Happy Everything!
Now that the December holidays are within a couple days of being totally over, I hope it’s safe and amusing (rather than triggering and insensitive)… Read More »Happy Everything!
perspective
2013 retrospective
I’m writing a retrospective, looking over the past year. It’s one good way to get my head out of the muddled present. It’s gratifying to… Read More »2013 retrospective
Riding what you’ve got
Today’s images are a sampling from the newly-released online library of digitized images from Oxford University’s Bodleian Library, one of the oldest extant university libraries… Read More »Riding what you’ve got
Expletives can be good
I’ve always been a wee bit daffy, so the additional daffiness of pain-brain, combined with the clumsiness of my brain’s shoddy un-mapping, re-mapping, or possibly… Read More »Expletives can be good
Being clear about being grateful
We visited our favorite hot springs last week. There’s a hot pool that’s very hot indeed. When I alternate between that and the cold pool,… Read More »Being clear about being grateful
There’s always an afterwards
When I was a nurse, I could see when death was creeping up on someone. I saw gray fluttering around the person’s edges, especially around… Read More »There’s always an afterwards
The Red Pen Technique (dramatic music, please)
This is probably the simplest, most powerful tool for getting your complex care back into the realm of sanity. It’s easier said than done, but… Read More »The Red Pen Technique (dramatic music, please)
Is losing our minds to “pain brain” optional?
64% of CRPSers experience significant cognitive decline. Speaking as a member of that majority, I think that sucks. Most people with chronic pain find that… Read More »Is losing our minds to “pain brain” optional?
Imaginative experience and rebuilding the brain
In 1986, the course of neurologic treatment changed forever when Mark Block, one severely spine-injured young man, chose “imp-possible” over “impossible” and, every day, spent… Read More »Imaginative experience and rebuilding the brain
Relentless
My pain psychologist is very insistent that 90% of my day has to be predictable. This allows my nervous system to heal and re-stabilize to… Read More »Relentless