I am now seeing an Osteopath to help with my pain and he asked me to keep a pain diary for the next three weeks. I have written them in the past but I decided to do a bit more research on it first as I am sure I can add more to it. You know how you feel, but it can help your physicians if you can capture that information.
A pain diary is a written record of how your pain affects your daily life. It helps you to describe in detail how your pain has affected you over time. It also records what medications you took and which helped or did not help with the pain.
It can also help healthcare professionals to understand what makes your pain worse or what helps it. It is an essential tool to get the best help from the team looking after you. I have now put together a Pain Diary which you can download should you wish to use mine. It includes the following….
Date
Pain Score 0 -10, 10 being your worst pain
Describe where your pain is and does it feeling burning, tingling, pulsating, or throbbing.
How long did the pain last?
What were you doing when the pain started?
Describe your mood. Are you depressed, anxious, exhausted or fatigued?
What medications did you take?
What helped ease the pain?
What was the pain score 1 hour after taking medications?
Comments
I think this just about sums it all up. If you think that I could add something else to this list then please pop in into the comments section. It is important it is not too long but at the same time self explanatory on what you are feeling. You could add food in your comments section as some foods can aggravate certain conditions as does the weather.
I have put together my take on ten ways to stay strong and stay well. I hope they work for you.
1. If you have been told to take things a bit easier or change your lifestyle because of your condition then embrace the change rather than thinking on the negative side of things. If your condition is life changing rather than life threatening then you can change things for yourself, just think positively. Look at how you can alter things to suit your needs then life will be simpler.
2. Join groups online or in person where you can chat and reach out to other people who have the same condition. Starting my blog back in 2007 was the start of my journey of acceptance that my back problem was here to stay and it wasn’t long before I had a few friends from around the world who were also suffering like me. Take advantage of the fact that you can meet and make friends with people within different cultures and languages. They become friends through the bad times and the good.
3. Get up and go. You must push yourself to make the effort to get up and go. Even during lockdown I would shower and pop a bit of lipstick and mascara on every day. It makes me feel human even if some days I do not leave the house. If I didn’t do it and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror I noticed how much worse I looked so it’s just a routine for me now. After a cuppa and taking my medications I shower dress and pop a bit of make up on and by the time I get downstairs I feel a completely different person.
4. Start a hobby. During lockdown I had a go at a number of new projects and hobbies. I learnt how to do cross stitch. I started doing adult paint by numbers. I made a sensory book for my granddaughter’s first birthday which took me ages but was so worth it. I have also written her a story book and have the next three lined up. I learnt how to make box cushion covers for my outside chairs. I became a dab hand at baking cakes using recipes where everything is put into one bowl then whisked up and popped into the oven, which saved me so much time and energy. I knitted a granny blanket for outside so I could sit out on our verandah even if it was a bit nippy. I made lots of handmade cards and numerous other projects. For me personally this is an escape route from my pain. My family want me to write a book on all I have made over the lockdowns (with instructions) as they are sure it would inspire others to take up a hobby. Do you think it’s worth writing it as you are the ones who I think would read it? Everything I made is done working around my conditions and pain. Everything I made was made the easiest way I could find to make it.
5. Help out at a charity either online or at the charity if you can. Did you know that studies have found that being a giver of something like your time can make you even happier than being the recipient of something. They say it is altruism which is doing something good for someone else which releases endorphins, in the same way as exercise does, as well as oxytocin, which is known as the ‘feel good hormone’. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a charity maybe helping in a library, or reading stories to school children. You would be surprised how much voluntary help is needed in the U.K. and the World. Even writing a letter to someone could make their day.
6. Walk, walk and walk. Walking is the most important thing you can do to keep healthy and fit. Buy yourself a fitness watch it will truly make your day when you see how many steps you have achieved. It definitely spurs me on when I am on a bad day to just take a short walk outside in the fresh air. I think we all know the benefits that walking can do for you but even more so in the outside where you can listen to birdsong and nature. We live in the country and its only a short walk onto one of many of the South Downs links but since the first lockdown I noticed a big change in the sound of nature outside. A great book to buy to help and inspire you with nature is The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2021 by Lia Leendertz (Mitchell Beazley). It is a celebration of the coming year, I know we are nearly half way through but it is still beautiful. It features recipes, local customs, monthly gardening tips and what to watch out for in the skies and seas. It is beautifully written and illustrated and a perfect book for your coffee table. It is available on Amazon at the moment for only £6.64
7. Rest, rest and rest some more. If I did not rest every afternoon for a couple of hours the rest of my day would be very miserable. My body now knows I need that rest and I soon start to feel the need to lie down not long after my lunch. It does shorten my days but I feel so much better after it that I feel its worth my while. Most days I will sleep solid for about an hour but some days I just rest and read. I made my bedroom like a sanctuary so that I enjoy relaxing there. If I am having a really bad day then I use my Yoke Wellness Acupressure Mat on top of the bed or my heat pad. They all help with pain. If you can’t manage that time then why not try sitting in your chair with your feet up listening to a pod cast or songs. Just giving your body that short time to renew itself will make a big difference to your pain and how you feel.
8. Keep up with technology. I think this is quite essential for people in pain as it’s our route out of the discomfort we are feeling and without technology none of us would be here and reading this post today. There are lots and lots of free online courses, podcasts and downloads to keep you up to speed with what is going on in the cyber world. You might even find a home study course you have always wanted to do.
9. Create some time for yourself. If you are busy with a young family or trying to hold onto a job, or are home alone and suffering with a chronic condition it is essential that you create time just for you alone. I am lucky enough to have a husband that does lots for me but I still try to have a couple of hours of me time, usually over the weekend, for me to do things just for me. I try to create a type of spa treatment for myself and have a long soak rather than a shower and just treat my body to whatever it might need in nourishment. A lovely deep bath filled with the scent of lovely lavender or your own favourite oils and a few candles can immediately create its own atmosphere. Pop your head phones on, (but remember to leave the phone on the floor outside the bath) and lie and enjoy some lovely music. It will take you to another place for a while. Think sandy beaches, lovely sunshine, bird song and the noise of the sea and just relax and enjoy.
10. Finally writing, from writing a blog like this, writing letters to family, friends or a new pen friend, writing a book, writing a journal, writing a diary, making a note of your symptoms, writing a play, writing a poem, writing your life story or someone else’s life story or even a book from all your blog posts. Writing is easy, therapeutic and can be done almost anywhere and my life would be very miserable if I could not get onto my iPad or laptop and write. I struggle to write by hand as my hand shakes so I can only use a pen with a very thin nib to write with and it is not very neat but I can manage a key board with ease so this is how I do all my writing. People love receiving hand written letters so write that letter you have been meaning to write for years and start doing it regularly.
To Better Days from a clinic in New Zealand. This is the story of where this business began.
Dr John Lyftogt has been treating patients for nerve, joint and muscle ailments for over 30 years. In this time, he noted a lack of development in treatments for long-term sufferers (with the exception of opioids which can create other problems). Frustrated by the indifference shown by modern medicine, John and his physical education specialist wife Maria set out to explore new ways to help those suffering with long-term muscle, joint and nerve pain.
Using his scientific understanding of the body and connecting with medical professionals around the globe who specialize in muscle, nerve and joint pain, John developed a range of radical new treatments.
These have been used at his clinic in Christchurch as well as by a global network of doctors. John and Maria taught, and continue to teach, thousands of doctors around the world to this day.
The next step was to bring this treatment to sufferers outside of the clinic too. The patent for the topical formulation was taken out in 2010. Devastatingly, the development program was delayed not once but twice by earthquakes at its base in Christchurch.
Yet John and Maria were resolute in continuing to help more people around the globe – to show them there is another way and to lead them To Better Days.
Their comprehensive website covers lots of articles on exercise, mental health, nutrition, pain management, science, sleep, wellbeing and some personal stories. You can join there community at To Better Days to share and find tips. You could spend literally hours just reading through it all.
Their active joint patches soothe discomfort and improve the health of joints, nerves and muscles. You simply apply the patch directly where you need it and feel the benefit in as little as 30 minutes, with results that last up to 24 hours. They offer a trial pack which offers a combination of 3 big joint patches and 6 small joint patches. allowing you to trial our product on your back, shoulders, knees, fingers, wrists and ankles, at only £9.59.They kindly sent me this back to give a try.
With chronic pain in a number of areas I had to decide which area I might benefit from the most. I decided to try the largest of the patches on my hip just before I went to bed. The reason I chose to put it on then is because it’s my hip pain that wakes me up every night without fail so anything to give me a full nights sleep would be wonderful.
I was soon asleep as usual but the amazing thing was that the next time I woke up it was my alarm clock ringing out at 7.15am. I had actually slept through the night without waking up in pain. For me to just get one full nights sleep a week is a miracle.
On the instructions it says apply to clean, dry skin and apply directly to the affected area. The activation mark will disappear once the patch starts working. It then says peel off after use and remove any residue with warm soapy water. I shower every morning so I knew the patch would have to come off and I did notice my skin was quite irritated by it. This is not the first time this has happened. I have tried many different patches but always end up with an irritation. Ordinary plasters also cause me the same problem.
I felt pretty gutted after having such a good nights sleep. This will not stop me from using it again but maybe try the smaller patch next time and for the 12 hours instead of 24 so that I can get the benefit of the patch. 72% of customers rate their patches as excellent, with most saying they experienced a reduction in pain.
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