People living with chronic pain in the Black Country are invited to attend a free event to help understand and manage their pain.
Hosted by Flippin Pain™, the event will be held on Thursday 29 September, from 6.30pm to 8.00pm, at the YMCA Western Gateway in West Bromwich.
Flippin Pain™ is a public health campaign with a clear goal to change the way people think about, talk about and treat persistent pain.
The event will give attendees a chance to hear from a line-up of speakers, including pain scientist Professor Cormac Ryan, Advanced Practitioner in Pain Management, Mahin Kohli, and local resident Nikki Ellis, who has lived with chronic pain for more than 14 years.
There will also be a two-day tour of the Flippin Pain™ Brain Bus, which will be visiting locations in the Black Country next week, to help local people understand how the brain works when it comes to pain through a host of interactive activities.
The bus will be parked at Bentley Bridge Retail Park in Wolverhampton on Wednesday 28th September from 9.00am until 4.00pm, before heading to Merry Hill Retail Park in Brierley Hill on Thursday 29th September from 9.00am to 4.00pm.
People are invited to drop-in at any time and participate in a range of visual and sensory illusions, including a virtual reality ‘walk the plank. Healthcare professionals will also be on-hand to talk about the way that the human brain and senses work, and how this can impact how people experience pain.
Richard Pell, Campaign Director for Flippin’ Pain™, said: “We know from our previous free seminars, workshops, and brain bus tours that local people are keen to understand more about chronic pain and specifically what is within their control to make positive change. It’s especially important for Black Country residents to know there’s alternative ways of managing their pain and stepping away from a reliance on strong painkillers.
“We urge anyone who has not yet had a chance to sign-up to the event to do so and come along. And whilst it may be tricky for some to join, recordings from the session will be available for them to watch back at their convenience.”
Nikki’s Story
Local resident Nikki Ellis has suffered with chronic pain for more than 14 years. The 39-year-old has worked within local Community Pain Management Services in the Black Country for over 3 years, after long shifts with the ambulance service became too physically demanding for her.
She will be speaking about her experience at the event next week including how holistic pain management has allowed her to better accept and understand her pain, the importance of mental health support for those living with pain, and the control techniques she uses that mean she can spend time with friends and family again.
Nikki said: “I first started feeling weakness in my legs when I was 25. It soon spread to my arms, and I was experiencing a range of symptoms including constant pain, fatigue, dizziness, and lack of focus. I had several tests, including two muscle biopsies, one of which took three years for the results to come back, but both were inconclusive. The original cause couldn’t be found – and it still hasn’t been diagnosed, over 14 years later.
“I spoke to many doctors, rheumatologists, and neurologists, but I felt dismissed. I was in limbo for three years waiting for the second muscle biopsy results, as nobody would show any interest until the results had come back. I was focusing on my physical health so much that my mental health was really suffering. I never left the house as I was worried about what people would think.
“I’ve since been diagnosed with ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis, also called chronic fatigue syndrome) and fibromyalgia, and I’ve worked on truly accepting my physical health. I have a motto that ‘I’d rather live my life in pain, than not live it at all’, so I try to get out and about as much as I can. I see my friends and family, and I’m a single parent to my 13-year-old daughter. I don’t let my chronic pain stop me from living my life and that’s the message I pass to my patients as well.
“This free event in the Black Country is so important because it shows residents there is help available to them, and that a shift in mindset can make a huge difference and can even stop the reliance on strong painkillers. I’m looking forward to sharing my story and welcoming others living with chronic pain.”