Chronic Pain - The invisible disability
I've suffered from back pain most of my life with a double S curve scoliosis, but it became second nature for me to disassociate from the pain and I never let it slow me down. With the exception of the times I really pushed the limits (like digging my own watergarden!) in fact I'd have to stop and think before realizing the amount of pain I was in...it's hard to describe unless you've done it. Anyway, suddenly in 1999 when I was 43 years old that all changed, and I almost literally woke up one morning and could hardly stand for the pain...my threshold had been broken! I had two spinal fusion surgeries in Feb 2000 which did help for about a year after 6 months of grueling recovery and physical therapy. Then the pain came back slowly but surely.
I have become almost house bound, take narcotic pain killers regularly which only serve to keep the pain at a manageable (don't want to blow my brains out) level. But I have learned so much from this...above all patience, humility and compassion. I have a newfound appreciation of the disabled in general. We are just like you! Most people that meet me on the street (although these days I'm rarely able to go out) have no idea because I'm wearing my 'like everybody else' mask, and usually have a big smile on my face though what I'd really like to do is scream from the pain.
It is my hope to increase awareness...even a tad. The next time you meet someone that seems a bit 'crabby', realize that they may be experiencing incredible pain! For the most part, we look just like you, and you'd never know....You could be the next victim of this invisible disability!
X rays
My back xray (before spinal fusion surgery) Xray
Back xray post spinal fusion surgery
Looks like a tinker toy set no?? Chronic Pain Links
- Back pain and neck pain information for patients; by Spine-health
- In-depth patient information on back pain and neck pain, written and reviewed by spine specialists. Includes hundreds of peer reviewed articles for patients, doctor directory, clinical trial listings, educational newsletter, patient discussion board, and more. By Spine-health.com.
- Chronic Pain
- Current reliable information on chronic pain. Extensive medical resources for patient and physician.
- Back.com - Have questions about back pain? Back.com has answers
- Back pain does not have to be something you live with. Back pain is common and can be caused by a spinal problem. Factors such as pain, weakness, and numbness can point to a more serious condition. Back.com has the answers.
- The Invisible Disabilities Advocate - Chronic Illness
- IDA creates a better understanding of living with chronic illness and pain with articles, a booklet, links, a message board and more!
- My surgeon (he did the surgery when no one else would TOUCH it!) Thanks Dr. Graz!
- Gregory P. Graziano, M.D.
Personal Data
Address:
Phone:
1500 E. Medical Center Drive
2912 TC
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0328(734) 936-7299
Education
University of Wisconsin at Parkside
Medical College of WisconsinPostdoctoral Training
1983-1984
Indiana University Medical Center, - Rest Ministries Chronic Illness / Pain Support
- Serves people who live with chronic illness or pain, caregivers and churches, through Christian HopeKeepers groups, e-friends, chats, devotionals, pen pals, and resources at the Comfort Zone store.
Do yourself a favor and subscribe to their daily devotional! - Revolution Health - Revolution Health
- Revolution Health offers trusted health information, expert advice, drug and treatment information, doctor ratings, and a strong community to help you and your family with health issues. Visit Revolution Health as your one-stop resource for all your health needs.
- WebMD - Better information. Better health.
- The leading source for trustworthy and timely health and medical news and information. Providing credible health information, supportive community, and educational services by blending award-winning expertise in content, community services, expert commentary, and medical review.
- Back Pain, Neck Pain, Sciatica - Symptoms Exercises Treatments Causes
- Resource for back pain and neck pain information on treatments, conditions, back pain exercises, surgery, prevention and recovery. Reviewed by leading neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, pain specialists and chiropractors.
- Life with my pet back
- Reflections on life with back pain and the journey to recovery.
- InsideSpine.com Blog - Jill Serbousek, VP Global Communications, Medtronic Sofamor Danek Spinal
- Inside Spine.com blog.
- Scoliosis - Have questions about Scoliosis? iScoliosis.com has answers.
- Scoliosis is a condition which affects the spines of many children, teenagers and adults. The human spine features many natural curvatures which help our bodies to move and be flexible.
- SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY SECRETS: SSD SSI TIPS ADVICE TO WIN BENEFITS WHEN YOU APPLY & APPEAL FOR SSDI (SSA LAWYERS, ADVOCATES)
- Social Security Disability - Help, Answers, Tips, Advice and Secrets for winning SSD, SSDI, SSI disability cases, claims and appeals, including referrals for lawyers, attorneys, and advocates
- Midwest Pain Treatment Center
- My pain management clinic.
- Is Surgery the Best Scoliosis Treatment Option?
- It's important to seek treatment for scoliosis to prevent the abnormal spine curve from progressing. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common form of scoliosis, and it can be treated in many ways, such as observation, bracing, and surgery.
- Pain management information - WebMD
- Resources providing pain information and chronic pain management information.
Chronic Pain News from Google
- US stars are falling victim to prescription drugs
- Tyler's stage antics have left him with severe chronic pain and damage to his knees and feet. During a show this year he fell off a stage and broke a ...
- Roche licenses chronic pain treatment to Afferent
- Y) said Wednesday that it has licensed its P2X31 receptor program aimed at developing chronic pain treatments to Afferent Pharmaceuticals. At the same time, ...
- Naked mole rats: For UIC scientist, answer to chronic pain therapy lies in a ...
- ... toward what they hope are new medical marvels, such as treatments for chronic pain, cures for cancer, and help for stroke and heart attack victims. ...
- Do you have chronic pain? Local group forms to offer support
- Jan Rose Kasmir is reforming a free chronic pain management support group. She is seeking new members and healers from the community to come speak with the ...
Chronic pain blogs
- Feedmysearch needs your opinion, help and advice
- Dear feedmysearch user, Feedmysearch would require some serious server upgrade and a bit of developm...
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Chronic Pain Twitter Search
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- RunNShoot
- #fact - Music can help reduce chronic pain by more than 20% and can alleviate depression by up to 25%. @toujourscedes
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- nopaleatrivita
- Sports injury? Do A Little Research Here On Alleviating Some Chronic Pain http://bit.ly/6KF2U4
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- tambobambo
- ....do anything with your life because of your chronic "pain"...... then send me an email? telling me what YOU think is wrong with my life?.
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- Badazzbadonk
- :[ to chronic pain
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- Kiwfranc
- Chronic pain often follows breast cancer surgery | HealthandAge http://shar.es/a9HLO
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- TheBackPainGuy
- BACK PAIN ALERT: Chronic Lower Back Pain And The Adrenal Glands | Muscle Pain ... http://bit.ly/85fPag
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- CutPain4Gain
- Chronic Back Pain Medication - Healing Spells for Lower Back Pain ...: The result is that there are many different ... http://bit.ly/4vLgyL
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- backpainhelp
- New blog post: www.easy75k.com How to relieve your chronic back pain forever http://bit.ly/5ThqGu
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- authornley
- Sleep Apnea: www.easy75k.com How to remove chronic back pain, knee pain & sleep apnea from your body http://bit.ly/4s6hlo
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- authornley
- Sleep Apnea: www.easy75k.com How to improve your chronic back pain, knee pain, & sleep apnea http://bit.ly/4CZaE4
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- mailtosabrina
- Chronic Lyme disease hobbles Spanish Fork woman: It began with pain in her late teen years, followed by debilit.. http://bit.ly/5o1J3y
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- ryder708
- Wellness center relocates in Westport: After experiencing two surgeries to try to relieve chronic back pain, So.. http://bit.ly/4n2eW4
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- harmonytohealth
- #Arthritis, Arteriosclerosis, #Asthma, #Chronic fear #Depression, #Electrosmog, #pain healed fast and guaranteed http://bit.ly/quantumchip
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- healthytools4u
- Arthritis Relief for Chronic Pain Sufferers - http://tinyurl.com/czfvk9
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- bionicbandpain
- I favorited a YouTube video -- www.easy75k.com Bionic sports band improves balance & destroys chronic pain http://youtu.be/HGzB0mCEHPQ?a
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- bionicbandpain
- I favorited a YouTube video -- www.easy75k.com Bionic sports band & cell phone cancer & chronic pain http://youtu.be/91Prarwx84E?a
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- bionicbandpain
- I favorited a YouTube video -- www.easy75k.com Chronic back pain & chronic sleep apnea cured can be cured http://youtu.be/Pc8kp_XqkL8?a
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- bionicbandpain
- I favorited a YouTube video -- www.easy75k.com Science behind chronic pain relief & arthritis relief 1 http://youtu.be/F5IcrJ0tlrE?a
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- bionicbandpain
- I favorited a YouTube video -- www.easy75k.com Science behind chronic pain relief & chronic arthritis http://youtu.be/Xp0DLR0_zh4?a
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- bionicbandpain
- I favorited a YouTube video -- www.easy75k.com Sleep apnea, chronic back pain, migraine headache, & kne... http://youtu.be/89xqD_WJ82U?a
automatically generated by Twitter
More pain related links
- Another EXCELLENT Squidoo lens about spine fractures
- In April, 2006 on an impromptu snow trip to Tahoe with my family, I fractured my spine in two places while sledding. I sustained a compression fracture of L1 and a burst fracture of L2. A small piece of bone broke off of my L2 fracture and impacted my spinal column by 25%. Thankfully, I did not expe
Spine Universe featured articles
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byLife with my pet back
Reflections on life with back pain and the journey to recovery.
Great blog I just ran into...
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byRead about Pain...
Managing Chronic Pain: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach Workbook (Treatments That Work)
Amazon Price: $20.12 (as of 12/28/2009) 
Living with Chronic Pain, Second Edition: The Complete Health Guide to the Causes and Treatment of Chronic Pain
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 12/28/2009)
Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Step-by-Step Guide
Amazon Price: $36.00 (as of 12/28/2009)
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain: A Survival Manual (2nd Edition)
Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 12/28/2009)
Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain
Amazon Price: $11.56 (as of 12/28/2009)
Managing Chronic Pain: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach Therapist Guide (Treatments That Work)
Amazon Price: $35.70 (as of 12/28/2009)
Reversing Chronic Pain: A 10-Point All-Natural Plan for Lasting Relief
Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 12/28/2009)
Chronic Pain Wikipedia
Chronic pain has several different meanings in medicine. Traditionally, the distinction between acute and chronic pain has relied upon an arbitrary interval of time from onset; the two most commonly used markers being 3 months and 6 months since the initiation of pain, though some theorists and researchers have placed the transition from acute to chronic pain at 12 months. Others apply acute to pain that lasts less than 30 days, chronic to pain of more than six months duration, and subacute to pain that lasts from one to six months.
A popular alternative definition of chronic pain, involving no arbitrarily fixed durations is "pain that extends beyond the expected period of healing."''
Chronic Pain on Backtype
- Anyone else planning a major life overhaul for the new year?
- I need to lose 30 lbs , a task made harder due to my chronic back pain But i have to .Read more comments by CobraCommander
- When Will The United States Tighten Up Its Sex Offender Registry? [Vicious Cycle]
- @CassandraSays: You know, the more time I spend with older people who have chronic pain problems, the more the illegality of pot makes me see red. I know [...] can afford to spend their lives either full of pain or asleep from the meds. Some pot [...] Read more comments by Cimorene
- #Money -- Reading some blog posts in regards to money and social media/blogs.
- → I suffer not from my illness and chronic pain but a great deal for 20 years of hell that I lived though, I have no idea as to what the next day will bring to me because it's best for me to take it a step at a [...] Read more comments by H0llywoodWh0re
- #Money -- Reading some blog posts in regards to money and social media/blogs.
- → I suffer not from my illness and chronic pain only but a great deal for 20 years of hell that I lived though, I have no idea as to what the next day will bring to me because it's best for me to take it a step at [...] Read more comments by H0llywoodWh0re
- A Tragic Christmas Day Health Care Suicide
- [...] drove Chesnutt to his decision. If you have a chronic illness, it consumes your life. Like Chesnutt, I assume he lived in pain every day since age 18. To add the [...] of no health insurance on top of the pain of illness is something that can tax the [...] Read more comments by jdledell
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I'd love to hear from YOU!
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- jasmineann jasmineann May 10, 2007 @ 6:13 am
- Wonderful lens. Great you are bringing awareness about this often hidden pain to people. Great job!
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- Lisa Copen Lisa Copen Mar 8, 2007 @ 2:29 am
- Thanks so much for listing Rest Ministries on your Squidoo list. I hope we are an encouragement for you. Also wanted to make sure you know about National Invisble Chronic Illness Awareness Week in Sept http://www.invisibleillness.com
Blessings to you!
Lisa Copen (founder of Rest Ministries)
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