Posts by Lynn Webster, M.D.
Fighting Chronic Pain as a Teenager
Fighting Chronic Pain as a Teenager Chronic pain is almost always life altering, but it can be an especially difficult adjustment when it impacts someone whose life is just beginning. Ali Goldsmith was 14 when she started to feel the effects of chronic pain. After surgery to remove bunions, her pain worsened when her doctor…
Read MoreSuicide and Chronic Pain
Suicide and Chronic Pain Of all the consequences that accompany chronic pain, none other is as heartbreaking as suicide. While the physical impacts of pain are recognized and can often be improved, the stress associated with chronic pain, social stigma, and feelings of hopelessness can be overwhelming, sometimes leading a person to feel that life…
Read MoreWhy I Wrote “The Painful Truth”
Why I Wrote “The Painful Truth” People in pain have never been heard as legitimate patients. With more than 30 years of listening to heart wrenching stories of how people in pain are ignored and denigrated, I wanted to give them a voice. The scarcity of the public and medical understanding about pain has translated…
Read MoreHowever You Count It, Chronic Pain Is a Huge Issue
According to a recent story in the Washington Post, more than 25 million American adults — one in ten — reported having continual pain every day during the previous three months, while more than 126 million – over half of all U.S. adults — reported having some sort of pain during the same period. Another…
Read MoreConquering Pain With Love
Prior to having chronic pain, John Kay was ambitious in all aspects of his life. He married early and, through hard work, advanced quickly in his father’s land surveying company, often volunteering for the most challenging assignments that would set him apart from the rest. John’s eagerness helped him climb the ranks at work, but…
Read MoreChronic Pain Care As a Basic Human Right
People in chronic pain deserve respect and access to treatments that make their lives better. Sadly, many patients, like those whose stories you’ve read on my blog, have been failed by the system. Fear of law enforcement and regulatory guidelines, insurance limitations, and inadequate and uncaring medical care—intertwined factors like these leave patients doomed to…
Read MoreWhen Abuse Turns to Addiction: The Hal Garner Story
Chronic pain generally reveals itself in two ways, either creeping up on a patient or making itself known immediately after an injury. Former Buffalo Bills star, Hal Garner, started his relationship with pain after a brutal hit during practice. He knew his football career was over as soon as he heard the popping of his…
Read More#MindThePain: the Twitter Chat Transcript
On July 29, 2015 I co-hosted a Twitter Chat with the Power of Pain Foundation on #Mindfulness featuring POPF President, Barby Ingle. In case you missed it, the transcript is below. Feel free to chime in on Twitter or in the comments. Power of Pain Foundation – Today we will be led by guest host @LynnRWebsterMD, talking all…
Read MoreStrengthening Pain with Pride
In 2001, Jason Bing watched the 9/11 devastation unfold on a television in his college dorm. Fired with patriotism, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to one of the toughest training sessions offered. The goal of basic training at his camp was to push recruits to their limits while instilling the fundamental…
Read MoreEmpathetic Healing
When chronic pain enters the picture, everyone is affected. Few places is this more true than with the role of a caretaker. A caretaker can feel someone else’s pain on an emotional level in ways equal to similar to the physical pain. But a caretaker also has at his or her disposal the amazing healing…
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