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A Chat with Deb Thompson
A most essential chat – person (living with pain)-to-person (living with pain). As well as having a lived experience of pain in common, Deb and I also share a love for communication – Deb via media studies (film, video, etc) and myself through art and design. For two people with a great understanding of communication, our experiences navigating the chronic pain journey have been different. Having said that, the frustrations have been oh so similar! All of it is ground level information of what it's like to work through diagnosis, a life-changing situation and coming out the other [...]
Soula Chats With Amy Eicher
Get the code to watchSign up (FREE) below or make any donation to support my advocacy and watch ALL my Vimeos.Lost your code? There's so much to learn in order to be able to navigate chronic pain. The psychological side of pain is huge as is the energy required to manage it! That's why we need fantastic coaches like Amy Eicher. Certainly what adds to Amy's ability to help and reach people is her own experience of being lost in the search for diagnosis and finding her own way from there. To add to that, Amy's [...]
A Chat With Anne-Florence Plante (my Diagnosing Physiotherapist)
Get the code to watch Sign up (FREE) below or make any donation to support my advocacy and watch ALL my Vimeos. Lost your code? I can't really think of a better way to mark my 14 year anniversary with chronic pain than to present this wonderful (loooong) chat with my diagnosing physiotherapist, Anne-Florence Plante. I will clarify firstly that Anne-Florence's official title is not Soula's physiotherapist but rather her qualification is Senior Clinician Physiotherapist. Anne-Florence Plante not only diagnosed me but this awe-inspiring human is the reason pudendalnerve.com.au exists. We have stayed [...]
Soula & Theo Chat About Pain Management
You have all heard so much about Theo and how we have (and continue) to work together through chronic pain. However, you have never really heard from Theo directly nor does the chronic pain world hear or acknowledge the 'carer' anywhere near enough. I thought a chat with Theo – specific to pain management would be insightful and a great way to kick off my video 'interviews'. Although couples have various chemistries and approaches to their relationships I thought there may still be something in this chat to help others with the battle of trying to live, love [...]
Presentation: An Approach to Chronic Non-Cancer Pain
In November this year, I was invited to present my pain experience to a group of 40 GP's. The topic was: An Approach to Chronic Non-Cancer Pain and the workshop was facilitated by Dr Paul Grinzi for Murray City Country Coast GP Training. Where does one start when asked to present to 40 pain interested GP's in 20 minutes? There's a great emoji to illustrate the look on my face when I ponder this question. You can well imagine. As an 'expert' in my 'field' 20 minutes to describe 13 years of living with chronic pain of which 4.5 years were spent lost in a forest is still a tough gig. However, this was a presentation to medical professionals. And they know everything, right? .... I've decided to make this video a paid resource. All proceeds go towards funding this website and PainTrain – My Health Summary. What do I talk about in my video? — O:43 My story — 2:50 Investigating pain, research & treatment — 4:26 Diagnosis — 5:55 Advocacy — 7:45 The experience of pain — 8:27 Medication — 9:35 Characteristics of Pain — 10:55 Planning life with chronic pain — 12:09 Pain management — 13:50 PainTrain
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!