Worksafe Agent Loses Call Recording
As long as WorkSafe and their Agent keep treating me unfairly and refuse to support me in the way that I am entitled, I’m going to keep my reports coming! What have they done now? [...]
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Venezia!
There was no rushing to catch transport! And the sounds of Venice are soothing and happy. In the morning we woke to the sounds of the local's footsteps and the sounds of them working along the canal. Local chatter in the street, dogs barking and of course, the church bells. Sounds impact a person with a chronic illness. My mind was at peace, it felt rested, all was calming and gentle.
My GPADD18 Presentation
I'll deem my efforts a success. I managed. I learned a bundle. I made something of the chronic pain experience. And I believe I provided some insight. I arrived at Yarra Valley Lodge on Thursday night and left Sunday early morning to manage the presentation, question time and a short attendance at the dinner on Saturday evening. So that's 3 nights' sleep (and one nap Saturday afternoon) to get the focus I needed, and so I could appear in a way that I felt reflected my most Soula self. The presentation (below) took weeeeeeeeks to put together! Something that would have taken me a few short days previously. That might sound like a sacrifice to many of you, but with this approach, my pain levels remained low (if not off), and on my return to Queenscliff, I could resume my part-time work and the week ahead as per normal. It worked; I'm pacing up! I do have a niggle, though. We're not learning fast enough. We're not listening hard enough. I left disappointed I hadn't achieved enough. My presentation I couldn't film during the conference for obvious reasons, but I have put together the graphic presentation with my voice over. WARNING: This presentation contains calls for a new approach to managing chronic pain. It calls for bundles of learning for both professionals and patients and sacrifice and 100% commitment. It's a little boring and most disheartening for those searching for a quick fix. In this presentation: 0:28 Outline 0:43 About Soula 0:58 The accident 1:44 Chronic pain treatment & investigations 2:19 The peripheral stimulation implant 2:36 Diagnosis 3:00 Quality of life — More treatment 3:27 Communicating Pain 3:50 What is our understanding of Pain? 4:50 Resources for pain — pudendalnerve.com.au — The Hurting Strings Documentary — My book Art & Chronic Pain 7:14 Changing our ways — New definitions and more!
Frida Kahlo: Portrait of Chronic Pain
The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) is one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century. Although famous for her colorful self-portraits and associations with celebrities Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky, less known is the fact that she had lifelong chronic pain. Frida Kahlo developed poliomyelitis at age 6 years, was in a horrific trolley car accident in her teens, and would eventually endure numerous failed spinal surgeries and, ultimately, limb amputation. She endured several physical, emotional, and psychological traumas in her lifetime, yet through her art, she was able to transcend a life of pain and disability. Of her work, her self-portraits are conspicuous in their capacity to convey her life experience, much of which was imbued with chronic pain. Signs and symptoms of chronic neuropathic pain and central sensitization of nociceptive pathways are evident when analyzing her paintings and medical history. This article uses a narrative approach to describe how events in the life of this artist contributed to her chronic pain. The purpose of this article is to discuss Frida Kahlo's medical history and her art from a modern pain sciences perspective, and perhaps to increase our understanding of the pain experience from the patient's perspective.
Took 7 years… but I won!
I won but why did I have to fight for pain treatment in the first place? This is typical treatment for an injured worker in Australia. What was the real point of my stubbornness and the on going battle? I [...]
Pain Revolution 2018
(Cut to the chase, I want to support the Pain Revolution 2018. Image: Lorimer and Soula at the Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia Melbourne launch) I’ve got a soft spot for Professor Lorimer Moseley. In Feb 2011 I had just [...]
Marking the beginning of another year…
Thank you for your patience while I updated my website. I feel refreshed now…! I’m really happy to not only have updated my website but to be reporting on my positive progress. I’m doing that by ‘Marking the beginning of [...]
When It Pays to be Dumb
The effort my insurer makes to appear stupid and ignorant in their daily work, and the effort they make to voluntarily communicate their ignorance, today, for some reason (let's call it this fab new medication) made me want to laugh.
Treatment Reimbursement Fight Continues
I'm still fighting for reimbursement of my peripheral and sacral stimulation implants. Insurer X (let's call them that but really what I call them is irrelevant - they're all the same!) are investigating valid reasons to support my treatments (or [...]