep sharing if you can!

[arealarchaeopteryx]

please don't ever think that no one cares about you

I work in an ER and we see suicides all the time. And we get at least 3 suicidal ideations a night. We all care about you. I promise, we do. A team of complete strangers who have worked 3+ 12 hour shifts this week who are being screamed at all day and night and probably haven’t had lunch and trust me, we still love you and care about you.

We had a 16 year old patient last night who we couldn’t save. We were in that room with this patient for over an hour, we did everything we could. And let me tell you, we all cried. The EMT’s, the nurses, the doctor. We all huddled together in the doctors dictation room and cried.

I went through the rest of my shift with smudged mascara and tracks on my cheeks.

I remember the names of all the patients that have taken their lives on my shifts.

I remember squeezing the hands, smoothing the hair, kissing the foreheads, and wiping away the blood and the vomit of every patient that has left me too soon.

I can still see every face that I have zipped into a body bag.

Trust me, someone cares about you. You have never met them yet. You don’t ever think about them. They are never remembered when you talk about heroes and role models.

But someone loves you.

[shroom-goddess]

damn….

[phantomkinoc13]

This made me cry

[croatoan-the-line]

When I was in hospital being seen to, being bandaged and sedated and surrounded by medical staff, my family was ignoring my calls, my friends hadn’t cared to check in. I felt terrified and hopeless and so very unimportant that it was taking everything it had in me to not drink the cleaning products left nearby by one of the cleaners, to make sure I finished the job properly.

There was a nurse though, who came into my room with a soft smile, who held my hand, who took away the bottles when she noticed me watching them for too long. There was a nurse that plugged in my phone to charge in case my family called back, that took away the bloody cloths the paramedics had left me with, that helped me put my hair up when it was sticking to my tear streaked face, because my arms were too sore to do it myself.

There was a nurse that saved my life twice in one night, who made me feel that I was worth being looked after, and her name was Emma and she was the most beautiful person I’ve met.

Months later, I was visiting my mother at the same hospital whilst she was incapacitated with back concerns. Whilst I sat and watched my mum sleeping, a nurse approached to check up on her. She met my gaze and she smiled immediately, face lit with recognition, and she said “oh my gosh, hey! How are you doing?”

People definitely do care about us even if we don’t think they do, and to the original poster?

Your faces are never forgotten either.

You’re more than heroes to me.

[servicek9s-deactivated20180617]

Im not crying you are 

[sopherielspeaks]

[unaverage-confessions]

Me: I want to relapse

Me to me: NO YOU ARE GOING TO RECOVER

[neuro-psych-faq]

What to do when you want to relapse

[keepupthefight]

Psych Hospital Rules & What to bring/not to bring

Okay, so I want to write this post because when I was first admitted to the hospital I didn’t know the “rules” and what to bring/not to bring. Here’s to trying to help you navigate the mental health system and making your stay comfy. 

Important to note that every hospital is different. I was admitted to a small voluntary unit at my local hospital. Experiences can vary depending on where you go and where you live. The list of things to bring and not to bring are my attempt to generalize inpatient stays. If you end up bringing something that’s not allowed, it will be either stored or given to one of your visitors.

When you are admitted, you’ll be given a list of rules that you’re required to follow by the facility you’re in. 

What not to bring to the psych hospital: 

Anything with strings attached; if they can’t be removed don’t bring the item as the alternative is having the strings/laces cut out.

Shoes with laces; the staff won’t just take the laces they will take the shoes as they can be a “tripping hazard”.

Belts, scarves, necklaces; anything that can be potentially be used to harm yourself.

Anything with alcohol; this isn’t just the stuff you drink, look on your conditioner bottle you’ll likely see a form of alcohol listed and that will not be permitted. In my experience, I was allowed to bring the items and have them stored behind the nurse’s station to be handed out in small amounts. I have yet to find a conditioner that doesn’t contain a form of alcohol.

Open food or drinks; you may be able to have visitors bring in sealed and labeled food, but unfortunately you won’t get McDonald’s in the unit. The rationale is that food may be tampered with and/or used to smuggle items into the unit.

Q-tips, nail files, dental floss, nail clippers, shaving razors; anything that is small enough to either swallow or inflict external injury. You may be able to be handed a safety razor to use. The men on my unit would shave their facial hair, but the women didn’t bother even shaving anywhere. We were in a psychiatric unit, shaving our legs wasn’t on the list of things to be concerned with.

Hats, caps, etc; unless you have a religious head covering (and it’s deemed you are safe to wear it), anything that covers your head is prohibited.

Anything with metal pieces such as spirals in notebooks, paper clips, etc; you may be allowed to use pens but that will easily be revoked if you attempt to disassemble it. 

Any sort of bag; this means your visitor can bring your stuff in a bag but you can’t keep the bag in your room for storage. 

Medications; you’ll have your meds given on the unit, anything you bring in is sent down to pharmacy storage.

Drugs of abuse; if you’re addicted to Xanax and you bring your bottle of Xanax with you, you’re not getting it back. A women I was with on one of my stays was upset about this very thing.

Illegal drugs; you’ve got a lot more serious issues if your bring any illegal drugs with you. If you’ve managed to bring them into the hospital, give them up in the ER, but there’s really no reason to even get any illegal drugs through the hospital doors. If you do bring illegal drugs in, police will be involved and you’ll be likely transferred out to a different facility or possibly jail.

Anything with glass; flower vases, picture frames, etc. The glass can be broken and used to harm yourself and/or others.

Balloons with and without strings; though these may be kept behind the nurses station so they are still visible just not accessible

Technology; including phones, tablets, computers. Being in the hospital is primarily focused on limiting stressors and that means making a technology free “bubble” (minus what the unit provides). You’d be surprised at how many people admit to having serious stress from Facebook/Twitter/etc. 

What to bring: 

A comfy pillow; hospital pillows suck. Enough said.

A big fleece blanket; to cuddle with around the unit and optionally sleep with at night. 

Comfort stuffed animal; these may not be allowed everywhere, my second admission it had to be kept in the nurse’s station but I got it during panic attacks/flashbacks/night terrors.

Clothes for at least a week; despite most units recommending only three days, it’s much more common to have 5-7 day stays.

Clothes to make sure you have enough of: underwear, bras (this is personal comfort, you’re in the hospital, enjoy the bra-free time), tees, comfy sweat pants and hoodies (without strings of course), PJ’s, socks. 

Personal hygiene stuff; shampoo and conditioner, body wash, a pouf, pads/tampons especially if you even think there’s a chance your period may come while you’re inpatient. The pads they offer in the hospital suck.

Notebooks or paper to write on, it’s therapeutic to journal or perhaps you wish to record your musings observed during your stay.

Something to write with; pens (if allowed) or pencils if you prefer. Or, alternatively, anything you’re allowed to write with.

Books to read; for the “free time” you’ll get, just don’t bring something too raunchy (but, in all fairness, my roommate was allowed to bring in Fifty Shades)

Pictures from home; I had ones of my guinea pigs, it really helped me stay connected. 

Rules you should know:

Remain calm, or try to; you want to avoid getting in a fight with another patient or causing hell by tearing apart the unit. This will get you nowhere positive.

If you are doing the above because you want to be drugged, just ask for it. I’m serious. Telling the nurses you’re about to lose it and tear apart the unit and you need something now is preferred over actually acting on the behaviors. Only downside is you’ll be doped up on Haldol and/or Ativan by injection and that part sucks.

Don’t hurt yourself when you’re inpatient. If you have urges, tell the nurses, they will literally sit with you and talk your through them, but please don’t hurt yourself. It complicates your stay and some units have no-harm rules for legal reasons which forces them to transfer patients to a “higher level of care” if a patient hurts/attempts to hurt themselves.

Take a shower everyday or at least every other day, save your fellow patient’s noses; and you avoid being forced to shower by the nursing staff.

If you’re on 1-to-1 obs (observations), don’t try to make an “escape” break to the bathroom or kitchen or your room, you will be seen and followed and then you’ll be left with having to sit within several feet of a nurse. At. All. Times. That’s just no fun.

If you feel physically unwell, tell the nurses, you’re there for mental and physical health

If you’re taking medications, report any med-related side effects to the nurses

Be nice to other patients (and staff), you will find most patients are as “sane” as you and I are, and there for the same/similar reasons.

Don’t be afraid of other patients, very rarely are there physically violent patients and in my experience they are removed from the voluntary unit to an involuntary state commitment.

Crying is okay and encouraged even if it’s at 3 a.m. and you feel your world collapsing, it’s okay, and your nurse will talk to you, yes, even at 3 a.m. I also found that roommates and other patients can offer incredible support.

Don’t go into other patient’s rooms, this isn’t allowed and if you catch someone in your room, say something. One of my stays involved a patient who had issues with “collecting” other patient’s various items, this was a symptom of her illness and wasn’t with malicious intent.

Watching TV is all about cooperation and agreement; arguments can result in loss of TV privileges (and nobody is happy after that)

You can request to be screened for release but the process will be made long enough that you’ll be kept the minimum of at least 72 hours on the unit. You can make this request at any time though, but if the care team recommends you stay, listen to them. Don’t risk being transferred to another facility and committed against your will. 

You have rights, given what was said above and you should be given a list of these rights when you’re admitted, ask for them if you don’t get the paperwork. You should be give the numbers to file complaints about your care at as well. 

Your rights vary depending on if you’ve voluntarily admitted yourself versus behind involuntarily committed. Still, even under involuntary commitment, you have rights.

As long as you’re deemed in capacity, you have the right to refuse medication and/or any other treatments such as ECT. If you are deemed unable to make informed decisions regarding your care, you can request an advocate make the decisions. This is where having an Advanced Psychiatric Directive is a really good idea, though unfortunately this may not be an option where you live.

Understand that most people within the first 48 hours “freak out” and want to go home, this happens to everyone I’ve seen during their first hospitalization. This is normal. This will pass. Don’t freak out too much. 

I think the most important thing to remember is that you’re in the hospital because you need to be somewhere safe. You’ve made a decision that is saving your life, a choice to live and a refusal to die. You have amazing strength and courage for making this decision. Take your time healing, don’t lie just to get out early, you took this break and you deserve it as an actual break. Stay strong my loves, my ask is always open.

[neuro-psych-faq]

Friendly advice

[sheisrecovering]

[leo-libertarian-deactivated2018]

[cobra-bubbles]

Sometimes your mental illness or your chronic illness will make you feel like you’re not worth all the time and effort people put into accommodating you.

You are worth it. 

Just ask the people who love you most.