Another excellent meeting. Janice got Mr. Dan Oniel to come and speak with us. Huge kudos and thanks to this man. He was our biggest advocate at our disposal for the American Pain Association. I am sad to report that the APA no longer exists. Due to lack of funding and backing it had to shut down. What a huge step backwords! Yes, Oregon has other associations. But even one association closing is hurtful to all involved. Thats just one more resource that is unavailable to us. BUMMER! So remember, be your OWN ADVOCATE for your health care. Don't expect someone else to do it for you. Consider writing letters to your legislature. Write good positive stuff. You don't just have to write negative letters, write about the good too!
He did however have many resources to share with us. He's so full of knowledge and stories. I'd love to just sit down with a cup of tea and listen to him for another hour or two. I bet he'd be a hoot to talk to. Anyways, back to what he shared...
Did you know that there was help from the Feds? Yeah, me either! But there is. For those that don't have health insurance available, go to http://www.oregon.gov/OHA/OPHP/FHIAP/index.shtml and get signed up. Can't hurt anything to try.
Ever heard of Forest Tennant? Well, if you have issues with pain, you should. I didn't. But you can bet your buns that I am downloading and reading this ASAP tonight. Go here for your copy: http://pain-topics.org/pdf/IntractablePainSurvival.pdf
Pain Pathways is a magazine you may or may not have heard of. Started back in 2008. Click here to see if its something you might be interested in subscribing to. http://www.painpathways.org/
Did you know that ANYONE can attend a Oregon Pain Management meeting? I didn't. Held every other month in Salem in the Barbara Roberts building (close to the state capitol) in Salem. This would be so informative. I say grab a friend or two and make a trip of it!!!
Dan closed the meeting with a rant on forming a team for yourself. Okay, not a rant. But he was mighty serious. LOL! I can't agree with him more. You can't do this yourself. You need a team. Your team might be made up of your doctors, your psychologists, neurologist, physical therapists, your parents, your mate, your friends, or even your neighbor or church member if you attend. We don't care who's on your team. We just want you to have one. :)
Lastly, I will leave you some links for things that Dan mentioned along the way. Check them out in your free time.
http://www.inflexxion.com/painACTION/invisitbleproject.org
http://www.uspainfoundation.org/
http://www.foresttenant.com/
P.S: If looking to find anything in Eugene and want it all in one place, Ward has done a wonderful job with this site: http://www.getinvolvedineugene.com/
Happy Wednesday Everyone!
