Portraying Pain’s Invisible Characteristics
I thought you might like to see some of the artwork I’ve created over the past two years. It’s been slow but I’m really happy with this [...]
October 9th, 2021
12:43 pm
September 25th, 2021
3:11 pm
Laura Rathbone
I’ve met another astounding and inspiring human working in the complex pain world. This time my hunt for resources finds me in the Netherlands. I’m not physically [...]
August 12th, 2021
11:38 am
Say Goodbye to Covid-19 Lockdowns
That would be like me saying ‘goodbye flares’ in my undiagnosed years. You just don’t get to make those decisions when you don’t have explicit knowledge about the beast you are dealing [...]
July 21st, 2021
8:54 pm
I Found My Pain Definition in Lockdown
Lockdown time appears to be crucial for pacing back to whole life. Every lockdown has given me a leap of some kind. I genuinely think lockdown together with my spinal cord stimulation has armed me like never before in this 14-year journey. There are moments I'm so comfortable. Of course, it's seconds and minutes, but it's soooooo freeeeeeeing. I 'just' walk over to get something – nothing is restricting me. No fog, no warning signal; it's just me moving in the space. So I can totally focus on what's in front of me, I can hear the quiet, notice the dust and envisage all the things I plan to do.. to the end! It's an uninterrupted dreamy sequence! If memory serves me correctly, this is a typical experience and a sequence that should be totally taken for granted instead of awed. I haven't experienced this before lockdown. EVER. CHECKPOINT: 14 years, 4 months and 21 days (or 5257 or 172 months, 21 days), I have experienced a short uninterrupted sequence of normality.
June 4th, 2021
11:34 am
Dear Victorian State Minister, Daniel Andrews MP
Dear Daniel Andrews MP, It's wonderful to see that your recovery is going well. As a 52-year-old person, I like to think that I live and learn from life experiences. I imagine someone in your position would take that sort of approach also and that with your own living and learning and the experience of Victorians you gather realistic references for your ongoing decision making. Taking this terrible recent accident you have had into account (whether a work injury or not), a horrific pandemic and two reports by the Victorian Ombudsman, I have hope and the expectation that you might be in a position to relate far more to Victorian injured workers (of which I am one) than ever before. Being more specific, can you please consider how you would feel: – being questioned about your injury – being told by an insurance company that the reports about your health from your own medical team do not suffice – having investigators photograph you around your home and day-to-day – being sent to an 'independent medical panel to be reassessed and to prove your injury
June 1st, 2021
9:23 am
A (fantabulous) Chat with (the fantabulous) Joletta Belton
How I love mycuppajo – the wonderfully beaming human officially known as Joletta Belton. I was introduced to Joletta's blog by a mutual friend, Dr John Quintner (pain educator for Arthritis & Osteoporosis WA and retired pain physician). Jo's experience (science and creativity) makes her documentation about the complex lived experience real, interesting and easy to understand. It's so easy to relate to Jo. Jo and I also share the added frustrating experience of being an 'injured worker' and having to 'defend' our injuries to unjust workers' compensation systems. Her advocacy and achievements are extraordinary – she is a force driving change throughout the world of chronic pain. I'm so happy to be able to chat with Jo and deliver this video to you all. I know it will be inspiring, energising and informing. I also know that much of the way through you will have beaming smiles on your faces. It's just impossible to speak with Jo and not smile! In this video, Joletta and chat about: 1:04 Checkpoint – the meaning of (Jo's) life 3:53 Being the new 'you' 5:13 Purpose: the lived experience 7:55 The power of words 11:00 When there are no words 13:25 Patients & Practitioners 17:05 Science speak 21:13 Pain in realistic terms 26:15 Angry with yourself 28:50 Forced to defend 33:43 Livelihood loss 35:41 mycuppajo.com and beyond 43:33 COVID impact 48:02 Changing system-centered care 51:55 Gratitude
May 22nd, 2021
1:20 pm
A Chat with Robert J. Echenberg, MD (Dr E!)
Wisdom, experience and compassion are all qualities to describe Dr E. Just wait ’til you hear him speak! This extraordinary gentle human has had a very long [...]
May 7th, 2021
10:48 am
A Chat With Mandy Mercuri
Get the code to watchSign up (FREE) below or make any donation to support my advocacy and watch ALL my Vimeos.Lost your code? Mandy and I initially met [...]
May 3rd, 2021
12:31 pm
Diarmuid McCoy – YouTube Resources
Who wants to learn about pain? Who wants to have to learn about pain? Why should we? Are you over it yet? I am. But… [...]
April 28th, 2021
3:21 pm
SBS Insight: Hurt At Work
It's hard to watch these programs and listen to the stories of injured workers and how their lives are affected because of the poor and unjust Workers Compensation system in Australia. [...]