March 25th, 2015 12:11 pm

Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia’s Melbourne launch

By |2017-12-11T15:12:07+11:00March 25th, 2015|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, Help, Professional|Tags: , |

I was thrilled to be invited to The Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia (PPFA)'s Melbourne launch last night. I originally met Dr Susan Evans when I was invited to present my patient story at AIM Pain 2014. I had cyber met Dr Evans prior, asking if I could include her details on this website, in fact I've 'e-met' many pain professionals this way. I never dreamt that one day they may all be in the one room together, all of us advocating for pelvic pain and helping start up a National organisation that addresses pelvic pain for women AND MEN. Needless to say, last night I went on a magic carpet ride!

October 30th, 2014 9:59 am

My interview with the Australian Pain Society

By |2017-12-11T14:10:27+11:00October 30th, 2014|Categories: Advocacy, Online|Tags: , , , |

APS: How important are support groups for both you and your close family/community? Soula: I can’t say I feel there is much support for my husband and family/community. It’s difficult with invisible pain, it’s a similar scenario with depression, we still don’t get it. Society seems to have been given an immense right to provide their opinion (e.g. with social media platforms) and this has opened up some kind of authority to encourage opinions and much judgment. Not many tread carefully or really think from someone else’s perspective. Although we have more information accessible to us, we seem to be learning less.

October 22nd, 2014 10:07 am

‘The Hurting Strings’ wins International Film Festival Reel Health Award 2014

By |2017-12-11T16:40:26+11:00October 22nd, 2014|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, Events, Film, Online, The Hurting Strings|Tags: |

I must sound like a broken record by now, but once again, I am left bewildered by my chronic pain journey and the contrasting experiences that go from excruciating pain to exhilaration. Above all, I feel incredibly privileged at the opportunities presented to me and so happy to be able to help others by communicating my story. I could not have done this without Theo, my family and of course Peter Lamont and Jacinta Cashen.

October 7th, 2014 10:42 am

ANZCA Bulletin: Simple Accident Leads to Life of Pain

By |2017-12-11T15:03:47+11:00October 7th, 2014|Categories: Advocacy, Print|Tags: , , |

It took nearly five years of chasing answers, of tests and interventions, frustration, grief, and constant, unbearable pain to reach a diagnosis. The fall caused nerve damage in the pelvic area, very real but invisible on MRIs, examinations, X-rays and CT scans. “It is still a primitive time in pain. Being told for four and a half years ‘this is chronic pain ... go home and live with it, there’s nothing that can be done’ is brutal not to mention primitive.”

June 30th, 2014 7:21 am

My Documentary: The Hurting Strings – An Artist’s Story on Pain

By |2023-02-18T10:27:08+11:00June 30th, 2014|Categories: Advocacy, Film, Online, The Hurting Strings|Tags: , , , |

Handmade Films - The Hurting StringsLet's watch The Hurting StringsI'd like to express my biggest thanks firstly to Peter Lamont for taking this project on and for communicating my invisible message with [...]

June 14th, 2014 10:51 pm

Stepping into an ANZCA ad to help raise awareness for chronic pain

By |2017-12-11T09:16:52+11:00June 14th, 2014|Categories: Advocacy, Events, Television|Tags: , , |

(Update: July 18, 2014) Yep, I’m one in five… Watch the full ad at: www.anzca.edu.au/fellows/foundation (June 14, 2014) Chronic pain insists on presenting me with the unexpected. Today, I found myself on [...]

April 15th, 2014 9:21 am

National Pain Report, My Story: A Pain in the Coccyx

By |2021-02-20T11:17:13+11:00April 15th, 2014|Categories: About, Advocacy, Blog, My treatment, Online|Tags: , , , , , |

(http://americannewsreport.com/nationalpainreport/my-story-a-pain-in-the-coccyx-8823596.html) The National Pain Report, my story. April 14th, 2014 by Soula Mantalvanos I begged my neurosurgeon to do anything, even to chop my coccyx off. But after getting opinions from other surgeons, he suggested not to go the invasive path as we had the option for an implant called a peripheral stimulator, a treatment that was reversible. It made more sense.

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