I was recently honored to be a guest on the Compass Opioid Stewardship Program podcast hosted by Dr. Rachael Duncan, PharmD. and Dr. Don Stader.
I'm so grateful for the opportunity and blessed to be able to share my story with clinicians. I'm also thankful for the generosity of Dr. Stader. You'll find out what he offered me at the end of the podcast. It brought me to tears. You can listen to the podcast episode on Apple, Spotify, and Libsyn via the links below: Check out the entire podcast series. Learn more about the Compass Opioid Stewardship Program. I read the other day on social media a suggestion for patients when selecting a healthcare provider to ask them their definition of pain to see if it is similar to the definition provided by the International Association of the Study of Pain (IASP).
Interesting idea. The key for me is if they understand pain is biopsychosocial (BPS) in nature and treat it that way. I may have to ask this going forward. What do you think? Related information
Did you know?
Editor’s note: This article was written based on my experience and what I have researched about the topic. Everyone is different. The decision to use supplements should be a decision between doctor and patient.
As part of the week-long Mayo Clinic fibromyalgia program I attended in 2016, I met with a pharmacist to review the long list of prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, and supplements I was taking at the time. My medicine cabinet looked like a GNC store. I was instructed to bring the actual bottles with me to the appointment, so I packed the bottles into a gym bag (yes, I was taking a lot of medicines and supplements) and went to see her. I was surprised as she read each bottle, making comments and recommendations about each pill – including product quality, labeling issues, ingredient safety, and dosing. When the appointment ended, my medicine and supplement list was much shorter with her recommending stopping most of the supplements and my gym bag much lighter – throwing away the pills was going to stop taking. Limited oversight Unlike prescription or over-the-counter drugs, which must be approved by the Federal Drug Agency (FDA) before they can be marketed, the FDA doesn’t review supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are sold. We don’t know where the products are made, how they are made, what is in them, and if the dosage is appropriate. Safety is left up to the manufacturers and distributors of the supplements. Bottom line You assume all risk when using supplements. While some may be valuable, many aren’t. Learn more
Chronic pain appointments can be difficult for both patients and doctors.
For patients, doctor visits can be intimidating and create anxiety. We want validation of our pain, empathy, answers, and support. For doctors, chronic pain patients can be more challenging to treat than other patients. We can be demanding of their time, attention, and patience. While they truly want to help, doctors often have limited training (typically 11 hours of pain education in medical school), limited time (18.5 minutes per appointment), as well as limitations due to government and insurance guidelines. So, how do you make the most of your appointment time and get the best treatment when you visit with the doctor? Below are 23 suggestions to help maximize the patient-doctor experience (thanks to the many ideas provided by members of the Chronic Pain Champions – No Whining Allowed Facebook support group): In general
Before the appointment
At the appointment
Bottom line To get the best treatment from your doctor, be prepared, calm, engaged, insightful, and open to taking more self-responsibility for your own care. It’s harder for doctors to treat patients who are negative or who expects the doctor to fix all of their problems. I hope you find these tips helpful. Up to 79% of chronic pain patients are unsatisfied with their pain management. In this article I wrote for Practical Pain Management, I shared 10 patient-centered communication tips that I have found over the years to work in developing strong patient-provider relationships, improving outcomes, and strengthening compliance with treatment plans. Check out the whole story. |
WelcomeChronic Pain Champions is an information resource/blog/support group to help people living with nonmalignant pain, their families and friends, as well as healthcare professionals. Learn more about this site and the author. Archives
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Tom Bowen Chronic Pain Champions |