From: Linda.Cummings@f34.n375.z1.fidonet.org (Linda Cummings)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Birmingham Pain Clinic Visit #5
Date: 13 Apr 92 20:51:06 GMT
Reply-To: Linda.Cummings@f34.n375.z1.fidonet.org
Organization: FidoNet node 1:375/34 - Batteries Included , Montgomery AL

Index Number: 21033

[This is from the Chronic Pain Conference]

April 1, 1992

This week was a little more interesting in "group."  More people
felt more at ease and participated much more than last week.
However, it seemed that about half of the people either could not
make the second group session, or dropped out.  We will see next
week.

Dr. Frank Brotherton, Psychologist, explained the difference
between "Hope and expectations."  We all "hope" that someday there
will be someone or some procedure that will help us get rid of or
diminish greatly our chronic pain, but it is wrong to "expect" a
cure.  Most people take a "mechanical" look at the process of
medical attention. We tend to look at ourselves the way we look at
fixing a problem with our car.  We *know* that there's *got* to be
a mechanic out there *somewhere* that can fix our car.  At the same
time, we feel that there has just *got* to be a doctor *somewhere*
that can fix our chronic pain by doing something "mechanical."  Not
so.  In fact, less than 5% get "quick cures," and usually it is
more like 85% to 95% that get "some" pain relief.  Then, there are
some people who receive 0% benefit from any given mechanical
procedure.

Promising a "cure" is pure *quackery!*

Dr. Brotherton also explained how a TENS unit worked:

1.  The electrical pulses help set off a reaction in the body which
     help produce endorphins (just like acupuncture does).  I was unaware
     that acupuncture did this.  He also said that you can run out or
     have diminished endorphins.

2.  The TENS unit acts as a "Gate Control Theory on Pain."  Since all
     sensation, movement, etc., is controlled by the spinal cord, the
     TENS unit sends "signals" to the brain through the "Fast Fibers."
     These are the large nerve tracks.  Since the brain receives signals
     through the spinal cord, it also receives the pain signals through
     the spinal cord.  If the TENS unit can block part or all of those
     signals, then the brain can not perceive the pain.

3.  The TENS unit acts as a distraction to the brain.  Let's give the
     example he gave us.  Say right now, there is a very large explosion
     outside.  The explosion is so large that it breaks your windows.
     At that exact moment, would you feel your pain?  No!  Your attention
     would be distracted away from the pain and all your brain activity
     would be directed at the explosion.  By feeling the electrical
     impulses, the TENS unit is distracting the mind away from the pain.

Now, here is something very interesting he told us about.  There is
something called "Retrograde Amnesia and Anterograde Amnesia."  The
retrograde amnesia is loss of memory usually immediately preceding
a trauma.  Have you ever noticed that later, after an accident, it
may be hard to remember what you were doing? Ever wonder why so
many people can't remember the details if they witness a mass
shooting?  This is retrograde amnesia.  Anterograde amnesia affects
the short-term memory and impairs new memory events.  Everytime a
person is given anesthesia, there are usually some brain cells
destroyed.  In some people, this will affect short-term memory.  We
all lose brain cells everyday (that are not replaced).  We are born
with a certain amount...enough to usually last us a lifetime with
no ill effects by losing some everyday. But, in some people, they
will lose the wrong ones and be affected by short-term memory
loss.

Anyway, the session was mostly devoted to how the brain can control
pain and other bodily functions.  The article given to us explains
it in detail and I will copy it in the next message(s).  The mind
is a powerful organ and we have not yet fully mastered using it.

Bernard Harris, the Physical Therapist, spent most of his hour
continuing the discussion that Dr. Brotherton started.  But, he did
have a few words of advice for us concerning exercise.  He said
that the best time to exercise would be right after a warm shower.
Also, they now have found out that in most cases, "ice" is better
for the relief of pain than heat.

He explained to us that getting muscle spasms/cramps, is usually a
result of muscles that get tight and have trouble getting enough
blood and oxygen. Contrary to popular belief, it is even better to
apply ice to a spasm than it is heat.  Then, before his hour ended,
he told us that he would like for us to exercise about 15 minutes
each day by raising our arms above our head and then dropping them;
to put our arms out at our sides and make circles first forward and
then backwards; and to take our hands and pull up our knees toward
our chests as comfortable as we could...first the left, and then
the right.

Karen Kramer then gave us all our "Biodots."  These are little dots
that were placed on our hand near the intersection of the thumb and
forefinger. According to body temperature, they would change
colors. According to her, the more relaxed you became, the more the
color would change.  She then took us through a relaxation
technique (similar to one of the tapes she had given me prior to
attending "groups").  After the relaxation, we were to observe our
Biodots to see how much they had changed.

Now, Eddie was given one of these dots, too.  His turned deep blue
(which indicated "calm").  Mine was amber when it was placed on my
hand and it was amber when I looked after relaxation.  That meant
"tense." I can see I have a lot of work to do to learn to relax!

For those of you who would like to try this, here is the body
temperatures and what they mean:

    94.6    very relaxed        violet
    93.6    calm                blue
    92.6    relaxing            turquoise
    91.6    involved (normal)   green
    90.6    unsettled           yellow
    89.6    tense               amber
    87.6    very tense          black

Eddie and I discovered that when we went outside (it was a very
windy and cold day in Birmingham), that both of our dots turned
black.  Skin temperature has everything to do with the color of the
dots.  But, she told us that the more relaxed a person is, the
warmer their skin will be.

At home, I layed back on the couch and listened to a relaxation
tape. As soon as I opened my eyes, I got so excited because my dot
was finally "green." Eddie said that probably people with chronic
pain had a harder time relaxing than people with no pain at all.  I
think he's right.  On the way home, with him driving, his dot
turned green to almost turquoise.  Husbands!

I do intend to ask her something next week.  I have a body
temperature lower than the "normal" 98.6.  I'm going to ask her if
that will make a difference in the dot (which I'm sure it will).
Maybe when I get to a blue, it will be like other people's violet.
I think I'll try to find myself a *mood ring!*

Linda

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