Stop chasing a cause and cure
About this site
Chronic Pain Champions is an information resource/support group to help people living with chronic nonmalignant pain, their families, and friends, as well as healthcare professionals. 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 magical 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 allowing it to control you.
Are you tired of bouncing around between healthcare providers, Facebook groups, and Google websites trying to find a magical 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 allowing it to control 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 nerve pain, fibromyalgia, fatigue, back pain, chronic headache, sleep apnea, tinnitus, IBS, 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 tough 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 healthcare 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 am still tired. And yes, I still have trouble with concentration and memory. I don’t like it. But now I know my chronic pain doesn’t signal continued damage to my body. It is my “new normal”. I live well, despite it, knowing pain can change and I can make positive changes in my life.
How do I manage my pain?. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to change the way I think, feel, and behave in relation to my pain. I use tools like distraction and deep breathing. I try to moderate and modify what I do. And I move - love walking.
Have I stopped hoping for a miracle solution to my pain? No. There are always medical advancements. I'm just not actively seeking a cure. Instead, I focus my time on pain rehabilitation and making my life better.
I'm driving the car. Pain is in the backseat.
PS I’m not a 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 wrote an e-book Chronic Pain Won't Stop Me. I 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 nerve pain, fibromyalgia, fatigue, back pain, chronic headache, sleep apnea, tinnitus, IBS, 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 tough 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 healthcare 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 am still tired. And yes, I still have trouble with concentration and memory. I don’t like it. But now I know my chronic pain doesn’t signal continued damage to my body. It is my “new normal”. I live well, despite it, knowing pain can change and I can make positive changes in my life.
How do I manage my pain?. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to change the way I think, feel, and behave in relation to my pain. I use tools like distraction and deep breathing. I try to moderate and modify what I do. And I move - love walking.
Have I stopped hoping for a miracle solution to my pain? No. There are always medical advancements. I'm just not actively seeking a cure. Instead, I focus my time on pain rehabilitation and making my life better.
I'm driving the car. Pain is in the backseat.
PS I’m not a 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 wrote an e-book Chronic Pain Won't Stop Me. I 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 healthcare 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.
© 2022
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.
© 2022
Tom Bowen
Chronic Pain Champions
