MoonglotexasMy love for both modern medicine and technology has grown in the last couple of days. Having reinjured my neck, I needed an MRI (how would we ever know what was going on without them, even if having on with CRPS is like being made of tiny pieces of metal and put into a large magnet), to be put onto a very powerful pain killer and to connect with my neurologist and specialist physician (via cellphone calls, SMS and email).
Patient education is so much easier. The Internet gives each of us the opportunity to fully understand what the disorder is, what treatment works, what research is being done. I find the magazine PainPathways – free in its e-edition format -, along with Psychology Today and Scientific American Mind, very informative. I also use painjournalonline.org to keep up to date with new studies. With a condition like CRPS that is so regularly misdiagnosed and misunderstood, exploring it for oneself is critical.
September is Pain Awareness Month. I hope everyone, those affected by a pain condition, those who love us and society in general, will use these modern inventions to better understand pain conditions.
