Pain Management Programme Day 11
My eleventh day has been and gone at the Pain Management Programme, tomorrow being the last now.
You can catch upon my PMP Days here:- Pain Management Programme
Today we had a re-cap day, our assessments and brought everything together over the last three weeks, touched on anything we still thought we needed information on.
We started with flare up plans, and today as expected almost, my left leg had that tingling weird sciatica kind of pain that I got last time I did the Circuit Training, so I won’t be taking this particular kind of exercise home with me.
During my assessment, we talked about ‘relationships at home’, the dynamics of dealing with noisy active children when in pain, of how one can explain as much as one wants over our ‘pain’ for others to understand. But unless people ‘want’ to understand and or help, it really does not make much difference. So in reality you have to ‘learn’ coping strategies to deal with this because life isn’t perfect is it?
The head psychologist suggested that I tend to do everything for others and don’t do anything for myself, that I should look for an activity that is just for me, that does not have any other functional purpose than just to satisfy myself, does nothing for anyone else. So perhaps a meditation group is something I might research.
We talked about my relationship with chairs, namely sitting. Talking of which my chair arrived, yay. So I will do this bit by bit,sitting in it for a little bit, not major amounts as otherwise I will just end up with a negative experience. However I might have to wait as the cats seem to have taken residence on it.
We covered about pacing, me making a timetable, not taking on too much. I already do a fair amount of exercise, it is not as if I am just sat at home doing nothing, but the fact I have to stand a lot is exhausting. I do get that blip where I need to sleep. I need to spread out what I do over the day, ie not all in the morning when I feel better, by spreading it out I might not have those real dips after lunch, plus the pain might be less late afternoon, we shall see.
I talked about my love for the Mindfulness concept, this is something I shall further and embrace fully.
In class we covered barriers again. We talked about one month and four month review. As a group we will remain in contact and support each other. We are invited to phone the clinic once we are officially discharged if we need advice and help which is good.
That is it for today, tomorrow is the last day, it is going to be very weird again to be thrown back in to the big wide world. I was nervous starting this, wondering what it would be like. I have learn’t a lot, it has been hard and emotional, I won’t lie but I can see the benefits of attending a course like this. Friendships have been made also and being in a ‘safe’ environment where everyone understands has been wonderful it will be odd to have that safe haven removed, but I am sure I will survive.
Tomorrow is Friends and Family day, that should be interesting 😀
© Justine Nagaur
It's a lonely place 
Hello Jussie, almost there, isn’t it?
I see that you are taking a lot back home and all for the best. The future follow up schedule is also looking good.
From what I read here what struck me the most is the need to take time for SELF. I guessed you knew that already.
Mindfulness and meditation are great self calibration ‘mechanisms’ and I wish for you to find even more peace and less pain by doing that regularly.
Warm hugs.
Lx
you are so so right and i have really adored your input and the fact i know you were followign me every day. I still have the last day to write up, but your friendship has been very valued Lucile xx
Hey, I never realized you had more than one blog. Shit! Sigh…………..I am so sorry. I had no idea that you were this sick. Your pain management sounds much better than the ones I’ve been to. The first 2 just gave me Celebrex and said to go home, take it, and come back in a month. I did exactly as told. It did not help at all and both times, when I came back the following month, I was asked how it was working and I told them that it didn’t help at all and they said, sorry there’s nothing more we can do for you. 2 different pain clinics, by the way. The 3rd and last. I”ll never go again. I was on a Fentanyl patch by this time prescribed to me on one of my hospital admissions for pain. I wanted off the patch because I was not me and according to my therapist she said I was crazy when I was on that shit. So, this quack doctor gives me Suboxone, a medication like Methadone, and similar to heroin. He said it was to ease the withdrawals that I was about to experience. Long story, short. He overdosed me, his words, not mine. He told me to come back in a month and he patted me on the knee and said I’m sorry I overdosed you last month. I only took one dose. He then asked me how the patch that he prescribed for me was working and I told him I was too afraid to put it on because what happened with the Suboxone. He said it would be okay and to go home and put it on and come back in a month. He overdosed me again by starting me on the highest dose, rather than starting on the lowest dose. I ended up in ICU, with a blood pressure of 64/29 and was rushed to ICU when that happened, I couldn’t talk. My speech was so slurred that no one could understand what I was trying to say, I couldn’t write, I got to where I had to use a walker because the PT said my gait was way bad. I was so sick that a nurse had to sit in the room with me 24/7. I was trying to get off the narcotics/opiates and he just gave me more potent Opiates that seriously just about killed me. I was so worried that I was going to be like that forever. Oh, and I would start to talk, even though no one could understand a word I was saying and after just a few words kept forgetting what I was trying to say. It was so frustrating and scary and that is the end of my going to any pain clinic ever again. I was in DBT therapy which sounds a lot like what you described. It got down to 2 patients and when one of us wasn’t able to make it, that just left one, so it’s going to start back up as soon as she has a total of 5 patients. We learned all about mindfulness and all kinds of good stuff. I used to do everything for everyone else, too. I was also told the same thing you were told that I needed to do something that was just for me for pleasure. I highly recommend you meditate, if you don’t already. It does take a lot of practice, but if you stick with it, it’t the best thing ever. Here’s a website for meditation it has different scenery to choose from and music, and guided or non guided meditation and you choose how much time you want to meditate. Check it out. it’s http://www.calm.com my therapist is the one that showed me this website just recently. I’ve been meditating for awhile now. It was and still is sometimes difficult for me because I’m so ADHD, Brain Fog, medication fog, and of course, I’m a natural blonde. LOL I was just about to give up thinking this is all a bunch of BS and it was that day that I got it and it was wonderful. I really did not mean to write a book. I was just so surprised to notice that you had other blogs. Geez…………I’ll stop here. I hope you feel “better” soon. Take care. Talk to you soon. xx Tammy 🙂
ive finished the PMP now, got to write up the last day, but i am very glad i did it. Some of it was very hard, really exhausting, some i didnt like nor agre with but other bits i learned a lot so am glad and it was great to be in anenvironment where everyone was trying to improve their health and to have a supportive environment whether one agreed with certain things or not. I am very in to the Mindfulness it is somethign I have embraced and trying to learn and practise.. I have cut down one pill but many more to go lol, how are you? and yes lots of blogs haha x
I’m a hot mess, nothing new, huh? A lot going on, more than I can handle and to top it all off someone stole my pain medication and now I”m going through withdrawals. I can’t get any more til April 3rd. I don’t know if you’ve ever had to go through withdrawals before, but it is a living hell, I must say. Can’t trust anyone, anymore. I’m trying to be as mindful as I can in my state of mind. I just finished a 20 minute meditation. I really need the pain medication, so I’m suffering from the pain and then with all the lovely withdrawal symptoms. I was in the process of trying to wean off the pain meds and my GI doctor said I had to get my pain under control, so I had to go back up on the dose and change some meds around, but hey, I tried. You have no idea what I would like to do to this person that stole my medication. I know who did it and she better not ever cross my path again, just sayin………………I can barely keep up with one blog, I don’t know how you do it. I’m just sorry that I had no idea you were sick. I just saw your one blog and liked it because it had fun, interesting things on it. I’m glad you finished the PMP. It is helpful. We just call it something different here. Keep on keepin’ on and stay strong you are very inspirational to me. Have a great day, my friend. 🙂 xx Tammy
how on earth did someone steal your pain meds? Cant you get some earlier because of this? x
I went out to a friend’s house to “pay it forward.” Her dog was very sick and in the small town she lives in they only have one animal hospital and they were charging her too much money and wouldn’t allow her to make payments, so me being the nice “guy” gets shit on, again. I went out the night before so we could get up early and brought her back out my way and to my dog’s vet because he is ever so kind and takes the best care of Molly, my bichon, my little princess. I had already talked to the vet about my friend and her dog and the situation and asked him if he could work with her and allow her to make payments, like he does for me because she is also on disability. Keep in mind that I gave her my last 120.00 dollars because she needed it worse than I did. Later found out that wasn’t so true, either. When we were leaving her apartment the next morning, I started to grab my duffel bag that had all my clothes and meds in it. I started to take it with me and I said, “I don’t think I should leave my meds here with Sarah.” Sarah is her next door neighbor and for some reason they each have a key to each other’s apartment. My friend had already told me that Sarah had stolen her meds in the past. She told me that Sarah couldn’t get in if she locked the bottom lock, which was a total lie. I should have just gone with my first instinct, but it was supposed to get around 80 degrees that day and I had no idea how long we would be at the vet’s office because they don’t take appointments, it’s first come, first serve. I knew it would not be good for my meds to be locked in a hot car for hours, so like an idiot, I believed my friend, since first grade. She’s only known this neighbor of hers for about a year. You cannot get your pain medication refilled until 30 days after the date it was last filled, no matter what! which in turn caused me to go into withdrawals. I ended up in the hospital for a week, which was a total nightmare and I will never, ever check myself, voluntarily, into a place like that again. That’s another story for another day. Since I was in the hospital, I was able to get my medication and when I got out, I had enough to get me through. Hope you are doing well my dear friend. Take care.xxxTammy
wow that is utterly terrible they got stolen and it sounds like your always having a rough deal., i feel for you. I hope you get to go to the pain clinic and it works for you x
Oh, no more pain clinics for me. I’ve been to 3 and the first 2 did nothing and the last one overdosed me and I ended up in the hospital and almost croaked because my blood pressure dropped to 69/24, I was then rushed to ICU. I went to that last pain clinic and told them that I needed to get off the Fentanyl patch because everyone was telling me that I wasn’t me anymore and I was crazy! So, what’s that doctor do? He just puts me on something even more poisonous, Suboxone which is like Methadone, like heroin, as I’ve seen it put. LONG STORY, but that gives you an idea to why I won’t ever go to another pain clinic again. A lot of them are just drug mills and that’s all they do is drug everyone up and get a kickback from the pharmaceutical companies for prescribing it. Sad, but true. I go in there to get OFF the narcotics and I was ignored. I trusted that doctor and found out that I had not ever trust a doctor like that until I’ve done my own research. I didn’t even end up running out of my pain med. because I was in the hospital for a week and they gave it to me there, and it’s since then been refilled, so all is well in that department. I do sometimes feel that I’ve been given a rough deal, but you know, it could always be worse. Every now and again I do have a pity party for 1, and then when I’m done with the party, I snap out of it and remind myself that it really could be worse. It’s such a roller coaster ride. Take care, my friend xx 🙂
ah apologies i got totally confused, someone I know said they were goign to go to one, i forgot your awful experience, i think your pain clinic experience very different to mine x
Yes, all pain clinics are not bad, but I’ve been to 3 and I’m done with pain clinics. I’m so glad that you didn’t have to have a bad experience. I hope you are feeling “well” today. xxx 🙂
thank you 🙂 x
Hi there. Just wanted to say hi and let you know I’ve been thinking about you. I hope you are doing better. Me? no comment. LOL 🙂 Have a great weekend! 🙂
awe i hope your ok though xx
I’m okay because I have to be. I do, however, feel like I’m getting sick, sick, you know, like bronchitis. Something that will eventually go away and not disturb me for the rest of my days. The past 4 or 5 days have been really “good,” though. I”ve been working really hard, on myself and I guess it wore me down, so for today, I rest! One day at a time. NO more worrying about the future, things that may never even happen, oh what a waste of energy and time. And, the past is just that, the past. Done and over with. Can’t be changed. Only one way to move and that is forward! It’s called being MINDFUL. I hope your day was a “good” one, my friend. xx 🙂
urgh bronchitis how horrible, poor you, i find bugs always go to my chest now. If i am around anyone sick as soon as i get home i put on this diffuser thing with oils in especially for bugs and well I think/hope it helps 🙂 x
I changed my mind…………………..I believe what I actually have is the FLU!!!! I have been so sick and have ALL the FLU symptoms………………………YIKES! I’m just gonna keep on sleeping and resting because that’s all I can do and when it finally goes away, I’ll get back to business, working on myself. Can you tell me more about this diffuser thing? I would like to try it, unless you think it’s too late. I started getting sick on Tuesday, I believe it was. Hope you’re having a “good” day. Take care! 🙂
Sure here is the link to the diffuser:
http://www.nealsyardremedies.com/aromatherapy/aromatherapy-oils-and-blends/essential-oil-burners/9293.html
I believe very much its about the quality of essential oils you put in. I don’t rate Neil’s Yards oils as highly however I get specific anti viral and anti bacterial ones from Knotts Elementals. Barbara owns the company she can advice you personally:
http://www.knotselementals.com
Let me know how you get on x