Complaints of pain are one of the number one reasons people seek medical attention. Did you know that around the world, more women than men are affected by chronic pain? There can be many reasons for chronic pain--including fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), chronic pelvic pain, and migraine headaches.

Dealing with chronic pain can be frustrating as there is no way to measure it, it can be difficult to describe, and people can have different levels of pain tolerance. Consequently, it is important for you to learn how to communicate your specific pain with your medical team to ensure they can help you implement an effective pain management program for you.

To successfully live with chronic pain, there are a few steps you will need to take:

• Find ways to accept it.
• Educate yourself about your options.
• Be responsible for your care.
• Be confident with your team and yourself.

Acceptance

First and foremost, you must find a way to accept the fact that you are living with pain. Stop the blame game, and forget the what ifs. The past cannot be changed but you can move forward. Accepting pain does not mean you are giving in to the pain; acceptance allows you to take charge of it so you can once again live a fulfilling life.

Education

Once you have accepted that pain is part of your daily life, you can then work to find a reason for your pain. Having a diagnosis opens up the door for you to educate yourself regarding treatments and rehabilitation. You will want to know what can cause your condition, what treatment options are available, and which doctors are the best ones to treat you.

There are many people who think that surgery will be the answer. Alas, that is not generally the case. A surgical solution does not always exist to eliminate chronic pain. Many times those with chronic pain have to think outside the box as well as buckling down for the long haul.

Responsibility

Part of being responsible is assembling a medical team to work with you. Chronic pain requires dedication on the part of not only you the patient, but the doctors, therapists, and support members involved in your care. It is important that everyone works together to help you feel your best. You are an integral part of the team. You must be open and honest with your team about how the treatments are helping and not helping. Do not be afraid to voice your opinions. If at any time you decide that the goals of any member of your team are different than the rest of the group, do not hesitate to seek another opinion and/or add another member to your team. There is no limit to the number of team members you can have on your side! Remember, this is about you taking control of your life, and it can only be done when everyone is working toward the same goal. Also, keep an open mind when alternative options are suggested. There are many paths to the same goal and some members of your team may be able to introduce atypical suggestions that might work for you!

Confidence

Whatever routes are decided, give it your best shot. Keep in mind that progress may take some time as you and your medical team work towards the goal of pain relief. Be confident that you have done your research and have found the best medical team for you. You are going to win this battle, but it will take patience and perseverance.

The more you know, the more prepared you will be to take charge of your pain and regain control of your life. That is right; you must take charge of your pain! Do not let it take charge of you!

Are you one of the 600,000 women in the United States having a hysterectomy this year? If so, it's important to know as much as you can about post-hysterectomy health. If your hysterectomy involves the removal of both your uterus and ovaries, your body will immediately stop producing estrogen, resulting in surgical menopause. Surgical menopause typically causes a sudden onset of symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness and atrophy. While preparing for your surgery, ask your doctor about managing these symptoms with estrogen therapy.

The symptoms associated with surgical menopause are the same as those experienced during natural menopause, but can be more intense due to your body's sudden drop in estrogen levels. To help you manage this sudden onset of symptoms, your doctor may suggest estrogen therapy. Estrogen therapy can be started immediately after surgical removal of the ovaries. Because most women aren't allowed to eat or drink anything, including pills, in the 12 to 24 hours following major surgery, many doctors will order an estrogen patch for the patient to start in the recovery room.

No one wants to live with chronic pain. Daily pain can take a toll--not only on your physical health, but also on your emotional and mental health. Each individual will have to find which treatments are going to be effective for them. Accepting the pain will be the first step to finding a successful plan that will allow you to live productively with the pain. When a person constantly fights against the pain, the pain cycle can increase and then worsen the overall situation. While accepting the pain will not cause it to suddenly disappear, you can take several steps to alleviate symptoms and allow for a better future.

1. Accept the pain. Fighting chronic pain will only continue the cycle of pain. Acceptance allows you to explore options to help you live your life with chronic pain, with you in control rather than the pain. Acceptance doesn’t mean you are a failure; it simply means you are a winner in the fight against chronic pain!

2. Work with your medical team, not against them. This means following through with suggested therapies, taking your medications on schedule (not waiting until you are overwhelmed with symptoms), and exploring alternative ideas for the source of your pain. Each individual will find success with different therapies, so be sure to remember that patience is a virtue when it comes to finding the right plan for you!

3. Try therapy and alternative treatment options. Relief can be found through massage, acupuncture, physical therapy, chiropractic care, aquatic therapy, and more. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, but have realistic expectations. Also, a counselor can be a great asset for helping with the emotional and mental side of chronic pain.

4. De-stress. Stress only increases symptoms. Find ways to better manage stress, and when possible, remove stress completely. This can mean changing jobs or environments, eliminating activities from your life, etc.

5. Rest, rest, rest. If you are in pain, take a break. Learn to work within your own limits so you don’t overdo it. A body that is too tired will not be as able to fight against the pain. Arrange a reasonable schedule for yourself and be realistic about activities in which you participate. Besides resting during the day, it is also very important that those with chronic pain issues also find a way to get the sleep their body needs.

6. Put away the superwoman cape. Have realistic expectations of your abilities with the pain. Give yourself permission to not do everything. Do what you can, and ask for help for the rest.

7. Take a hot bath. Fill the tub, light some candles, turn on some soothing music, and turn out the lights. Time in the quiet in a warm bath can sooth the body and the mind.

8. Use heating pads and cold packs. Applying heat to sore areas can be helpful and soothing. There are a variety of heating pads available, including ones that provide moist heat or heat wraps for one time use. For some pain issues, a cold pack can be beneficial. Sometimes alternating between heat and cold is best. Find what works best for you, and be sure to check with your doctor to see what's best for you.

9. Consider both whole-body relaxation and targeted relief.  Many women use castor oil packs, aromatherapy, and topical medications. Some pain will respond to packs and creams placed on the area. Aromatherapy can cause a whole body relaxation that can then decrease the pain. Again, talk with your doctor before trying new medication.

10. Be as healthy as you can be. When you are living with chronic pain, eating is hard enough without worrying about eating well. The thought of exercise can trigger a stressful response before even putting on a tennis shoe! Doing your best to be as healthy as you can be provides your body with one more tool to fight the pain. Start small and slow. A multi-vitamin. An apple a day. A walk to the mailbox. It all starts with one step!

Documenting Pain in a Diary

These are the top two reasons to keep a pain and symptom diary: specifics and consistency. Because our memories can be faulty, we won't always remember what our exact pain level was from week to week. Was it a 5 last week and a 3 this week, or was it a 7 last week and a 5 two weeks ago? By being specific and consistent, you can find triggers and patterns that can lead to better diagnoses and treatment plans.

Keep your pain diary in a calendar or within a journal that is easy to keep with you. Get into the habit of documenting your pain on a daily basis. Write down your type of pain, any triggers you discover, and the intensity of your pain.

Be Specific

Doctors tend to take you more seriously when you can show him/her specifics from your pain diary: how the pain is affecting your life, what you have tried and how it has (or has not) helped, and whether the pain fluctuates and/or triggers other pain. You won't look like a drug seeker if you come in with evidence that you are being negatively impacted by the pain and how it is affecting your everyday life. If you have your ovaries, it is also helpful to include your "cycle" in your diary (ovulating or PMS symptoms), as hormones can play a role in some conditions.

Type of Pain

Be sure to share the type of pain, as that can be a major clue. For instance, burning pain can be a sign the pain involves a nerve. Besides using a pain scale, it is also important to keep track of the type of pain--dull, sharp, burning, stabbing, throbbing, etc.

The Pain Scale

Andrea Mankowski, software designer and endometriosis sufferer, devised this pain scale to describe her pain to her family and her physicians. Although it is designed to describe pelvic pain, it can in fact be used to quantify pain anywhere in the body. If you research pain on the Web, you can find many references to this method of quantifying pain. Feel free to print this out and take it with you to your doctor appointments or to the hospital.

0: Pain Free. No medication needed.
1: Very minor annoyance - occasional minor twinges. No medication needed.
2: Minor annoyance - occasional strong twinges. No medication needed.
3: Annoying enough to be distracting. Mild painkillers are effective. (Aspirin, Ibuprofen.)
4: Can be ignored if you are really involved in your work, but still distracting. Mild painkillers relieve pain for 3-4 hours.
5: Can't be ignored for more than 30 minutes. Mild painkillers reduce pain for 3-4 hours.
6: Can't be ignored for any length of time, but you can still go to work and participate in social activities. Stronger painkillers (Codeine, Vicodin) reduce pain for 3-4 hours.
7: Makes it difficult to concentrate, interferes with sleep. You can still function with effort. Stronger painkillers are only partially effective. Strongest painkillers relieve pain (Oxycontin, Morphine)
8: Physical activity severely limited. You can read and converse with effort. Nausea and dizziness set in as factors of pain. Stronger painkillers are minimally effective. Strongest painkillers reduce pain for 3-4 hours.
9: Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning uncontrollably - near delirium. Strongest painkillers are only partially effective.
10: Unconscious. Pain makes you pass out. Strongest painkillers are only partially effective.

Be sure and meet with your personal physician on a regular basis to work on the management and treatment of your pain. Your pain diary will be a great help to you and your physician on your journey to managing your pain and regaining control of your body.

It's been 9 months since my TAH, kept my ovaries, and I feel much better, but I still have pain. It's not to the point where I need to take something, but its there. It seems like when I'm doing a lot of physical activity or doing a lot of bending it starts up. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this as well. I have also been getting a sharper pain in my lower left side around the area where my scar is at and slightly below. For this, I'm wondering if I shouldn't call my ob gyn, but I am so tired of doctors that I'd like to ignore it!

Join the Discussion

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