As you look through your journal & reflect on the notes you took, what are some of your
overall observations? What did you learn about yourself & your pain through journaling?

As I look over my journal, I found that my pain seems to "spike" when I go from lounging/horizontal to vertical/active and can take up to ten minutes to calm down.  I find that interesting and wonder if I should stay active more often in the hopes to better manage and lessen my pain.  I think about the tin man in Wizard of Oz.  If he stops moving, it takes so much more effort to move again...

2.

3.

When I'm not in pain, I'm working like a madman and completely happy doing it.  I'm not complaining or hesitating in completing my work and I feel like I can take care of the whole house with relative ease.

4.

When I'm in pain, I feel like I am almost immobilized.  I'm not doing my tasks that require heavy movement and I'm not living up to my potential as head of the household.  I feel like my girlfriend thinks I'm faking just to get out of the chores which is farthest from the truth.

5. I usually like to think I'm more of the productive madman than anything else.  Tylenol maximum strength is usually a great help in these situations but I wish I could have something better that would help in a pinch instead of waiting around... and sinking in the quicksand.

6. When something promises to give me back my day, I expect to have none of the regular effects of pain in my life while it happens.  I can bend, dip and move as much as I need to and not have to worry about any side effects later.  If it were to tell me to give me back my life, I'd be very weary.  Pain reliever isn't going to give someone back their life for more than a few hours at a time and even then it's not going to be a wonderful cure-all, it's going to help you cope.  Thinking it'll give me my life back is wishful thinking and nothing more.

Part One: Aleve World

 

1.In this world, older middle aged white people live here (I rarely ever see people of color or miniorities in pain reliever commercials.) They are free from pain and loving every second of it.

  

2. These people are going through life without a care in the world.  While I couldn't find photos of more than one person doing this at a time, they can do it together.

3. These people are going through a vast, green beautiful landscape where it is comfortable, temperate and wonderful to live in at all times

The sign outside of Aleve world says it all.

Part One: Tylenol World

1. Tylenol world looks like a sterile doctors office that tries to be innovative or futuristic but generally looks boring and uninspired, like humans aren't supposed to live here.

2. As much as I can rely on it as times, I feel like when I take Tylenol, I'm sitting around waiting for it to work, much like a doctor's office waiting room.  That's what I feel like Tylenol world's activities end up being; waiting.

3. The look and feel of this place is like a doctor's office.  Cold and uncomfortable with little to keep you occupied while you wait your turn for service.

4.  Tylenol world attempts to comfort people at a distance.  it tries to provide relief but simply keeps people distant and waiting.

Part Three: When worlds collide.

The thing I think is similar about both these worlds is that these worlds both miss the mark about what pain relief is about for a user.  They don't want clinical success or a world free from care, they just want to get on with their day without a constant stab in their backs or knees.  I think that the advertising selling these products forget that at the end of the day, all the money in the world can't compete with a successful product.

1. The overal impression I get about the pain relief section is neat and orderly but also very crowded.  There's way too much product bunched up against each other to focus on just one product at a time.  the "lips" on the end of the shelves that keep the product from falling out is also too big to sometimes fully see which style of product you're looking at (i.e. tylenol extra strength pills versus gelcaps).
2. I usually go to the store to pick up new relievers when I notice i have ten or less pills in a bottle.  I usually get in, grab what I need and get out as I prefer not to dither over the multiple choices out there.  I know what works for me so why waste time?
3. I usually differ between brands (of which there are many) and delivery method (pill, gelcap, patch, cream, etc.).  I prefer to stay with pills as I know that these things work and can be brought with me everywhere.  After that, strengths and ingredients tend to not matter that much to me as long as it works.
   1. I prefer to stick with my one brand as I know that it works and I'd rather not mess around with things when I want pain relief.

Now, please look around the section more carefully, with “fresh eyes”…
Figure A: What is for me

Figure B: what isn't for me

1.  See Figure A.  These are for me, I prefer a portable pill solution.  it's no muss, no fuss and usually very effective.
   
2. See Figure B.  These patches seem to be effective but they don't like to work with people who move all day.  the only constant relief I get from these things is only when I stay still and apply pressure to the patch
   
3. I wish I could see some more spacing between products, It's hard to find what you're looking for when it's all packed together like bricks in a wall.  

1. I'd like there to be a pill that could taste less "pill like" perhaps making it almost like a Flintstones chewable vitamin or something similar?

1.  

Pain is a constant and unwelcome companion.  I almost think that I'm addicted to the feeling of pain to know that I'm still functioning normally (hence, the monkey on my back.)  It doesn't feel like I'm cleaning the house if my back doesn't hurt.  If my wrists don't hurt at the end of the day of work at the computer, I think I've taken it too easy.  I don't like how easily pain has become a benchmark of my day's events.

2.    I usually have joint pain, mostly in my back, wrists and knees, thanks to a youth spent wrestling for my schools.  The most bothersome is my back pain as it can stay with me all day and make relaxing as much a chore as working.  My back aches and sharp pains can occur when I bend too much from side to side, which is the most bothersome as I like to shift in my seat when I'm at work.  It makes me feel miserable, I'm not sure how my athletics helped me end up like this but I wish I could take those years back.


3.  

Tylenol Extra Strength

a.  this is the main force in my pain management regimen, this is the workhorse doing all the heavy lifting.

b.  I get as much benefit out of it as it'll let me.  It helps to dull the pain but it's never quite "gone".

c.  I use this as it's the most versatile way to get pain relief.  I can keep it at my desks, my bags, anywhere and use it usually as much as I need to.

d. I use this with stretching to help relieve most of my pains and stiffness.

4.  Pain used to be something I could power through.  "It was a rough practice, I just need to take it easy" was my general mantra.  Now, I've added Tylenol in and some stretches recommended by my doctor.  I used to use advil in my 20's but it never really did the job the way I wanted it to.

5. I would give my toolbox a C+  It's more a swiss army knife than a toolbox.  I think I would have to add more options into the book, maybe a heating pad or some icy hot?  Ultimately, I want my pain to be managable, not let my pain manage me.

1.  Hi there!  I'm Kyle. I'm 46 years old and live in King of Prussia, PA.  I work in the customer service/help desk department at a worldwide AV company.  I live with my partner Amber and our three cats.

At the moment, I am kind of the "house husband" while my partner transitions between jobs.  I cook the meals, I clean the house, I take care of  the cats.

When I'm not busy with any of that, I am a quiet person.  I prefer to stay in and watch movies and read versus going out and painting the town red.  I like building computers and learning more about technology.

I'm passionate about learning more and trying to be kinder to everyone around me.  I hope that by the time I'm gone, I've somehow improved the small part of the world I'm in by the way I've lived my life.

2.  My role is one of support in my family and circle of friends.  I tend to be the quiet, stoic one at functions but I'm the one everyone leans on when they need a helping hand or a second opinion.  I find it gratifying that I do get to help my friends but I find it challenging to have my needs met as well as I try to meet others.  It's a struggle that I deal with every day.

3.  My motto is a change on an old latin phrase: Illigitimi Non Carborundum Est.  "Don't let the bastards grind you down".  There's a lot of things that I feel are out there that will eat away at who you really are if you let them.  It's important to remember that I'm worth not letting the every day stresses and setbacks put me in a worse place.

4.  

When I chose this image, it kind of made a lot of sense to me.  I'm a modern type of person that due to physical pain, I feel like i'm breaking down.  When the pain gets to me, it feels like there's a lot of clean up to do to make things normal again.  It also kind of dovetails into the problems I have currently, a lot of pain with bending over is very present during doing the laundry!

5.  I try to spend at least an hour a day on self care.  Not just the essentials like showering and shaving but more stuff like making the bed, meditating, cleaning my room.  While I'm at work, I keep my music on to keep my stress levels low and take walks every few hours.  I'm most motivated by staying active and consciously working to improve my mental outlook.  I tend to get bogged down in my to do list and that can keep me from doing the real work that keeps me sane and healthy.  I wish I could find a better way to keep my physical pain down so that it became easier to say "yes, let's go for that walk".