Pain Toolkit WORLDWIDE Edition
About this ebook
Pain that continues for 3 months or more and may not respond to standard medical treatment. It can be disabling and frustrating for many people to manage. It can also affect relationships with your family, friends and work colleagues.
Sometimes people with persistent pain are told by healthcare professionals, after assessment: I am afraid you have a chronic or long-term pain problem. You will have to learn to live with it.
To date, your healthcare professionals may have done all that they can to help you and may have used many of the tools available in their toolkit. However there are so many things that you can do to help self-manage your pain; with the support of your healthcare professional, family, friends and work colleagues. All you need is to be willing to ask for help.
Have you become a can’t do person?
A ‘can’t do’ person is someone who has tried to carry out or take part in everyday tasks such as going to work, doing the housework, gardening, playing a sport, taking holidays, going to the cinema, eating out or taking part in family activities but has stopped or given them up because of their pain. When this happens it is usual for your confidence levels to reduce.
Is this ringing any bells? If you have reached this point you need to stop and take action.
By taking on board and practising the tools in the Pain Toolkit you could become a ‘can-do’ person again but it could take time so please be patient with yourself.
About the author
My story will probably be a familiar one to yours…
A persistent pain problem can be difficult to understand and manage on an everyday basis and like many
people, I struggled to manage my pain back in the early 1990’s.
I become stuck in what they call the medical model. I called it the NHS merry go round, being passed around from one doctor/therapist to another.
I was also a serial doctor/therapy shopper and spent around £8,000 seeing a variety of healthcare professionals privately wanting to be fixed.
I knew I was sinking fast and also out of money. I started to get depressed and on the 31st December 1994 I considered ending my life.
The next day I looked in the mirror whilst having a shave and recognised the person who was going to get me out of this mess I was in.
I got myself on the INPUT Pain Management Programme in 1996. This programme gave me the tools, skills, but most importantly, it gave me the confidence to manage my pain, myself.
I worked hard on the information the programme gave me and since 1997 I haven't had the need to take any pain medication, simply because I still use the information from the programme.
Is it easy? Well it’s like most things, you have to work at it. I’m not an academic guy, but if I can do it, then I know others can as well.
The Pain Toolkit is a simple information digital booklet that could provide you with some handy tips and skills to support you along the way to manage your pain.
It is not meant to be the last word in pain self-management but a handy guide to help you get started.
All you need is to be willing to read it and take on board some of the suggestions.
This Pain Toolkit is for all the people who live around the world, who live with long-pain and feel like they are struggling, but want to get back in the driving seat.
Good luck!
Pete Moore