 Pain
and Depression
Ask anyone who
has chronic pain if they have
ever experienced depression, and most of the time you
hear a resounding Yes!
Depression
in the chronic pain patient can be mild to serious.
Because of this, it is important for anyone who
is suffering chronic pain and their family to understand
the symptoms of depression.
Here
are a few symptoms of depression:
- Isolating yourself from others
- Unable to make decisions
- Changes in sleep patterns (sleep too much or cannot
sleep)
- Weeping (uncontrollable crying with little to no provocation)
- Feelings of sadness
- Feeling hopeless
- Thoughts of death and dieing
If
you're not sure whether these symptoms apply to you,
click
here to take an on-line test for depression. Please
read through all the disclaimers before taking it. And
remember that YOUR physician is the one who should make
a diagnosis. This is just a tool to help you with
understanding your feelings.
If
you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above,
discuss them with your physician and ask if she/he can
prescribe something for depression. There are
many medications available to your physician to help
with depression. Some anti-depressants actually
help with pain control.
Talking
with someone is an important treatment for depression
and can work in conjunction with anti-depressants. For
some, seeing a therapist is the best path. Search
out a therapist who best meets your needs. Talking with
a minister or other clergy can be helpful as well. The
key is to talk with someone you trust and you know will
be supportive.
If you do not have a access
to a therapist, clergy, or have family or friends to talk to right now, and you are having thoughts
of suicide, please call immediately
for help.
- In the USA, you can call: 1-800-SUICIDE, or
- Visit the Hope
Line web page to find a crisis center in your area.
- In
the UK, visit the Samaritans.org
web site for online support.
More
information as well as tips for battling depression
can be found at our group's web site. Just click
here
to go to our "Pain
and Depression"
page. In addition, you can find great support at our
group's message
boards and in our chat room. CLICK
HERE to view our chat schedule. We're here
and we really care!
Written
by: SunE1, Oct. 2003
CPSG
Group News
CPSG's Move
to MSN is
complete! Now we're busy finding our way around our new
home and finding the best ways to use our message boards
and other features of the new site.
For tips
on how to navigate and best use our new site, click
here.
 CLICK
HERE
to
find out who received December's volunteer
and Member of the Month awards!
Our
Group
Calendar
is a great way to stay on top of what's gong on in our
group. Please bookmark it (save to favorites)
and refer back to it for any changes.
Sick
Bay
TammyZoo,
CPSG's Group Secretary and Moderator, has
received some discouraging news. Her recent tests
indicate that she is no longer in remission. Tammy
is undergoing more tests and radiation treatments
which may be followed by chemo-therapy. Please
remember Tammy and her family (or zoo as she calls them
LOL!) in your daily prayers. Tammy's
requested to not have phone calls right now, but that doesn't mean she
wants to be forgotten. You can post a message
to her and read her entire update by CLICKING
HERE.
Rex, one of our long time members, had
a stroke in August. He would love to receive eCards
and/or eMails from his friends. Rex's dad is helping him with reading mail. So
please send to Rex with a copy to his dad, their eMails
are below::
Rex's eMail: rexgardner@hotmail.com
and
Rex's
Dad: billg@elkobroadband.com
We
listed Rex in our last news letter and wanted to list
him again because he is in such need of our support.
Please remember him in your prayers and with cards
of support.
Feedback
? Have a comment about our newsletter? Post it in our guest book
or click the button below:
! Are you a writer? We welcome all articles dealing with chronic pain. If you wish to write an article, contact SunE1 with the topic. There's no requirement to know HTML.
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Chronic
Pain Awareness
Our
Chronic Pain Awareness Campange is
underway!
Our goal is to raise the awareness of just
how many people suffer from chronic pain. The American
Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) estimates that one in
three Americans (approximately 50 million people) suffers
from some type of chronic pain. And that is just
in the USA!
If you wish to participate, it is super easy. All
you need to do is download one of our graphical ribbons
below, then display it on your web site, in your
eMail signature, and as part of your signature in message
board posts.
Each
ribbon image must link back to our web site, using the
link below:
http://ChronicPainSupport.org/services
Note!
By
linking the graphical ribbons to the above URL, anyone who clicks
on the image is taken to an explanation
of our cause.
Below
are the current graphical ribbons:
As
more of our graphical ribbons are created, they'll
be placed on the Chronic Pain
Awareness web page. Be sure to bookmark that
page and check it often.
Let's
show the whole WWW just how many of us "painers" there
really are!
 Don't fret,
we've got help for anyone who needs it.
Resolutions
vs Goals for 2004
A
Challenge from SunE1! No
one, it seems, likes to make New Year's resolutions.
So, how about goals? Surely that's not a
bad word?
Last
year I made a goal to quit smoking. It wasn't
easy but I did it. It may have been one of the
hardest things I ever did.
This
year, my goal is to get my eating under control. Notice
that I didn't say "loose weight". Now
of course I do want to loose weight and I expect it
to be the result of getting my eating under control.
I'm just going about it differently.
Instead
of going on a "diet". I'm trying to
gradually modify how I eat. First I'm working
on not eating after a certain time in the evening. Next
will be to totally cut out eating between meals. Then
after that will be what I eat at meals.
So
what are your goals? Do you want to share them
and keep an ongoing update of how things are progressing?
It would be nice to support each other with whatever
our goals might be.
Join in the discussion with us at our message
board, just click
here.
 Please note!
Do not start any diet and/or exercise regime without first consulting
your health care providers.
Useful
Resources
 Social Security Disability
- An online handbook which outlines
the
steps for applying for SSD.
A must read
for anyone planning on applying
for disability.
NeedyMeds.com
- Assistance programs for those who cannot afford their medications. There's
links to more than just medication assistance programs. Some good information
here.
Medical
and Rx Resources - Listing of resources reviewed
by staff members of CPSG.
Pain
Causes - Information CPSG Volunteers have complied
on diseases and conditions that cause pain.
Please send this newsletter
to others.. you never know who might benefit.
/If you're not on our mailing list,
Sign up and the
news letter arrives in your e-Mail.
To read past issues of our news letter,
just click here.
$ News
Letter
Editor:
SunE1
Assistant Editor: HartPsalm
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