Tag: health

Pain Awareness Month – September 2026

September 6, 2026

Photo by Ilse Orsel on Unsplash In 2001, the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) led a coalition of organizations to establish September as Pain Awareness Month. At the same time, they created a consortium of pain organizations called Partners for Understanding Pain, which “strives to create greater understanding among health care professionals, individuals and families who are struggling with pain management, the business community, … More Pain Awareness Month – September 2026

Biologics Part 2: The Specialty Pharmacy

August 30, 2026

Photo by Angelica March on Unsplash “Thank you for being a part of our network, sir. Would you like to join the auto renewal plan?”  “Well, maybe, but—”  “Ok, great, yes. We can do that for you. Let me sign you up.”  “Um, ok, but what I really need—”  “Can you confirm your name and address for me again, sir?”  “David… 88888.”  … More Biologics Part 2: The Specialty Pharmacy

Connective Tissue and the Pineapple De-Back-le

August 16, 2026

“Daddy, daddy, I want pineapple, please?” My three-year-old daughter has recently become obsessed with Costco’s fresh pineapple spears soaked in coconut juice. I’m a proud papa when pineapple is the preferred snack, so I gladly grab a new jar from the cabinet and twist the lid to try and open it. Nothing. So, I grasp again and put my whole forearm … More Connective Tissue and the Pineapple De-Back-le

Biologics Part 1: Pre-Gaming with Specialists and NSAIDs

July 28, 2026

Photo by José Boj on Unsplash Step 1: The Specialist Carousel  How many medical specialists does it take to treat a chronic pain patient? Long before obtaining an autoimmune diagnosis and investigating biologics, I pre-gamed with an extensive group of specialists. After a hip injury in 2002 sent me to physical therapy, it started a specialist carousel that lasted the next 22 years before I received a diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (AS). Although I can’t remember them all, I saw approximately seven to eight massage therapists, ranging from deep tissue to myofascial to craniosacral, six to seven physical therapists, three … More Biologics Part 1: Pre-Gaming with Specialists and NSAIDs

Autoimmunity and the ER

July 14, 2026

Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash “David, open your eyes.” The medic is calm but stern as he tries to speak over my guttural wails and a commotion of sirens, swinging doors, and patient groans. “Can you hear me, David?” I lie on a stretcher in the hallway, pressed up against the wall as doctors and nurses rush by, my contorted limbs thrashing underneath stretcher belts and grasping for air.  “Nurse! Nurse! We need help, please? We were told a room was ready when we called ten minutes … More Autoimmunity and the ER

Dysautonomia and the Stress Test

June 30, 2026

Photo by Ty Tomlinson on Unsplash  As I lie on my back on an exam table, electrocardiogram wires entangled across my wrists and ankles, I scan the room of my new rheumatologist for clues to his methods. This is the second specialist I have seen in over a year after receiving a diagnosis for a second joint disease, coupling my hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) with a fresh Spondyloarthritis (SpA).  On the walls hang the standard doctoral certificates, artwork of joints describing how they function, and an unorthodox shadowbox with an aged and … More Dysautonomia and the Stress Test

Delayed Diagnosis

May 23, 2026

Summary: Diagnosing the causes of chronic pain can be significantly delayed for patients, sometimes for years. Read about David’s experience at an imaging clinic obtaining a long-awaited diagnosis after almost thirty years of managing pain. As a nurse glides ahead of me through the clinic, I feel an intense, interior wind drag my left leg … More Delayed Diagnosis