“I just want my life back, I want to feel like me again”. This is a common refrain in our work as pain psychologists. Too often individuals with chronic pain feel as though their lives have fundamentally changed from ones defined by activity and engagement in a meaningful life to ones full of limitations, isolation, and feelings of loss.

In a widely-shared article published in the Atlantic in 2015, titled “How Doctors Take Women’s Pain Less Seriously,” author Joe Fassler tells of his wife Rachel’s visit to the ER after she is suddenly stricken with excruciating abdominal pain, later revealed to be a life-threatening ovarian torsion. . The article tells of their agonizing 14-hour wait in the ER while Rachel’s pain is dismissed, undertreated, and misdiagnosed.

All patients had the diagnosis of chronic migraine. Almost all patients had utilized Botox for their chronic migraine. Each patient had utilized at least 3 preventive medications in the past. Many of these patients remained on a daily preventive. Approximately 60% of the patients were considered to have refractory chronic migraine.

The members of the Board of Directors of the Southern Pain Society were saddened to read about the possible need for the American Pain Society to cease operations.  We have long appreciated the scientific contributions and clinical guidelines for pain management made by the APS. 

Thinking about our coming Annual Meeting, I’m reminded of the complexity of the challenges we face. Along with the attention the opioid crisis is receiving, those of us working daily with patients living with pain know that for many of them there is a simultaneous pain crisis.  As pain professionals we have a responsibility to help to “clean up” what many consider to be  “the mess” that resulted from the opioid crisis and now the consequential pain crisis.

In this third of a series of writings about compassion and pain management, this article focuses on self-compassion.  The premise is that it is essential for health care providers to have compassion for self as the foundation to empathically and compassionately care for patients, while promoting compassionate satisfaction and preventing compassion fatigue.Self-compassion is connecting care and support for self during times of personal suffering.

Migraine is a relatively common illness, affecting 12% of the population. Chronic migraine (CM) is a frequently encountered subset of migraine, and presents certain difficulties in treatment. Those with CM have at least 15 headache days per month, with at least 8 days being migrainous in nature. Many do not do well with the usual preventive approaches, and suffer from refractory chronic migraine (RCM).

Behavioral Medicine Institute (BMI) is a 20+ member, multi-specialty group practice based in Knoxville with a long-established referral base and innovative practice models including embedded clinicians in local medical practices. We are currently seeking a skilled and motivated clinician to add to our team of psychologists working embedded in a local, anesthesiology-based pain center which has received a Center of Excellence award from the American Pain Society. The opportunity is full time, we offer a supportive, collegial atmosphere…

A few nights ago, I was talking with my wife about something fairly benign – probably weekend plans or paying the light bill – when she suddenly got a look on her face that I know very well. It was that solemn, glaze-eyed look that says, “I’m so over this.” Like any good spouse would do, I asked, “What’s wrong? Are you ok?” Her eyes snapped to and she gave a slight smile accompanied by the quietly murmured, “I’m fine.” This was obviously not the case so I interpreted her response to mean that something was wrong…