chronic pain heart | mind | spirit | body Based on stories from Grand Council Treaty #3 communities FIND OUT ABOUT What is chronic pain Managing chronic pain Medical care for chronic pain
Living Well with Chronic Pain visit: gct3.ca/social/health/chronic-pain
Introduction About this toolkit....................................................... Acknowledgements................................................... 4 5 What is chronic pain Perspectives from a Western approach................. 6 Understanding chronic pain.................................... 7 How pain works in the body..................................... 11 Why pain persists...................................................... 18 Managing chronic pain Practices for Heart, Mind, Spirit, and Body............ Heart............................................................................ Mind............................................................................. Spirit............................................................................. Body............................................................................. Pain stories................................................................. Actions for Heart & Mind.......................................... Actions for Spirit & Body........................................... Setting goals............................................................... Taking each day as it comes..................................... Medical care for chronic pain Getting the most out of your medical care............ Safety and respect..................................................... Your healthcare visit................................................. Your chronic pain care plan..................................... Pain medications........................................................ 25 27 30 33 36 43 46 47 48 51 52 53 57 60 62 Resources Links to helpful internet resources........................... 68 Contacts for mental health support......................... 69 3
Welcome to the toolkit for living well with chronic pain This toolkit was created to support community members of the Anishinaabe Nation of Treaty #3 who are living with chronic pain. We hope it may also support other First Nations, Inuit and Métis people across Turtle Island living with chronic pain. The information in this toolkit was guided by stories and knowledge shared by community members from Treaty #3 and reflects both Traditional Anishinaabe and Western knowledge about chronic pain, wellness, and healing. This toolkit is a way of sharing information. Keep in mind, any approach to healing and living well may work well for one person, but not as well for another. It is up to each person to decide what the right approach is for them. The information provided is not meant to be used as medical advice and should not replace seeking advice from a medical professional. 4
chronic pain. There are others out there who understand what you are going through and can support you. There are also resources available to help you in your community, in Treaty #3 territory, and beyond. Living well with chronic pain is not easy, but it can be done! We hope this toolkit helps. Acknowledgements This toolkit was created in partnership between: GCT#3 Health Transformation Team Transitional Pain Service at University Health Network Ganawishkadawe, the Centre for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health at Women’s College Hospital The partners held sharing circles in all four directions in the spring of 2023 to hear about experiences of chronic pain. Meegwetch to everyone who shared their stories and knowledge with our teams and everyone else who worked hard to bring this toolkit to life. 5
CHRONIC PAIN Perspectives from a Western medical approach In this section, we will go over how chronic pain is understood from a Western medical approach because: 1) knowing the common terms used in healthcare may help when speaking with healthcare providers and searching for more information on pain management. 2) knowing why pain happens and what makes it worse can help you manage your pain. We acknowledge that this is only one way in which chronic pain can be understood and other ways can also be helpful in managing pain. 6
chronic pain Chronic pain is ongoing pain that lasts for more than three months. Chronic pain is common and affects about one in five people. It can show up at any age. You may feel it all the time. Or it may come and go. It may be worse at certain times and better at others. Chronic pain may start after an injury like a car accident. Or it may be connected to a medical condition like arthritis or nerve pain from diabetes. Sometimes there is no obvious or known reason for the pain, but that doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real. Chronic pain is often a life-long disease, but you CAN learn to manage it to lower your pain and improve your quality of life. 7
Trouble doing daily activities “It’s so hard, eh? It’s exhausting when you’re in pain...it’s so tiring.” “I kind of keep to myself. I don’t want nobody else to know that I’m in pain all the time.” Trouble connecting to others 8 Feeling angry, frustrated, sad “You’re constantly looking down on yourself... You feel shamed for feeling this, not being able to do certain things...” “And then sometimes the pain and everything gets so bad. ...I just, cry ‘cuz there’s nothing else to do.” Feeling hopeless
Other people like family, friends, co-workers, community, and healthcare providers can’t see your pain. Because pain is invisible, sometimes other people may not believe your pain or may not take your pain seriously. Not being believed can be very hurtful and make you feel even worse. You may feel: hurt and sad misunderstood isolated and lonely frustrated and angry Your pain is real. Just because others can’t see it, it doesn’t mean that it should be ignored. Chronic pain is unique to each person Chronic pain can feel different from one person to another. How pain shows up for you can depend on the things that happened in the past and the things going on in your life right now. Your experience of chronic pain is unique to you, but you are not alone! 9
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