Author: Jennifer Kain Kilgore

Hey Guys, Free Stuff! (Maybe!) Pain Awareness Month Giveaway

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September is almost over, guys. That means that our month — Pain Awareness Month — is almost over. However, there are still a few things that I want to share with you. Backer Nation, a website that profiled me recently and is also keeping in line with the American Chronic Pain Association’s mission this month, is doing a giveaway for a gift basket filled with back pain and wellness goodies valued at more than $1,000. They have partnered with companies like Quell and others so they can get the message out for pain patients, using the hashtag #effbackpain for people to share stories and inspire others. Disclaimer: I’m not getting anything for telling you that. I hope you win the basket! Funny story, Backer Nation approached me independently of Quell, and then Quell said, “Hey, we’ve been working with Backer Nation and made these graphics for Pain Awareness Month [see below]. Maybe you can share them?” It’s a small world, people. So the graphics! NeuroMetrix (AKA, the Quell people) have come up with some interesting graphics …

Pain Awareness Month 2017

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Hello there, my lovelies! It’s September 1st, and you know what that means — and if you don’t, let me drop some knowledge on you. It’s Pain Awareness Month!   *Sound the trumpets* Yes, it is the month that those of us with chronic conditions have taken as our own to raise awareness of our maladies. Naturally I won’t be here for the Boston Abilities Expo (gotta celebrate my dad’s birthday!), but there are plenty of things happening this month, and the U.S. Pain Foundation is keeping track of many goings-on, like fundraisers, the 30-day challenge (follow @US_pain on Twitter and @USPainAwarenessMonth on Instagram for this year’s challenge), proclamations, etc. You can even change your profile picture on Facebook to raise awareness, since many of the most common pain conditions are invisible to the eye. So that’s cool! Keep on the lookout for Pain Awareness Month-related things and see if there is a family member or friend you can help. Also, side note, I was featured on Dr. Melissa Cady’s “Pain Out Loud” blog, though …

The Arthritis Summit

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As some of you know, I am very interested in food. What some of you don’t know is that I’m also interested in arthritis. I have a touch of it myself in the vertebrae that calcified since the car accidents. Most people think that arthritis only occurs in old people, but nope. Arthritis can also ravage younger folks as well. There are even specific types of juvenile arthritis. I mean, what is arthritis? “Painful inflammation and stiffness of joints.” Bam. That’s all it is. So why shouldn’t that affect younger people? If you have pain in your hands, feet, hips, back, or shoulders, the following might be something for you to think about watching. There is an affiliate link here and a banner over to the right if you are interested in a free online summit coming up in October that will provide interesting perspectives on arthritis and the microbiome (basically, they’re going to discuss the gut-brain connection). If you can’t make the free live showing, they have replays that you can get here. (Re: the …

Abdominal Migraines — Did You Know They Were a Thing?

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Hi, kids. I wanted to take a moment to talk about migraines today. Did you know that “migraine” is an all-inclusive term for a host of terrible, nauseating headaches? For instance, my headaches closely resemble migraines, enough that my doctor just calls them by that term. I get headaches a few times a week. I can work with headaches. I can function. I get migraines a couple times a month. Those put me out of commission and land me in the recliner with the heavy meds. The migraines, technically, are post-traumatic stress headaches, which — as I have been so kindly informed by my doctor — fall into the category of “very unpleasant, would like to reschedule, please.” These PTS headaches begin in the base of my head and travel around, vibrating upward along nerves to the top of my head and downward into my shoulders. Fun! The more popular kind of headaches have been listed out below. Diamond Headache Clinic sent me this slideshow of common types of migraine headaches, some of which I didn’t even …

I am Not the Reliable One — Also, a Book Review: “Kicking Sick” by Amy Kurtz

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I am not the reliable one. I recently made friends with a guy who has stage 4 colon cancer. By chance, we were sitting next to each other while waiting for a flight back to Boston from Atlanta. The flight was delayed by two hours, and his soul spoke to mine. We became friends in less than 20 minutes. Just one of those things, I guess. When his phone rang, it said, “God’s gift to women, pick up!” It was his mom, an older lady with a glorious halo of gray hair. She was delightful. She knows my name, knows all about me now. His whole family knows who I am. He wants to talk more often than I talk to most people. More than I talk to my family, even. I’m not used to it. And the thing is, he might literally die before I get the chance to speak to him again. He slipped into a coma and came out of it while I was in a pain flare, and I had no …

Do We Lose Our Dreams with Chronic Illness?

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Today we have a guest contribution from the lovely Crys Baysa! *** Chronic illness is hard enough as it is. But even worse, the things we used to do, we can’t do anymore. Suddenly, hanging out with people is hard, doing your job is nearly impossible, and understanding the things you’re trying to study is downright frustrating. It is in times like these that it’s easy to wonder if we’re ever going to be better again. ‘Am I going to be able to play my beloved violin again? The pain is too much!’ ‘Will I ever be able to memorize those formulas again? I can’t remember things and I want this degree badly!’ It’s not just the physical limitations that become more and more. It’s the emotional limitations. What Dreams Really Are Dreams are not just desires for the future. They’re expressions of ourselves. It doesn’t matter if it’s something like science, speech, or even simply sculpting a statue. It’s very much a part of who we are, and it’s an emotional release. When you …

5 Work-At-Home Businesses That Can Work Around Pain

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We have a contribution today from the lovely Victoria Greene, a brand marketing consultant and freelance writer. Put your hands together!  *** People who suffer from chronic pain sometimes worry that they won’t be able to have a successful career. While this concern is understandable, it’s also something that can be overcome. There are lots of jobs you can do at home and in your own time. If you’re having a particularly difficult day, you can rest and save all of your energy for when you’re having a better day. You can fit your work around you and you won’t have to worry about commuting either. If you need to find a work solution like this, here are five work-from-home business ideas that could be ideal for you. 1. Writing Can you string a few words together with at least a modicum of cohesion and elegance? If so, you might just have what it takes to become a writer. There are a lot of opportunities out there for somebody to start working from home as …

BackerNation: Is Your Cell Phone Becoming a Pain in the Neck?

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We have a guest blog today from BackerNation! *** Flashback to 1999. You get home from school, run to your bedroom while throwing your book bag down as you put on your comfy clothes and sit on your neatly made bed — thanks, Mom. Back then, having your own line, in your own room was the cool thing to have — along with instant messenger and maybe MySpace (who was your top eight?). You had to wait for your best friends to get home in order to three-way call and talk about how your crush winked at you as you got onto the bus. Photo via VisualHunt Flash forward to 2017. Everything is at the tip our fingertips (literally). We’ve replaced land lines with cell phones and phone calls with texting. We can order anything for next day delivery, Facebook Live or SnapChat fun times and call anyone, anywhere, anytime. The convenience factor of today’s technology is INSANE — and by insane, we mean insanely good. However, whenever someone says that something is too good …