Remember me posting about Lissanthea Taylor and PainChats? I had signed up so now receive my regular email updates. I don’t often make recommendations, but I think you should sign up too! Lissanthea poses some pretty great questions which stimulate [...]
WARNING: This post contains serious attitude as a result of 10 years of personal experience with chronic pain. The post also contains my personal no nonsense view of living with a chronic illness and (much required) rotten sense of humour, [...]
Their teachers hope that students are beginning to realize that medicine is not black and white, but many shades of grey. The museum sessions are designed to get these students thinking about the importance of a diagnosis that is not just based on physical symptoms, but also on the larger narrative that informs a patient’s health story.
I can’t stand TV as it hurts to sit or lie back and watch but recently, while tuning in to one of the very few shows I do watch, I caught a message from a Pharmaceutical (Pharma) advertisement about pain [...]
The post many of you have been waiting for… Theo’s thoughts, sacrifices and life experience of his daily ‘caring’. I should add that Theo and I have been together almost 20 years, seven of those [...]
My name is Robert. I'm a 20 y.o. athlete. I've been suffering from Pelvic Pain for 6 months. I hope my blog can bring awareness and support to this poorly understood subject.
Excerpt from American News Report: July 8th, 2013 by Carol Levy, Columnist I was sitting at a table with some people I knew, slightly. I did not know how much of my situation they knew, but the issue came up [...]
Another year gone by since the pop! Now I know what practitioners mean about peeling onion layers. My onion layers have gone something like this: Removal of pelvic thickened ligament Peripheral stimulation device implant Diagnosis Nerve blocks Medication … Could [...]
Another wonderful connection I've made on my daily mission for understanding Pelvic Pain, is with the lovely Kathleen Mazzella, founder of GAIN (in Perth). Gynaecology is currently not too connected to Pudendal Neuralgia (and vice versa), but after my own experience, I believe in time they will be very closely connected. After all, there are many cases of nerve issues arising after gyneocolgical procedures, but I can also report that my first issue was in fact a nasty over grown pelvic ligament that my Gynaecolgoist removed (and with it went the extremely high sensory pain possibly releasing the pressure on the Pudendal Nerve). Obviously progress and learning about the brain, pain signals and general medical research, will change the way we tackle pelvic pain today, thankfully! (excerpt from the GAIN website) Kathleen (Kath) Mazzella, Founder of GAIN (Gynaecological Awareness Information Network Inc) Kath has endured the trauma of being diagnosed with, and treated extensively, for a gynaecologicakathl cancer – vulval cancer. From a position of experience, and compassion, Kath created GAIN in response to the needs of these women. Today, a vibrant cancer survivor, she continues to lobby for more awareness, funding and research for gynaecological cancers, pre-cancers and other gynaecological disorders.
Pain in the pelvis can include pain 'down there' too... sometimes 'back there' as well! True! Just follow the path of the Pudendal Nerve and see where its extremities are... I have cyber met many women who suffer with this awful condition called, Vulvodynia. The Pudendal Nerve branches extend to the Vulva, and so the condition is certainly 'related' to the whole Pelvic Chronic Pain issue. I personally relate to the condition after having extremely high sensory signals (almost maddening like I had my own 'hoo-ha' stuck in a power point!!), up until an oversized pelvic ligament was found and resected. Thankfully that high sensory pain (and associated issues) ended for me there. Of course my Pudendal Nerve and I are still in a personal battle over its insistant pain tune. But... I'll leave my personal details there and concentrate on some much needed awareness for my pain sisters who are out there telling their story and providing a voice to those who can't bare to speak about this awful issue, Vulvodynia. Firstly, a wonderful and supportive cyber friend, Vanessa Watson who lives in Perth and helps run the Pelvic Pain Support group with Catherine Aurubind for HOPE (Health Organization for Pudendal Education). Vanessa's story was also recently published in The Sydney Morning Herald. You can also find us chatting on Facebook. Secondly, Esther runs her 'Mad Peach, living with chronic pain in the hoo-ha' blog, and might I add with a great sense of humour. Read her account and many other accounts from her followers at: madpeach.blogspot.com.au. And thirdly I'll add a recent story, Privacy around private parts hurts women's health, which went to air on the ABC'S 7:30 report last week. It is certainly difficult to speak of this very personal pain but the more documentation and the more we share our stories, the more courage we give to our sisters to speak up. Speaking up means we share our treatments and knowledge and bring pain relief and quality of life. Silence will take us nowhere. Please share this post and related links.
