A Pained Life: What's in a Name? — Pain News Network

A Pained Life: What's in a Name? — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy First, we were called “handicapped." It was a wholesale term to paint all those with physical, emotional or intellectual limitations. One inability meant total inability. Often, it was used as an exclusionary term, to mean someone was “less than.” Eventually, it was realized

I thought I was being promised a rose garden. Now Im not so sure.

Is the Hype About a New Non-Opioid Analgesic Justified? — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy In a previous column, I asked why pharmaceutical companies haven’t been able to “build a better mousetrap” by developing new and effective non-opioid medications for pain  Every doctor I've seen about my chronic facial pain has only offered me opioids. As is true for many

A Pained Life: Stop the Denial — Pain News Network

A Pained Life: Stop the Denial — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist For many of us, pain is sporadic. Sometimes we know exactly when it will be start or what will set it off. Other times, it may hit spontaneously. When my trigeminal neuralgia pain started in 1976, it was constant, triggered and spontaneous. Now it can be triggered b

Living on False Hope — Pain News Network

Living on False Hope — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist I live on false hope. I think hope is what keeps many of us afloat. And when the medical community tells you, “I have nothing left to offer you,” false hope is all there is. And then I open my email, and there is a story in KevinMD , a medical site that I trust. It’s

Is the DEA a Domestic Terrorist Organization? — Pain News Network

Is the DEA a Domestic Terrorist Organization? — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist Terrorism is very much in the news these days, given the Israeli-Hamas war and all the fallout from it around the world. But terrorism can also hit close to home and in unexpected ways. The FBI defines domestic terrorism this way: “Violent, criminal acts committed

A Pained Life: Let the Words Flow — Pain News Network

A Pained Life: Let the Words Flow — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist I ended my last column with my favorite saying: “You don't know what you don't know. And if you don't know what you don't know, you don't know what to ask. Our doctors need to ask.” A couple of days later, I thought about the column and my second appointment with a n

What Doctors Should Ask Patients in Pain — Pain News Network

What Doctors Should Ask Patients in Pain — Pain News Network: By Carol Levy, PNN Columnist I learned in childhood to keep my mouth shut if I had pain or was feeling sick. My siblings would say, "Stop your whining. Just go to your room if you're feeling so bad, so we don't have to hear about it!" I learned to say nothing, no matter how bad I felt.