This week, we speak with Beth Harriman, an Administrative Assistant in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Can you tell me about when you first started experiencing the pain and what kind of pain it was?
About a 1-1/2 yrs ago I started waking up with back pain if I stayed in bed too long. It’s pain in my lower back and feels like a muscular ache. Some nights I will wake up and 2 or 3 in the morning unable to get comfortable. Other nights I sleep through the night but wake with pain and stiffness.
Did you seek help …read more

Added April 21, 2008: Tricia passed away today. I’m still in shock and disbelief.
Read here for more on Tricia’s very untimely passing.
This week, Tricia Olson-Giles, a photographer in West Tennessee, discusses her journey with fibromyalgia.
Can you tell me about when you first started experiencing the pain and what kind of pain it was?
The chronic pain/activation of the fibromyalgia came after a serious head-on car collision, with both vehicles at about 45-50 mph. I was in a compact car, hit by a full-size truck that crossed a grass median. This is approximately 5-6 years ago. My life hasn’t been …read more

Have you ever looked up the definition of pain? According to one source, the word pain comes from Latin, from the word poena, which means a fine or a penalty. Ouch. No wonder people often think of pain as a punishment.
The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary says its roots also come from Greek poinē , meaning payment.
The dictionary defines pain as: usu. localized physical suffering associated with bodily disorder (as a disease or an injury); also : a basic bodily sensation induced by a noxious stimulus, received by naked nerve endings, characterized by physical discomfort (as pricking, throbbing, or aching), and typically …read more

This week, we hear from Sigrun Grabowski, an IT Analyst in Montpelier, VT. Her pain started in November of 2007, so it’s not classified as chronic pain yet, although it does look like it’s headed in that direction. This interview was done just before Christmas. Sigrun has agreed to doing follow-ups to see how her pain is progressing or improving as time goes on.
Can you tell me about when you first started experiencing the pain and what kind of pain it was?
My knee pain started fairly mildly just going up and down stairs about 6 weeks ago.  The pain was …read more

Most people who are being treated for chronic pain are treated by their family doctor or their specialist for their specific disorder, but sometimes, that isn’t enough. There often comes a time when you need to go a step further and be seen by a doctor who specializes in pain management. That’s not to say that your doctor can’t do the job, but the pain management specialists can help find and organize a pain control regimen that your own doctor may not have considered.
Who is this pain specialist? The anesthesiologists.
Most people only think of anesthesiologists as the doctors who …read more