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Chronic Pain Central and all those affiliated with it would like to extend it's heartfelt prayers for the victims (and their families left behind) of the Terrorist Attacks on Sept. 11, 2001! We would also like to thank each and every one of the rescue workers, whether Fire Dept., EMS, Police, or other Special People and Groups who unselfishly gave their time, energy, and hearts to original search for victims, right up until today where cleanup still continues, as well as our Armed Forces Overseas sworn to protect our precious freedom!
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Chronic Pain Central is & will continue to be undergoing a major facelift! I urge those of you who visit this site, to check back regularly for new information and content! Also, I ask that you be patient during our re-modeling, as there are many things going on 'behind the scenes' which you may not be able to see - but that does not mean that we have forgotten about you! Thank you for your patience and understanding during our improvements!
Chronic pain is an often misunderstood phenomena in which many physicians have found it easy to believe that the cause is not physical, but rather psychological in nature. This is especially true of conditions such as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, (now also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or C.R.P.S.) in which there are rarely definitive tests that can "show" the physician the cause of the pain. That does not mean it is the physicians fault that we are often misdiagnosed, for it is the nature of the type of illnesses we face. Therefore this site is also open to Nurses; Physicians; and any other type of Health Care Professional who wishes to learn more about how to help their patients cope with Chronic Pain, and the effects it has on not only the patient, but the entire family of that particular person. Although there will be a multitude of diseases or illnesses that this site may focus on; Comments, suggestions; questions; and input from the visitors to this site is essential for it to stay current. Only you know what you are experiencing, therefore only you know for a fact what you may be looking for in a site like this...
* As you begin your
journey through this ever-expanding site, you must remember that
nothing stated here is meant to take the place of a qualified
medical professional. Please read the Disclaimer before
continuing! Also, please take the time to read
the history of the site. It
describes the reasons behind why this site was formed, and the
purpose which it was designed to fulfill. Also, feel free
to drop me a note to let me know what you think of the site, it's
contents, etc. If you have any questions; comments;
concerns; or something in particular that you would like to see
on the site, please feel free to let me know. I will
do my absolute best to accomodate all reasonable requests, and
will respond to your mail as promptly as possible. Note
that this site is under major construction and
therefore what you are viewing right now is merely a preview of what is to come!
As
you begin your journey through this site, please keep in mind
that it is constantly expanding and even if you have visited a
particular link in this site in the past, it may now contain
different, new or updated information. Enjoy your visit, and
remember to check back often!
History of the Site and its' Creator:
My name is Michael Briggs. In 1993 I was stricken with a disease known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. This almost instantly ended my career in Emergency Medical Services. When I first became sick with R.S.D., the best way that I knew of to "cope" with it was to get involved. Within a few short months of being diagnosed, I knew more about it than the Dr. who diagnosed it - and that came straight from him! As a result I became very active in a local Support Group as the Vice President as well as filling many other duties. After a few years of this, when I felt I could no longer continue the forward progress of that organization, I left. Since leaving that Group, I have been planning this site and it's services so that they may become a Central Hub of Support Services, so that people have a place to come. This applies whether you have R.S.D.; Fibromyalgia; or "plain old" arthritis. Until now, if you wanted information, you had to go to a multitude of sights, places, or worse yet, make a lot of long-distance telephone calls. My goal is to cut all that out for you, so that no matter what chronic pain condition you may suffer from, I can link you to the proper sources, etc. And, if by chance I do not yet have information posted to help you, feel free to e-mail me & I will do my absolute best to acquire up to date information for you as soon as possible! This site is intended for use by and for victims of chronic pain related conditions.
Although very far from completion, I made the difficult decision to go ahead and design a basic site as you see here to allow the site and it's purpose to become known. Meanwhile I may continually update the site and its' related pages as quickly, but completely as possible to best serve the needs of you, the visitor to this site. However had I waited until the site and the information to be contained herein was fully complete, the site would probably never get posted, as the information regarding many Chronic Pain related disorders is changing rapidly, and advances are made in the treatment of chronic pain as it becomes both more well-known, and more appropriately treated by those physicians and practitioners who have dedicated their practices and by nature their lives to the treatment, research, and never-ending fight against chronic pain. To physicians such as my own personal physician, whom I will not name here without his consent, I personally extend my heartfelt thanks for if it were not for them, I do not know if any of us could go on.
The information presented here is not meant to take the place
of seeking a qualified medical professional! The purpose of this
site is educational in nature, and also as a means of providing a
method of Support for those who may (or may not) have access to a
local Support Network! I am not responsible for any information
presented here, as it will be documented as to its' source,
whether from a published document or someone's personal opinion.
If any information you encounter in this site creates a question
in your mind, I hereby instruct you to contact your Doctor or
other qualified Health Care Professional, before acting on said
information. In this way, you can safely and actively participate
in your own care, with your Doctor. Any editorials presented here
will be the sole opinion of the author unless otherwise stated.
If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me,
and I will try to help you resolve them. Any information found on
this site is not, and does not constitute medical advice for your
particular situation. Each individual reacts sifferently to
different medications and treatments. If you have any questions,
contact your doctor or other Healthcare Professional to resolve
them!
If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions, feel free to email me at cpc97@enter.net Due to the volume of both e-mail and snail mail received, I am not always able to respond immediately, although I make every effort to reply within 48 hours. For information on other sites, organizations, or persons to contact regarding chronic pain, e-mail me above with your request. Please be sure to include both your e-mail and "Snail Mail" address in your e-mail, as not all organizations have access to the Internet. Also, if you are aware of a site or service available via any means that is not yet listed here, please e-mail me with the information and I will check the site out as soon as possible so that I can determine where in the listing to enter it so that the information will reach the most people with the most possible benefit for those people!
Special Thanks to...
I would like to take this space to thank the staff at my I.S.P., Enter.Net , for without whom this entire web site would be impossible! They have not only helped me tremendously as an individual, and I constantly reccommend them to anyone in their service area I meet as an excellent Service Provider, but if it were not for their cooperation, this site would never gotten past the first sheet of scratch paper! Special Thanks to Larry, Margo, and Dan, to name a few!
Also, special thanks to Peggy Grim who like myself volunteers her
time to help others both via research, and through various means
of support that are offered between her, and myself. You
may contact her
for more information as well. If you contact her as a
result of the link on this page, please mention this in your
e-mail to her so we may track our resources, etc.
Enter.Net
Enter.Net's Spotlite
Weather Underground: Allentown, PA
CyberEmporium
Connecting People Net - New Address Coming
SOON!
NOTE: I have an entire list of Medical research, medical reference sites, as well as other Chronic Pain and RSD Sites to enter. However they will be entered in the site's new format on which I am working as you read this! It will prove to be a definite "experience" as I am attempting to write my own database program for this! No promises though as far as web accessibility or search capability of the database, as I am not sure re: web interaction with it, as I am just re-learning how to program in this manner! I will however have an intermediate resource list available via the site as soon as all the information is in to me regarding sites and their respective URL's! Have a site to share? Tell me about it!
(Chronic Pain Central First Posted on May 14, 1998)
(Page Last Modified on Thursday, 17 January,
2002)