Book Description

This eBook version of the Pain Toolkit for people living with fibromyalgia. The text you see in blue are hyperlinks to extra useful pain self-management information and also to the Pain Toolkit videos. Also, don’t forget to visit the website for other useful information. Pete Moore is the author and originator of the Pain Toolkit. He successfully lives with persistent pain, asthma, prostate cancer and osteoarthritis. He has put these tools together with the help of friends, family and healthcare professionals. Make self-managing your pain your first choice and not your last resort. So is persistent pain and fibromyalgia a problem a problem around the world? Yes, it’s become a problem worldwide. For instance here in the UK the short answer is yes, so you are not on your own. Here are some facts from the British Medical Journal Chronic (BMJ) Pain affects between one-third and one-half of the population of the UK, corresponding to just under 28 million adults, based on data from the best available published studies. This figure is likely to increase further in line with an ageing population. People with persistent pain were more likely to be anxious or depressed - 69% with severe pain are worried about their moods. Pete says…I receive daily emails from people who are worried, anxious and even get depressed. Is Fibromyalgia common? The NHS in the UK says… Some estimates suggest nearly 1 in 20 people may be affected by fibromyalgia to some degree. One of the main reasons it's not clear how many people are affected. 12 Pain Toolkit Tools Tool 1 - Accept that you have persistent pain ... and then begin to move on Tool 2 - Get involved, building a support team Tool 3 - Pacing daily activities Tool 4 - Learn to prioritise/plan out your days Tool 5 - Setting Goals/ Action Plans Tool 6 - Being patient with yourself Tool 7 - Learn relaxation skills Tool 8 - Meaningful movement (keeping active) Tool 9 - Keep a diary and track your progress Tool 10 - Have a setback plan Tool 11 - Teamwork Tool 12 - Keeping it up and being resilient. Important: On Pages 25 - 30 you will see links to others non for profit organisations in the UK, Ireland, America, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Your three step guide for using the Pain Toolkit Read it and show the Pain Toolkit to your circle of support: your partner, family, friends, work colleagues and your healthcare team. Choose and circle only two or three tools you think will make a positive change to self-managing your pain. Ask for help from your support circle if needed. Once you feel confident with those tools, then do the same steps and choose another two or three tools. Repeat again when needed.