Stop chasing a cure
About this site
Chronic Pain Champions is a information resource/support group to help patients, their families and friends, as well as healthcare professionals manage non-cancer/end-of-life chronic pain. The focus is on a biopsychosocial approach to understanding pain, accepting pain, adjusting to pain, and adapting to pain to live a more functional and fulfilling life.
Are you tired of bouncing around between healthcare providers, Facebook groups, and Google websites trying to find a medical answer to chronic pain?
What if someone told you – there is no answer – at least, for right now?
They could be right.
Going to more doctors, getting more testing, and having more surgeries can make the pain worse and can even create new pain.
There is a time to accept the pain and learn to live with it. Controlling it, rather than it controlling you.
What if someone told you – there is no answer – at least, for right now?
They could be right.
Going to more doctors, getting more testing, and having more surgeries can make the pain worse and can even create new pain.
There is a time to accept the pain and learn to live with it. Controlling it, rather than it controlling you.
About me
Hello, I'm Tom Bowen.
I've had chronic pain for over a decade.
It took me years to accept my pain and find the tools (both medical and non-medical) that work for me to help manage my pain. I'm hoping the information I share from my experience can help you in your own journey with chronic pain.
Below is my story
While I try to always put on a good face, smile and laugh; I share my days with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, fatigue, headache, neuropathy, tinnitus, depression and anxiety.
However, the pain does not define me. Instead, I'm defined by who I am and what I do. I'm a husband, a father, a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a mentor, a past-coworker, and a clown.
When I first experienced my pain conditions, I had a hard time adjusting to them. I let them control me, instead of me controlling them. They affected my life, my family, my friends, my job, and my activities. No different than others facing the same challenges.
However, I've learned from the help of my medical and mental health professionals, as well as my peers in pain, to accept the pain and champion it (many praises for the Mayo Pain Rehabilitation Center).
Yes, I still hurt. Yes, I still tire. And yes, I still have troubles with concentration and memory. I don’t like it. But know my chronic pain doesn’t signal continued damage to my body. It is my “new normal”.
How do I manage my pain? I use non-opioid prescriptions and injections. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I use tools like deep breathing and relaxation. I try to moderate and modify what I do. And I exercise.
Have I stopped looking for a solution to my pain? No. There are always medical advancements. There is always hope.
But while I still have the pain, I'm driving the car. Pain is in the backseat.
P.S. I’m not a trained medical professional. My background is in advertising, marketing, and writing. You may have seen my articles in Practical Pain Management, Stat or National Pain Report. I just wrote a new free e-book Chronic Pain Won't Stop Me. I also oversee a Facebook Support group Chronic Pain Champions – No Whining Allowed. And I'm a patient advocate on the Practical Pain Management (PPM) Editorial Advisory Board.
I've had chronic pain for over a decade.
It took me years to accept my pain and find the tools (both medical and non-medical) that work for me to help manage my pain. I'm hoping the information I share from my experience can help you in your own journey with chronic pain.
Below is my story
While I try to always put on a good face, smile and laugh; I share my days with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, fatigue, headache, neuropathy, tinnitus, depression and anxiety.
However, the pain does not define me. Instead, I'm defined by who I am and what I do. I'm a husband, a father, a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a mentor, a past-coworker, and a clown.
When I first experienced my pain conditions, I had a hard time adjusting to them. I let them control me, instead of me controlling them. They affected my life, my family, my friends, my job, and my activities. No different than others facing the same challenges.
However, I've learned from the help of my medical and mental health professionals, as well as my peers in pain, to accept the pain and champion it (many praises for the Mayo Pain Rehabilitation Center).
Yes, I still hurt. Yes, I still tire. And yes, I still have troubles with concentration and memory. I don’t like it. But know my chronic pain doesn’t signal continued damage to my body. It is my “new normal”.
How do I manage my pain? I use non-opioid prescriptions and injections. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I use tools like deep breathing and relaxation. I try to moderate and modify what I do. And I exercise.
Have I stopped looking for a solution to my pain? No. There are always medical advancements. There is always hope.
But while I still have the pain, I'm driving the car. Pain is in the backseat.
P.S. I’m not a trained medical professional. My background is in advertising, marketing, and writing. You may have seen my articles in Practical Pain Management, Stat or National Pain Report. I just wrote a new free e-book Chronic Pain Won't Stop Me. I also oversee a Facebook Support group Chronic Pain Champions – No Whining Allowed. And I'm a patient advocate on the Practical Pain Management (PPM) Editorial Advisory Board.
All content is for informational purposes only and should be used in conjunction with health care professionals.
It is not meant to replace professional advice. Information provided is based on the author’s personal experience,
beliefs, and research regarding chronic non-cancer/end-of-life pain.
Consult a doctor or other healthcare professional before attempting treatment.
Use of the information provided is at your own risk.
© 2021
Tom Bowen
Chronic Pain Champions
It is not meant to replace professional advice. Information provided is based on the author’s personal experience,
beliefs, and research regarding chronic non-cancer/end-of-life pain.
Consult a doctor or other healthcare professional before attempting treatment.
Use of the information provided is at your own risk.
© 2021
Tom Bowen
Chronic Pain Champions
