LOUISIANA PAIN

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12 LOUISIANA PAIN QUARTERLY Vol. 27 chronic pain anxiety emotional distress stress Depression pain management hopelessness THE TOOLBOX STRATEGY Top 10 Tools for Managing Chronic Pain By Dr. Mark Skellie, Psy. D. f you’ve seen my previous articles, I’m I committed to people living with chronic pain to develop a toolbox strategy for coping. The toolbox strategy is really simple: If you have a range of different ways to cope with pain, stress, or other types of emotional distress when one tool does not work, you can go back to the toolbox and find another. Individuals who develop a variety of intentional coping strategies, have a way to face any problem through trial and error. Like they say, if you only have a hammer you tend to see every problem as a nail…
Vol. 27 LOUISIANA PAIN QUARTERLY 13 For this article, I’ve developed a Top 10 List of great psychological strategies that work to improve the quality of life for those individuals living with chronic pain. Obviously, this list is not meant to be a summary of all of the possible strategies for managing chronic pain and I would love to hear from you about things that I have not included but are part of your toolbox. The list is also not in any specific order, but as a psychologist I’m obviously biased towards number 10. 1LEAN ON YOUR DOC. Your relationship with your physician and the rest of your pain management team can make a dramatic difference in living well with chronic pain. If you are unsure about something, ask for more information or where to find good information online. Your pain management team is your ally in living well, so make sure to tell them about major changes in your life that affect your pain management or your current treatments. It is important for you to understand the medicines you’re taking, what they can do for you, and their potential side effects. Then educate yourself about additive or alternative treatment options. Your goal should be to have a normal mood and activity level - if you don’t, then a different medicine might be better for you. Be proactive, to ask questions, and look for answers. A great strategy is to write down questions you want to research and discuss with your pain management team. Keeping a pain journal can be a great way to help your pain management team understand and more effectively treat your chronic pain. At the end of each day, record an average daily pain rating between 1 and 10, where 10 indicates the worst pain possible. Then note what you did that day, and how these activities made you feel. The next time you see the doctor, bring the journal and discuss your findings. Lean on your doc. Ask questions and look for answers. 2 HYDRATE. According to the Mayo Clinic, dehydration may aggravate the symptoms of some chronic conditions, like headaches and back pain. Although it may be tempting to load up on coffee, soda, or juice, their diuretic effect makes them poor sources for hydration. Water keeps you hydrated without the extra calories, sodium, or caffeine. The recommendation that adults need to drink an 8-ounce glass of water 8 times per day may not be accurate for all people and simply drinking when thirsty may be a better goal. It should be noted that summer increases our need for water due to the extreme heat, so 8 glasses a day is still a smart goal when it is hot. Also, you should try to maintain the 8 glass habit when you are having increased perspiration, high body temperature (or fever), nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea, which magnify your fluid needs. 3EAT CLEAN. If you’re living with chronic pain, you want to do everything you can to help your body, not hinder it. One way to keep your body strong is to eat a well-balanced diet and reduce your consumption of highly processed food (e.g. fast food, frozen dinners, hot dogs, snack foods, etc). Eating right improves blood sugar, helps maintain weight, reduces heart disease risk, and aids digestion. Aim for
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