A Journey With Pain, Sincerely Yours

 

Colorado 2022

   Take a Stand © by Celeste Cooper

 

   Swirling ideas, each significant to plan.

   Upholding brave principles and taking a stand.

   Provisions of nature and all living things

   Gives fortitude, fulfillment of what life brings.

 

   Taste the climb; take pause, ageless, forever;

   Ours for the taking–precious gift of endeavor.

   Inherited by forefathers, a guide for our path,

   Achievement secured when we learn from the past.

 

   So stand up we shall, securing our position.

   When acted on, they are more than conditions.

   Comrades, principles, nature, history, at hand

   Are the tools that endure when taking a stand.

 

"Adversity is only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."

 

A LOOK BACK

 

I have worked as a real estate salesperson, office manager, switchboard operator, bookkeeper, income tax preparer, and more. As a single mother of two small children, I accomplish my dream of becoming a registered nurse. I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN), and a Legal Nurse Consultant degree in Paralegal Studies with a plethora of experiences related to emergency nursing, staff development, nursing administration, and education.

 

Because of chronic illness and painful disorders, I have learned the importance of sharing information from the perspective of a fellow patient, and I have enjoyed writing and blogging from that point of view.  

 

My life experiences have had a huge influence on my writing as an author and blogger. My experience as a freelance contributor to Sharecare, Health Central, ProHealth, and journals, has helped me grow as a writer.

 

I have had the pleasure and the opportunity to collaborate with robust advocates from ALL aspects of care in an effort to change the way chronic pain has been perceived, judged, and treated.

 

OUR JOURNEY

 

As we work through the process from denial to acceptance, we must not underestimate our abilities to live a meaningful life despite the obstacles we might encounter.

 

As I experience new chapters in my life, I accept change; a great deal of change has been for the better.  In addition, I strongly feel that we are our own best advocates and we should not forget to use our voice on matters that are important to us.

 

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to write on issues that affect all of us who live in this special community. I will still pop in now and then.

 

   Sincerely yours,

 The Pained Ink Slayer

  http://www.CelesteCooper.com

What We Learn From Living With Pain

Living with daily pain begs the question, “What is the lesson here? Does having pain make me somehow grow as a person?” After nearly three decades of reading, writing, and pro/con contemplating, I realize asking that question of myself has prepared me for the physical and emotional changes that take place with advancing age. Unlike many fellow 70ish people, I already have tools that help me balance  body, mind, and spirit. I am grateful for that.

 

Ten Lessons from Pain (from Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain, Spring Devotions)

(1)  Acceptance of what is.

(2) Compassion for the less fortunate.

(3)  Change is not a bad word.

(4)  Humility is a virtue.

(5)  Strength in not surrendering to stressors.

(6)  Commitment to self and others.

(7)  Flexibility to roll with the flow.

(8) Appreciation for things we would otherwise take for granted.

(9)  Empathy, we are on a level playing field.

(10) Patience, our inbox is not supposed to be empty.

[Excerpt, Day Seventy-five]

 

Each day in the Broken Body, Wounded Spirit series provokes a question and the Spring Edition is no exception.

In healing

Think adversity?-See opportunity!

The Pained Ink Slayer

http://www.CelesteCooper.com

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Could Cannabinoids Found in Hemp Treat or Prevent infections by Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2)?

This post contains affiliate links. Read more about my paid affiliation on my FTC disclosure page.

The Answer

With cautious optimism, it appears two specific cannabinoids could treat and possibly prevent COVID-19, AKA SARS-CoV-2.  

According to the study "Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the EmergingVariants" published in the peer-reviewed journal The Journal of Natural Products, "Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.  

Specific Cannabinoids

An article published in The Oregonian says, Richard van Breemen, who led the study at Oregon State University, with the help of Fikadu Tafesse from Oregon Health and Science University, was able to test CBGA and CBDA (two specific cannabinoids of many) on live virus, including the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and two early variants.

Van Breeman also says third-party lab testing can show which products actually contain CBDA and CBGA. We need to see follow-up studies with the same results. If this happens, we hope it does, I suspect those who make edible products and concentrates will provide lab reports with a full breakdown of cannabinoids. 

CBD is considered safe, but it can have side effects, so start low and go slow. From what I read, 1 tsp of hemp flower to 8 oz of water makes a nice tea. There are a plethora of resources for making your own edibles on the internet. 

You can find the lab reports on hemp leaf at Happy Flower Company. Look specifically for CBDA and CBGA.

*If you are on medications please discuss hemp (cannabinoids) with your doctor or pharmacist. Like medications, including those we buy over the counter, it is biochemical.   

 

Additional Reading:

Happy With Hemp: Fibromyalgia And Chronic Pain

In healing

Think adversity?-See opportunity!

The Pained Ink Slayer

http://www.CelesteCooper.com

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

 

A Pocket Full Of Change For Managing Pain This Fall

 

Not every day presents a crisis of earth-shattering magnitude. However, those of us who experience chronic pain do have challenges to overcome on a regular basis making it important to be aware of system breakdown predictors. Factors apparent in a total system breakdown include a loss of our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual safety net (the four-seated teeter-totter we discuss in this series of books). If we are aware that mounting daily stressors are precursors to a crisis, can we be better prepared should a crisis occur?
 
Symptoms that risks are mounting:
 

• We become short-tempered.
• We don't feel rested for several days in a row.
• We have more difficulty than usual concentrating.
• We feel overwhelmed and without resources.
• Our pain is not being managed adequately.
• We struggle with tasks that we normally manage well.

 
What can we do when we find a consistent pattern that could be leading up to a coping failure? We can:
 

• Delay chores or break them down into segments.
• Approach each day individually and break it down by each hour if necessary.
• Summon help from support system members or healthcare providers.
• Give ourselves permission to rest.
• Change what we can, and let the rest go.
• Accept that some days doing the minimum allows us to charge our battery and prevent a total breakdown later.
• Focus on our successes.

 
Preparedness Is the Next Best Thing to an Apple Pie, Day Three, Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain, Fall Devotions by Celeste Cooper RN and Jeff Miller, PhD. Read the reviews on Amazon here.
 
An effective tool for combating the effects of stress is positive thinking.  So when my stress meter is about to blow mercury into the universe, I open my tool kit.
 

• Say no to negativity.
• See opportunity in adversity
• Say, “I will.”
• Do a kindness.
• Create a positive word list.
• Imagine positive energy.
• Have a positive dialogue with my body.
• Write an affirmation.
• Write an “I am” or “I like” poem or phrase.

 
From my private collection...

The Promise of Like ©
 
I like camping, picnics, mountains with streams,
Invading my space and into my dreams,
Loony family, self, friends, and birds,
Even failing to speak with words.
 
Fortune to learn, watching children at play,
Scenery, lakes that reflect on the day,
Cakes, spirituality, flowers, a good book,
And cactus that winks with a funny look.
 
Mixed sun, rain, fall, a cloud that churns,
Laughter, antiques, Hummel’s and urns,
Gentle music, dogs, sea horses and cats,
Wildlife inspires me, even the bats.
 
I like promise and hope, flowers I like.
I like beginnings and endings, I just like.
 
Written by Celeste Cooper, author (Colorado, 2011). I wrote this poem from a random list of things I like.

Find more tips that are helpful in our Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain series and Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-body Connection available at https://www.amazon.com/Celeste-Cooper/e/B002X2IZYG
 
 In healing

Think adversity?-See opportunity!

The Pained Ink Slayer

http://www.CelesteCooper.com

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Accepting Our Limits While Exploring Our Passion

 

Courtesy Celeste's Photography

ACCEPTING OUR LIMITS

As people who live with chronic pain and illness, we know the importance of identifying our limitations and learning to work within our boundaries. These coping impositions and repositions mostly affect our physical capabilities and our abilities to perform certain tasks.  We talk about “Measuring Limits” in our book Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-body Connection. (Cooper, C and Miller, J, 2010

…Regardless of courage or decisiveness, your first task is to accurately assess your ability today. You need an objective measure for determining if this is a “terrific” or “semi-terrific” day... Every day you should spend all your available energy pennies, but not one more. One extra penny of effort today will cost a dollar tomorrow. Make daily deposits in your well-being bank... At the same time, you need to do a balancing act with your unconscious process of self-accommodation and deceit, the permission we give ourselves to loaf, stall, or nonperform. This tendency to give up prematurely, surrender to dread, to drop our own ball at the first sign of difficulty is universal. That’s right, universal. Everyone knows the decision to let the Frisbee pass without diving to try to catch it... The key point is that the one judging is also guilty

at some time.

 

“Who we are is more than the body or the personality.”

Ram Dass

 

It is equally important to explore what we can do. In Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing theSee-Saw of Chronic Pain Spring Devotions,  we call this “Optivity."

 

Optivity (our word for envisioning positive thought, word, and deed) empowers us to balance the four-seated teeter-totter we talk about throughout this series. Each seat, which makes up our teeter-totter, represents physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual elements of who we are as a total package, and it is based on - and inspired by - the wisdom of the Native American Medicine Wheel. Each seat should be equally off the ground with the same weight and attention.

 

EXPLORING OUR PASSION

There are many ways to become full of life in thinking. We can be present in our compassion for others, be active in mindfulness, and look at things from a different perspective. These things help us broaden the boundaries of not too much, yet enough. It allows us, gives us, permission to explore our hidden talents. For instance, I learned that writing poetry allows me to immerse myself in learning new words and new ways to express something I find interesting. It gives me a different perspective that takes me to a place where I can put my pain or current health issue in the backseat.  It was really fun and rewarding to write this poem.

 

The Promise of Like ©
 
I like camping, picnics, mountains with streams,
Invading my space and into my dreams,
Loony family, self, friends, and birds,
Even failing to speak with words.
 
Fortune to learn, watching children at play,
Scenery, lakes that reflect on the day,
Cakes, spirituality, flowers, a good book,
And cactus that winks with a funny look.
 
Mixed sun, rain, fall, a cloud that churns,
Laughter, antiques, Hummel’s and urns,
Gentle music, dogs, sea horses and cats,
Wildlife inspires me, even the bats.
 
I like promise and hope, flowers I like.
I like beginnings and endings, I just like.

I wrote this poem from a random list of things I like and found a stirring of many passions I might not have thought of otherwise.  Maybe you will try it.

In healing

Think adversity?-See opportunity!

The Pained Ink Slayer

http://www.CelesteCooper.com

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Additional Reading:  

The Texture Of Pain Through Poetry

Creating an "I Am" Poem

 

Spring Pleasures: Hobbies, Pain Diversion, And Discovery

 

Photograph Courtesy Celeste Cooper, Author

Spring is a time of reawakening after a long cold winter and this year it means so much more. It is a time to explore things that bring us pleasure as we break through the shell of our own winter cocoon.

 

I find great enjoyment in photography, and I am thankful that I have found ways to fill up my thought spaces on this learning journey with my digital Canon EOS. I am grateful to have hobbies that occupy my time in isolation from chronic pain, but this past year has been difficult because of the COVID-19 virus. In some ways, those of us who live with chronic illness have had a head start on the isolation that has affected so many because of this horrible pandemic.

 

That said, I still have plenty to learn about my camera, so there was no shortage of building on the mental seat of this four-seated teeter-totter I try to keep off the ground. Understanding the importance of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual balance has given me the foundation to make it through these trying times.

 

The canvas of life to a photographer is limitless and spring provides many photo ops as the season of birth gives rise to new photo moments. I anticipate a plethora of opportunities as I guide my lens toward my new granddaughter, who is full of light and life. I look forward to capturing butterflies and bees spreading their wings, trees blowing and bowing to the wind beckoning me outside to experience the essence of light and love for photography.

 

…Hobbies create the presence of desire in our lives and keep our mind open to opportunities for exploring our creativity. Learn to make jewelry, read palms, fish, line dance, take photos, make bird houses, collect antique watches, start a joke book, crochet, or hand glide. Take up scrap booking, wood burning, or calligraphy; it's totally up to you… [Excerpt, day 69, Spring Devotions in the Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain series.]

 

My hobbies are huge self-esteem boosters for me as one who lives with chronic pain. 
What hobbies would you like to explore this spring?

 

"We are all subject to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune; they are around us, in a space we do not control. This book is a gentle, yet forceful reminder that the best defenses against them reside within- in a space we do control, welling up from resources we can learn to cultivate. Hope here is equally soft and irresistible, much like Spring itself."

 

Dr. David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP

Director, Yale University Prevention Research Center

 

[Inside the Cover, Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain, Spring Devotions.]

In healing,

Celeste Cooper, RN / Author, Freelancer, Advocate

Think adversity?-See opportunity!

http://www.CelesteCooper.com

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Learn more about Celeste’s books here. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others. 

AACIPM: Resources For People With Pain

These have been trying times for everyone, and anxious times for many of us living with conditions that cause chronic pain and illness.  Everything I write about, being with people to avoid feelings of isolation, focusing on what we can do, and finding coping mechanisms that promote mental, physical, emotional, spiritual balance has been helpful to me, and I hope our readers. 

When I wrote my last blog, I talked about how we have a leg up on this staying in isolation thing. A lot has happened since then. We know more about COVID, we have better treatments and some options, all the things people living with intractable pain hope to have. However, the virus is not gone and neither is our chronic pain.

 

Though I have cut way back on the computer and social media time in an effort to manage my own pain issues, I cannot let September roll by without expressing the importance of accessing our resources. Therefore, when I got my monthly email from my wonderful group at PAINS-KC with a link to the updated resources at AACIPM, I was excited to highlight this valuable resource for my fellow fibro and chronic pain survivors.

 

WHAT IS AACIPM?

 

"The Alliance to Advance Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (AACIPM) is the first-of-its-kind multi-stakeholder collaborative, comprised of people living with pain, public and private insurers, government agencies, patient and caregiver advocates, researchers, purchasers of healthcare, policy experts, and the spectrum of healthcare providers involved in the delivery of comprehensive integrative pain management.” Read on…

 

RESOURCES

 

The AACIPM website offers many helpful resources and useful tools for those of us living with chronic pain, such as:

 

• Apps to help manage pain, track pain, deal with flares, etc.
• Books written by friends and fellow authors, Toni Bernhard, Dr. Lynn Webster, and more that I look forward to reading.
• Videos offering summaries and visual aids for understanding pain.
• A short summary of various websites and the support or information they offer.

 

THE ALLIANCE

 

The patient and pain care providers are the two most important stakeholders for guiding and participating in important research to learn more about chronic pain as a society.  The Alliance to Advance Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management brings the stakeholders together with a united force. You can read about the history, here.

The AACIPM offers a plethora of additional information on symposiums, advocacy, who is participating, and more from those I have had the pleasure of working with in the past. I suspect you will find something that piques your interest.

 

“Those who have learned by experience what physical pain and bodily anguish mean, belong together all the world over; they are united by a secret bond.”

- Albert Schweitzer

Additional Reading:

Pain Justice: A Resource For Chronic Pain Survivors (Posted March 1, 2020)

In healing,

Celeste Cooper, RN / Author, Freelancer, Advocate

Think adversity?-See opportunity!

http://www.CelesteCooper.com

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Learn more about Celeste’s books here. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others.