50 Posts and counting

Even though I have not written a post in the last year, the 50 posts you find here are still relevant (minus 2 or 3) and I hope useful to you.
It’s been nearly a year since I returned to a full-time job as a medical social worker for our local hospice. After researching and writing about chronic pain management for almost a year (unpublished), I felt strongly drawn to working directly with people again.
My work with my patients at the end of life is a pleasure most of the time. Why? I meet so many incredible people and I keep learning all the time. Not only are many of my patients inspiring, but even more so the people who care for them. While news about the world and our country is often troubling, and certainly not all families are great, experiencing the loving care both in my agency and in the homes and care homes I visit restores my faith in human goodness again and again.
The kind of pain management I witness working at a hospice is different from that people with chronic pain experience. We can really do a good job keeping people comfortable. But I watch and listen with concern to the often over-hyped coverage of the “opioid epidemic”. As fewer doctors are willing to prescribe these medications, the more important self-management and multidisciplinary pain management become. That’s what this website is about.
I have not shared much about myself in these pages. I continue to manage my own intermittent chronic pain with regular yoga classes ( I find a class is a must for me, I just do not have similar result from doing yoga on my own). Dancing or Zumba, walking with my dog and using meditation/mindfulness programs help a lot. Keep moving is a good motto for me.
With little time and energy left I will occasionally add an article or blog in the coming year. I also post to my Facebook page: Living in Color with Chronic Pain as I come across inspiring articles.
Be well, thanks for visiting.
Kerima