10 Tips To Avoid Pain For Patients

When pain rules everyday life

Chronic pain severely impairs the quality of life of those affected. Sometimes it even determines everyday life. Individual pain therapies can provide relief. In addition, however, every patient can take action themselves to alleviate their pain. 

The following tips can help you cope better with your pain and make your everyday life easier.

1. Get Moving

If you are in a lot of pain, you should not only move - you usually should! Because regular exercise of any kind supports body and soul. Strong muscles are a proven remedy for pain. Not only can it help relieve chronic pain, but it can also help break the vicious cycle of pain and tension. The important thing is that you enjoy the exercise. Start simple and find a form of exercise that suits you. Feel free to ask your doctor which types of exercise are right for you.

2. Get Inspired

In addition to physical fitness, mental fitness can also help you manage chronic pain. Living a full life can provide your brain with diverse input. Change your routines or learn a new language, play an instrument or read entertaining stories. Get inspired by new things to distract yourself from pain.

3. Maintain Social Contacts

Relationships with other people are very important, because loneliness not only hurts mentally, but also harms your health. Keep in touch with family members, friends and acquaintances. For example, arrange to go for a walk or a coffee. Or meet like-minded people at a hobby. Here you can find a way out of isolation.

4. Go out into nature

Just a few minutes in nature is enough to make your heart beat measurably slower, your blood pressure drop and your muscles relax. Above all, a walk through the forest lets you breathe deeply and is like balm for the soul. Moving around in nature not only lifts your self-esteem and mood, but also reduces stress and has a positive effect on your perception of pain.

5. Make Time for hobbies

Make time for activities you enjoy and enjoy the distraction! Try new things, learn something new, or just make more time for your favorite activities: listening to good music, painting, traveling, or even going fishing. All of these can help you better manage pain.

6. Provide balance

Both too much stress and boredom can promote pain. Therefore, keep the right balance between work, hobbies and family and make sure you get enough relaxation and rest. Listen to your body! Challenge the body without overtaxing it at the same time.

7. Keep a happiness diary

Every evening, write down three things that made you happy that day. Things that went well, that you enjoyed, or that you are grateful for. Also write down what you contributed to those moments of happiness. This focuses your mind on the positive things in life and also makes you feel better at the same time.

8. Accept support

Chronic pain can be very stressful. You don't have to shoulder it alone. And there's nothing wrong with seeking help and support from family or friends.

9. Observe and reward yourself

As the saying goes. Successes are meant to be celebrated, and rightly so. A success is when you manage to ease the pain and figure out what makes you feel good. Then give yourself a little reward and celebrate your success!

10. Don't let setbacks get you down

There will always be good days, but there may be worse days. Try to mentally prepare yourself for them. Be patient and don't get discouraged. Rather, see the setback as an opportunity to ask yourself what you can do differently next time. Then you can better prepare yourself for it or seek help or distraction in time.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) - Key Information

 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) - Key Information for Patients awareness

                                                            Pic Source: Science Photo Library  

This post covers below questions with the interest of Patient information

 1) What cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is ?

Cardiopulmonary arrest means that a person’s heart and breathing has stopped. When this happens it is sometimes possible to restart their heart and breathing with an emergency treatment called CPR. CPR can include: 

    • repeatedly pushing down very firmly on the chest 

    • using electric shocks to try to restart the heart 

    • ‘mouth-to-mouth’ breathing; and

     • artificially inflating the lungs through a mask over the nose and mouth or a tube inserted into the windpipe

 2) How decisions about CPR are made ?

CPR is most often used in emergency situations, for example if you have a serious injury or suffer a heart attack.

However, CPR is not always automatically used; this depends on the circumstances and the doctor’s estimate of how likely it is to work. 

If you are already very seriously ill and nearing the end of life, there may be no benefit in trying to revive you. 

In this case, CPR may not be attempted. CPR will not be used if you have said in advance that you do not wish to receive it. 

The information in this leaflet has been written to help you to decide whether or not you want to make this decision. It is important to remember that your relatives, friends or carers cannot make this decision for you

3) Does CPR always work?

The chances of CPR restarting your heart and breathing will depend on: 

    • why your heart and breathing have stopped 

    • any illness or medical problems you have (or have had in the past) 

    • the overall condition of your health. When CPR is attempted in a hospital it is successful in restarting the heart and breathing in about 4 out of 10 patients. However only about 2 out of 10 patients survive long enough to leave hospital. 

    The figures are much lower for patients with serious underlying conditions and for those not in hospital. It is important to remember that these figures only give a general picture and not a definite prediction of what you personally can expect. Everybody is different and your healthcare team will explain how CPR might affect you

4. Can CPR ever be harmful?

The techniques used to start your heart and breathing sometimes cause side effects, for example, bruising, fractured ribs and punctured lungs. 

Attempts at CPR do not always restart the heart and breathing despite the best efforts of all concerned. Success depends on why your heart and breathing stopped, and on your general health. It also depends on how quickly your heart and breathing can be restarted.

People who are revived are often still very unwell and need more treatment, usually in a coronary care or intensive care unit. Some patients make a full recovery; some recover but have health problems. Some people never get back the level of physical or mental health they previously enjoyed. Some have brain damage or go into a coma. People with many medical problems are less likely to make a full recovery

5. Can I decide in advance that I DON’T want to have CPR if my heart or breathing stops?

If you know that you do not want CPR, you can inform your doctor, who will ensure that your decision is respected. You may also find it useful to make a living will (also known as an Advance Decision) to document your wishes. If you have a living will, you should let your healthcare team know about it so they can keep a copy of it in your healthcare records. You should also let the people close to you know so they are aware of your wishes.

6. Can I decide in advance that I DO want to have CPR if my heart or breathing stops?

If you think you would like to have CPR, then it is a good idea to discuss this with your doctor and make sure that they know your views. 

However, CPR will only be given if the doctor believes it is clinically appropriate. This will depend on your current state of health and other underlying medical problems. 

Your doctor can explain the chances of CPR being effective in your case. If there is a chance that CPR could restart your heart and breathing but it is likely to leave you severely ill or disabled, your opinion about whether these chances are worth taking are very important. Your doctor will listen to your opinions and, if you choose to involve them, the opinions of your family, carers and friends. 

If you disagree with your doctors opinion about whether CPR is appropriate for you, you can ask for a second opinion. You can also seek mediation or counselling or use the formal complaints procedure.

Source: NHS East of England