Daily mail...article RE: R.A

tkachev

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2165817/How-counselling-help-ease-pain-victims-rheumatoid-arthritis.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Thought this would be of interest to forum members.

Elizabeth

valval

interesting but they did not use very large test group would like to see it done on larger scale but any help is welcome.

stickywicket

Thanks, Elizabeth. I think I agree with Val and I suspect it's no more than you'd get at a Pain Clinic anyway but every little bit helps.

earthspirit

most of what you are told at pain clinics can be learned though self help books too and it does help to some point and what helped me through many years of undx especially with neck pain from RA

i have taught some of these methods to people suffering from ptss and other conditions of the mind and yes they do work, but sometimes the benefit only lasts as long as you are doing the activity of the mind.

before dx i was always told to push through pain barriers but since dx have been given exact opposite advice.

sometimes, all it takes is 5 to 10 mins to get possibly up to an hour of painfree life. the more relaxed and chilled out you are, the less pain you will feel.

i havent been to a pain clinic in aberdeen where i am currently based (but only for a few weeks more thank god) the waiting list is 17months lol

Colin1

Psychosomatics, is not a name i would associate with RA Pa or FM
they are teaching us to suck eggs we have coped with it since we had it. Most of us realise that suffering can be a state of mind. Pain can be coped with by some but not all some of us suffer with pain in a finger and find it difficult to cope whilst others suffer the most excruciating pain from head to foot but cope better. I would like to know more about the 140 studdies they done and at what stage or type of arthritis the patients had.
Most of us know if you keep your mind occupied with anything you think less about your illness. Sadley the mind does not stop your disease from esculating or getting worse. I think i can do most things i want but in reality i can only do the things my body allows
Colin

earthspirit

you are sooooooooo right with that colin.

the pain with RA is so intense and it takes over your whole mind. you can distract it but regardless of what these pain clinis say, you cannot control it. if it did, we wouldnt need the pain meds would we?

i lived through many years of being told it was all in my head & on more than one instance i felt like punching the people telling me this drivel.

what you can do though, is think yourself out of the depression that sometimes makes pain feel more intense. i had quite a deep debate with the RA research nurse when she said one of things people dx with RA said, is why me? i truly believe that going down that line of thought is depressive in itself and makes you suffer worse pain. its not why me, its oh **** this is happening to me and i better get my head round it fast cos its like waves that could overwhelm me. if you can get your head to that point, then i think its easier to deal with. just imo....others may disagree