Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy

Chronic Illness-Caring For People
By Glen D. Williams

Coping With A Chronic Illness: In a lot of ways, it's easier to deal with a life threatening, acute disease than a chronic illness which, barring miracles, isn't getting any better. These illnesses can go from a mild case of hypertension, through asthma, diabetes, some cancers, all the way through cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, emphysema, stroke, Parkinson's and rheumatoid arthritis, etc. The pain, confusion and energy drain can stop you in your tracks, whether you're the patient or a close loved one. This is when we need to know our disease and hold to our determination to get through.

Pain Management Tips and Tricks: Knowing our disease helps us learn what can be done without medication to manage pain. It's one thing to take meds for a temporary injury, but long-term pain meds can add addiction to an already growing list of problems. With many diseases, pain can be exercised and massaged away. Aerobic exercise can put endorphins in your body which are very strong, natural pain killers. If you have a willing partner, sexual intercourse can flood your body with these endorphins. Other conditions have spells of pain that come and go, but might be endured rather than take heavy narcotics for pain that will pass by the time the pain-killer begins to work. Still others may be managed by mental techniques, such as re-living a pleasant memory, or eating an especially enjoyable food. Of course, if the pain is so sever you can't manage it any other way, that's what medicine is for. If you're dealing with terminal illness, use the meds as often as needed within your doctor's guidelines. If you're caring for someone suffering some types of dementia, it may be easier to medicate them than to explain the other tips and tricks. You have to use what resources are available.