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From: Gary.Bewell@f34.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Gary Bewell)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Previous Stance
Message-ID: <10059@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 12 Feb 90 02:57:57 GMT
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[This is from the Chronic Pain Conference on Fidonet]

 RE> ...it is frustrating to want to help yourself and be turned
 RE> away due to lack of insurance (Have MEDICARE but won't 
 RE> cover Pain Clinics) or money....

I was there too, but fortunately mine was a bit different.

What I did was write to the director of the Pain Clinic in
Seattle.  Knowing that I was in Canada, the assistant director told
me that it was costly to go to them.  He told me that I was welcome
to come down, but he would recommend that I see a doctor that had
trained with them and lived about 200 miles from my home.

Having nothing to lose I wrote the doctor.  2 weeks later I was in
and he started treatment.  He was definitely unique among doctors.
If he wanted me to come up to do testing, he would pay for my
transportation and accomodations.  He tried everything he could
think of but nothing worked well enough.  So at the end of a year,
he sent me to a pain clinic that was covered by Medicare (this was
in Canada.)

Mid-way through this I lost my pension.  I had been using hypnosis
during this same period.  It was giving me relief without the nasty
side-effects of painkillers and anti-depressant drugs.  With no
money I had to stop seeing my hypnotherapist.

I thought about my predicament.  I decided that there was nothing
to lose by contacting my provincial board of mental health.  They
recommended that I contact the local university and see if any
students were working with hypnosis or biofeedback.  I phoned up
the department of Education Psychology and talked to a prof.  One
of his graduate students was working with biofeedback.  He referred
me to the student and short afterwards I began using biofeedback
for lessening pain (at no cost).  The student also made me a couple
of custom-made relaxation tapes for free.

Now I don't know if you are near a university or a training
hospital.  If you are it would be well worth your effort to see if
someone there is doing research in pain control.

Personally I am anti-drugs.  They tend to end up controlling me and
I hate the coming off the addictive ones.

Anyway this might help you.  I at least hope so.  Feel free to
write if you have questions or are feeling down.

   Gary

 # Origin: Total Perspective Vortex, Calgary, AB

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