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Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
What can I do for my chronic pain from Polymyalgia Rheumatica and osetoporosis?
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I have been diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatica as well as having a collapsed vertebra and osteoporosis. I am also Type 2, have high cholesterol and high blood pressure and from that you will gather that I am ingesting rather a large amount of medications.
I was initially given Prednisolone, increasing to 20mg a day, but owing to rather serious side effects am now being weaned off it. The muscle pain certainly decreased quite quickly with this medication, but has not completely disappeared.
My rheumatologist has prescribed methotrextrate, 20mg once a week, with 5mg of folic acid the day after,I have also recently had an infusion of Aclasta. The side effects of that were rather unwelcome for a couple of days!!
My problem is now chronic pain in my right hip, thigh, knee and calf and I am wondering if this is related to the polymyalgia rheumatica or the osteoporosis.
I live 300kms from the city in a rural area so all the usual services that I could use are unavailable. Any ideas people -
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Jennifer Grant
Psychologist
New practice opened Feb 2018. Seewebsite www.coffspsychneuro.com.au I'm passionate about working with people from all walks of life to help them create a more vital, … View Profile
Living with chronic & severe pain is incredibly difficult – as you know only too well. From a psychologist’s perspective, there is a lot you can do using these sorts of techniques:
• Mindfulness based body scanning
• Self-compassion practice
• Meditations and relaxation
• Changing the way you relate to your pain-related thoughts and sensations.
And keep on moving. Even when your mind is telling you “no way!” Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of psychological therapy that can support you to keep moving in the service of living a value-full life. ACT involves changing the way you relate to pain-related thoughts and sensations. You can read more about the ACT approach to chronic pain at http://www.div12.org/PsychologicalTreatments/treatments/chronicpain_act.html. You can look for an ACT-oriented therapist in your rural area by browsing the therapist listing at www.actmindfully.com.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, who pioneered the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction method has an audio compilation of “Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief - Guided Practices for Reclaiming Your Body and Your Life” available for purchase from www.soundstrue.com
You can find some free audio exercises for self-compassion (including “affectionate body scan”) at http://www.self-compassion.org/ and http://www.mindfulcompassion.com
Lorimer Moseley is a world-leader teaching & researching chronic pain. Have a look at his video presentation on Youtube “Why things hurt” (a TEDx talk): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwd-wLdIHjs
I hope there’s something useful for you in these leads. My very best wishes on your journey,
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Josephine Perry
Bowen Therapist
Josephine is a fully qualified Bowen Therapist, with full insurance cover and Association membership. Rebates provided by most health funds, according to levels of cover.Practice … View Profile
Bowen Therapy can also help in relieving the symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica. www.bowen.org.au will lead you in a search for a practitioner closest to you. The pain could be a result of either the polymyalgia or the osteoporosis, but regular treatment will help reduce the pain levels. Vitamin D, Calcium and Magnesium supplements have also shown to be effective at maintaining bone density. I hope your condition improves.
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