Chronic Pain Health Articles

As a chronic pain sufferer, with a diagnosis of a herniated disc along with bone disc degenerative disease, for many years I have needlessly suffered from chronic pain. During the many years of needlessly suffering in pain, I have learned how chronic pain is treated, or should I say undertreated.

First of all, patients seeking treatment from the medical community are greeted with a negative stigma that’s associated with chronic pain treatment. This is due for a variety of reasons. Some physicians and healthcare professionals are afraid of the new and ever changing government regulations, patient addiction, diversion, or just the pure lack of knowledge when it comes to treating chronic pain.

Its a sad fact that chronic pain is grossly ignored and undertreated by healthcare professionals. Too many Americans are needlessly & silently suffering from chronic pain. It also appears that doctors are hesitant about what types of treatment is best for people that suffer from constant daily pain. As in my case, a doctor told me that he recommended back surgery. After several second opinions, and talking to many surgery patients who already had surgery with the same diagnosis as me, going under the surgeons knife didn’t seem like a reasonable or logical option.

With failed back surgery being very common, and needed follow up surgery from damage or complications due to surgery, and the possibility of permanent nerve damage and paralysis from having surgery, again surgery wasn’t worth the risk. But it seems physicians & surgeons try to pressure you into surgery, or some kind of invasive measures so they can justify the prescribing long term narcotic medications.

After trying physical therapy, biofeedback tactics, countless steroid injections, anti-inflammatory, to several different over the counter medicines with no great results, I felt helpless. Luckily, after years of low back and leg pain, I finally found the help needed to address my pain. I am now on a responsible drug therapy program. I no longer feel like a drug addict, or not believed when obtaining the proper pain medication needed to treat my pain. But after years of enduring chronic pain, I know there’s so many people like I was, who are still silently & needlessly suffering in pain.

Chronic pain patients are discriminated against tremendously. If someone has tried every treatment program to treat their pain with no positive results, they should be entitled to the proper pain medication needed to address their pain. Chronic pain sufferers should not be a victim of the system and suffer needlessly. I myself am a chronic pain sufferer dedicated to helping other chronic pain sufferers live a more productive and a better quality of life.

They tell me my diagnosis is pretty common, that millions of Americans suffer with low back pain. I’ve also heard that next to the common cold, missing work from low back pain is the biggest reason. With these two major known facts, I then wondered why getting the correct treatment for low back pain is so difficult.

After being diagnosed with a herniated disc and bone disc degenerative disease, I was immediately scheduled to see a surgeon. The surgeon suggested I have back surgery. To make a long story short, after a lot of prayer, a lot of thought, and after talking to many people who already have had surgery with my same diagnosis, I chose against surgery.

After deciding against surgery, I found I was immediately cast in a different light, by my doctor, and the medical community in general. I found my pain was then not taken seriously. I felt disbelieved about how much I hurt. I actually felt like a drug addict when asking for something for the pain. It appeared my physician felt back surgery was the end all cure all to my back & leg pain.

To the contrary studies have shown, back surgery may actually cause more pain, complications, and even damage that requires more follow up surgery. Knowing physicians and surgeons are already aware of this, it really makes you wonder why they would put you at such risk. I wish some of these healthcare professionals would just once switch places with me for one day living with chronic low back pain.

Did you know that spending long hours at your computer can put your health at serious risk? Most people does not even consider that possibility, but it does, Working at a desk is extremely hard on your body, and I would like to share this with you so maybe you can avoid some of the most common health risks. One of the most common one is: Chronic Fatigue.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Tired and troubled? Experiencing severe fatigue that lasts for months and go back over and over?

Feeling tired is common, and depression is a condition that everyone goes through from time to time. However, the chronic fatigue syndrome is not similar to the simple emotional ups and downs that we experience sometimes.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is medically known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, post-viral fatigue syndrome. It targets the central nervous system. People who have this disorder usually complain of severe fatigue that is aggravated even by simple exertion. The cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is not yet known, but some researches show that this might be incurable. Some cases disappear over time and some people use medications to relieve them of this disorder.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is medically defined as a severe chronic fatigue thats lasts six months or over but other medical conditions should have been ruled out before a diagnosis of CFS can be made. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome may be precipitated by an illness. It may be a cold, or a stomach upset, or may even begin after major stress. The symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome are headache, muscle pain, inability to concentrate, tenderness in the lymph nodes, and fatigue that will not go away or may recur over the next several months. Patients also suffer from headache, non refreshing sleep, sore throat, myalgia or muscle pain, and body malaise for over a day.

In the past, people call CFS “yuppie flu” because it usually occurred on well-educated, well-off middle-ages women. Doctors also noticed that this disorder often occurred in people from mostly English speaking countries all over the world. Women have a two to four times increased risk of getting the chronic fatigue syndrome than men.

The CDC or Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that over 500,000 people in the US have been diagnosed to have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Diagnosis of CHF is difficult because it has similar symptoms as the other illnesses. The physician will first evaluate your condition and ask questions to rule out other diseases that may have the same symptom. When everything has been eliminated, it is only then that the physician will come to a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

It is important that patients who are suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome learns how to manage their moods and know what to do whenever the disorder hits. Health providers suggest that people suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome should try to always try to get adequate rest. Patient should also try to get a regular exercise, eating a balanced diet, and trying to pace yourself whenever stress gets too much that you find it difficult to handle.

Patients will also benefit from medications to treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The doctors usually prescribe a lower dose of anti-depressant because it might increase the level of fatigue of the patient or the frequency it occurs. But it also helps to reduce the pain of people with the disorder.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome may be mistaken with other illnesses which have the same presentation. These are fibromyalgia syndrome, neurasthenia, and chronic mononucleosis.

Other conditions that may also result in fatigue include thyroid problems especially hypothyroidism, eating disorders, autoimmune diseases, hormonal disorders, infections, narcolepsy, alcohol dependence, substance abuse, drug reactions, psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorders.

It is important to consult with a physician to evaluate the symptoms the patient is having and to make sure that the patient does not have any other organic or systemic diseases that might cause excessive long-standing fatigue. Some people also find it comforting to seek the help of other people like rehabilitation experts to fully understand the patient’s condition. Some also talk to other patients who are undergoing the same condition.

There are other risks as you sit in front of that computer but it would be to much to write about in this article, so if you would like to learn more about other risks such as:

Eye strain
RSI (Repetitive Stress Syndrome)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Constant Head Aches
Dizziness
Breathing Problems
Difficulty Concentrating

There are still many doctors who question the validity of chronic fatigue syndrome and, among doctors who do believe the condition exists, there is still fierce debate over whether its origins are of a physical or psychological nature.

It is only in recent years that the medical profession has come to commonly recognize the condition of chronic fatigue syndrome but people who are afflicted by the condition have been only too aware of the debilitating effects for years.

There are still many doctors who question the validity of chronic fatigue syndrome and, among doctors who do believe the condition exists, there is still fierce debate over whether its origins are of a physical or psychological nature. This lack of unity in medical circles leads to great confusion among the public. There are still a lot of people who believe that sufferers of this condition are nothing more than malingerers. For the sufferers of this disease, this creates added stress and confusion.

The sufferers of this condition experience continuous physical tiredness. In fact, one of the first symptoms is an overwhelming, incapacitating tiredness but this is only one aspect of the disease. This may be accompanied by aching muscles. This often affects the lifestyle of the sufferer so much that they are unable to work or to take part in social activities. For some, they become totally incapacitated.

It is quite common for a normally healthy person who generally leads an active life, to one day wake up with what they believe is a case of influenza characterized by a sore throat, swollen glands, headache and fever. He or she is too tired to even get out of bed. Obviously, the first thoughts are that they have the flu but, when weeks pass without the symptoms going away, it is a sign of chronic fatigue syndrome.

A lot of people who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome also experience severe mental tiredness which may be related to emotional turmoil that arises either from the condition itself or from the frustration sufferers can feel because of the physical exhaustion.

One of the complications that accompany this disease is that of serious cognitive problems. Processing and retention of information can become very difficult, creating even more emotional problems for the sufferer. Often, the sufferer finds it difficult to engage in a conversation as they struggle to focus on the words or to process those words. This problem also extends to written word as the sufferer may have to read the same sentence several times in order to process its meaning.

Memory loss, particularly short-term memory loss is common among sufferers of this illness. Many describe not being able to remember people’s names or the names for common things. They may also find it difficult to contribute to a conversation as they often forget words or what they are actually saying.

In the past, many people with chronic fatigue syndrome were diagnosed as having myalgic encephalomyelitis. Encephalomyelitis is an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord and that is not a characteristic of chronic fatigue syndrome so the diagnosis was incorrect. Sometimes, chronic fatigue syndrome is referred to as postviral fatigue syndrome as it often follows viral infections.

The real cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown. What is known is that it generally follows a viral infection or, more often, a series of infections.

It is important for the sufferer to follow a healthy diet in order for the recovery from this condition. It is also important to look after the health of the mind as well as the body. Time and rest are the only real treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome.