Don’t miss this month’s Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival, hosted this time by Teri Robert. There are some interesting entries, including my own. 😉
Also included is a link to the very special 2010 Migraine Poetry Contest – you won’t want to miss that!
So head on over to April’s edition of the Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival!
I just finished reading the brand new (2010) book, The Language of Pain: Finding Words, Compassion, and Relief by David Biro, MD. Â So – let’s talk about it!
Today I was standing in line at the bank. On the back of someone’s t-shirt I read,”Pain is weakness leaving the body.” The quote has been made famous by the US Marines.
All right, I know what they’re trying to say. But if pain is weakness leaving the body – why do I feel so much weaker today (post migraine attack) than I did Saturday (pre-migraine attack)?
You might actually be surprised how much debate there is over how to define pain. What is pain? Is it a warning – something that keeps us from harm? Yes, sometimes. But sometimes pain causes the harm, it seems. Or even takes on a life of its own.
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Pain, whatever it is, drives us inside ourselves. No one understands, and words seem to go from a stream to a trickle until they finally dry up.
Perhaps a good introduction to the book is in the author’s postscript:
… At its most intense, there is no time to think, let alone try to represent how one feels. … So why bother trying to speak? Why not just close one’s eyes, as I did many years ago in my hospital room, and wait for it to pass? And for those who witness pain, why bother trying to break down the wall of private experience and attempt to share what cannot be shared?
The simple answer is that we must. We must because the consequences of not trying are too great…
We must… but — how?
The goal of the book, if I could summarize it, is to free our tongues so that we can talk about pain (or draw, pain, sing, – most forms of expression fit in this case). Not only talk about it, but talk in ways that help us to understand it better. To deal with it better. And to share in ways that help others understand a little better – doctors, friends, family – the world.
It’s amazing that such a big topic hasn’t been discussed more. Don’t get me wrong – art, visualization, conversations of all kinds have been going on throughout history, and are strongly in the mainstream of medicine today. But the how – how to express pain – it’s a topic we don’t talk about enough.
Dr. Biro has done an excellent job tackling a very difficult topic. He’s done his research – everything from the literature of Charles Dickens and and James Joyce to the paintings of Frida Kahlo to the expressions of cancer and migraine patients.
He’s also navigated the very tricky waters of philosophy. It’s easy to get lost in the never-ending mazes of philosophy, and perhaps he does get a little off-course when he touches on ultimate questions, such as God and pain. But over all, he does a remarkable job sifting through philosophy and coming up with something very practical.
That practical thing is a box of tools that you or I can use to express – and understand – our pain better. He introduces us to different types of metaphor – different ways to approach the topic.
I’m more convinced than ever, after reading The Language of Pain
, that being able to express our pain is key. Â Key to survival, key to understanding, key to treatment – yes, even key to finding cures. Â As the author writes:
Physicians like me are often humbled by the uncanny sense that some patients have about what goes on inside their bodies. Deciding that something is wrong with them, or, less commonly, that nothing is wrong, patients will blatently contradict the assessment of their doctors and the “objective” data gleaned from sophisticated medical tests. Often they turn out to be right.
But many of us have only experienced the opposite side of communication. The vacant look when you try to explain. That look that says,”I won’t say you’re lying, but I know it can’t be that bad.”
The doctor that brushes you off. The employer that thinks you just want to take a day off.
But as powerful as misunderstanding can be, real communication can be just as powerful when it comes to solutions.
Dr. Biro isn’t exaggerating. If we want to move forward – and fight things like migraine – we must communicate. And it’s a skill we can learn.
It’s taken me a long time to get to this review. Not because I wasn’t interested in the topic, but because this isn’t the kind of book you can scan. It’s not a long book, but it’s not a book to rush through. You need to take the time to understand what is being said, and hopefully let it become a part of you, so that your creative expression starts to show it.
Though it’s not an easy read, it’s certainly not just a book for “artsy” people or clever writers. It’s for every patient in pain – and that’s the point.
I have a feeling this book won’t be read as much as it should be. Then again, more and more people, both patients and professionals in the health care field, do seem to be more and more aware of the necessity of clear communication. If that’s you, this is a great place to start.
You can also find The Language of Pain: Finding Words, Compassion, and Relief
This week: invest in (and read) a good drug reference book.
Why would I need to buy a book when there’s so much information online nowadays? Well, speaking personally, I still appreciate my real-paper offline reference. Why?
Of course, the downside is that it’s probably wise to buy an updated version of your reference every 2-3 years. However, the consumer versions of these books are not expensive – a few dollars every couple of years is worth the expense.
Look for a reference from a reliable source that is for sure not more than 5 years old. The book should have a large number of drugs in it, photos if possible, and key information about each drug.
My favourite is The Pill Book, which has been coming out with new editions quite regularly.
For the UK, you might want to try the BMA Concise Guide to Medicines and Drugs
What is 1% Thursday?
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Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better. Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge. Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own – and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!
I’m a bit late mentioning the most recent Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival, but just a reminder – it’s available for you to enjoy! The theme was Helping your loved ones understand what you go through and what you need from them. As always, some of the posts related to the theme and some didn’t.
Check it out here: Opening Up to Family & Friends: March 2010 Headache Blog Carnival
For more excellent thoughts on this topic, check out what our visitors had to say about it in: What I wish you knew…
Here are the last 10 finalists in the HeadWay 75th Edition Giveaway! The first 10 finalists are here.
Thanks again for your entries! The winner will be announced tomorrow!
I'd like to say by reading Headway that I found 'the magic cure' for my 20 years of almost daily migraine headaches, but that would not be true. I have however, found in the pages of Headway so many ideas, hints and new things to try that I have noticed a drastic lessening in the severity and duration of my headaches. But the biggest and best surprise for me has been the number of days I now go headache free! My hope is to keep reading and to keep getting better.
~Barbara (Medina, USA)
Headway has shown me how to manage my headaches and still have a LIFE! Thanks! I have learned so much – from the types of headaches I have, to recognizing how environment and diet can contribute and trigger them. I used a food diary and headache/lifestyle journal for about four months and found patterns and reoccurring symptoms. Now I can stay away from the foods that trigger my migraines and can prepare mentally when I'm beginning to menstruate and have hormonal headaches. Knowledge is POWER !! Keep it coming!!My two kids are also glad! No longer do they see their mom huddled in a ball in a dark room, moaning!
~Lauren (Middletown, USA)
It has help me and my daughter to know what questions to ask the doctors and suggestions to look into. She has suffered Migraines since grade school and is know a college graduate. No longer on prescriptions only on supplements and some day hopes to be drug free. The info over the years has help us to find the right doctor to get to this point. Thanks for letting us know we where not alone.
~Sherri (Bremen, USA)
HeadWay gives a balanced view of migraine and migraine sufferers. By not preaching only all-natural methods or only traditional medical advice, HeadWay allows readers to feel that there are many options to migraine relief and that one does not have to feel guilty for trying one way or the other. HeadWay also has done a fabulous job of representing all types of headache sufferers and causes, helping me, personally, to stop feeling like I was the only one who suffered this way!
~Mary (Cincinnati, USA)
Great information about migraines, not only causes but treatments. Also how to explain them to family, friends and co-workers who have never had one before. I have also found useful information in speaking with my doctors and explaining things better. It has helped me in managing them from a personal but professional prospective as well. I have shown articles to my Boyfriend and he seems to understand them better and it has helped our relationship a whole lot due to him understanding them better. The communication with my Doctor's has increased so much better and for that it has helped. The new idea's and research out there have been great to look into and try to see if they are applicable to me. It has helped me manage my disease better and has improved my quality of life in my understanding of my disease that I have had for the last 19 years! Thank You HeadWay 🙂
~Stacie (Glenn Allen, USA)
Reading headway has given me inspiration that I no longer have to accept that my migraines have to remain untreatable. I have found Treximet and it has been a life saver along with diet, regular sleep habits and moderate exercise. Vitamins such as omegas have also helped me. Thanks Head Way for providing me with valuable resources which enable me to live my best and healthiest life.
~Jennifer (Grand Prairie, USA)
Reading HeadWay keeps me up to date on the newest research and the newest medications that are available or about to become available for headache sufferers. Sometimes I read about a very simple little thing, perhaps it's only a diet modification, that is helpful. HeadWay is written in a style that is helpful and easy to understand and I like that too.
~Emily (Humboldt, USA)
Learned about some migraine preventatives that I hadn't known about (e.g. magnesium), learned more about child migraine (I probably had them, and my son may be having them as well). Perhaps best of all, I saw migraine art for the first time, and so was able to recognize it when a friend showed me her daughter's artwork and helped her diagnose her headaches!
~Christine (Ashland, USA)
HeadWay reminds me about how much progress is being made in the area of migraine research. HeadWay has also given me tips to lessen the pain such as taking Migralief twice a day and a better understanding of what happens during a migraine attack. I appreciate knowing that there are other people also looking for ways to deal with their migraines.
~Mary Jo (Wallingford, USA)
HeadWay disseminates valuable information not normally accessible to the average migraine sufferer. Headway has explored the gamut, from the wide variety of types of migraines (including unusual symptoms that one would not normally associate with a migraine), to prescription and alternative medications, herbs, and supplements–HeadWay has covered in depth all of these topics and more. I'm impressed that Headway has also explored lifestyle issues, such as exercise and foods that can promote or help mitigate migraines. This publication has been a lifesaver in countless ways, and I cannot praise it and James Cottrill's dedication enough!
Jo (Pittsburgh, USA)
Thanks again for all your kind comments, and thanks to so many who entered who also had excellent comments though they haven’t been mentioned. The winner will receive a US$75 gift certificate to either drugstore.com or vitacost.com. See you tomorrow!
