Janice Reynolds

My husband and I were recently rewatching the first episode of Boardwalk Empire. “Jimmy” was complaining how the newspaper “got it all wrong.” His wife says “It has to be true for them to print it.”

Whoa! I […]

Fentanyl Patches, Topical Creams, Pet Safety
This is my first blog addressing safety concerns which are relevant for the person living with persistent pain.  I was moved to write this after reviewing the last […]

See also – On the Record: I Must Get This Off My Chest! – Part One

I am so tired of professionals, the media, and the public constantly linking opioids and addiction with little evidence to support this.  There […]

Recently, there was a discussion on a listserv about functionality, the assessment of it, and an emphasis on the NRS (numerical rating scale-0 to 10).  One letter provoked some strong feelings in me which I did […]

When you say “Sourdough”, people often think of San Francisco, the ‘49ers “Sourdough Sam” or the Yukon Gold Rush.  Did you know that Sourdough has been around since the time of the ancient Egyptians and came to […]

Many of you may aware that massage has been shown to work with some people and for some pain syndromes. The biggest drawback is that therapeutic massage may not be covered or fully covered by insurance. For the […]

I have six small appliances I consider necessary especially for someone with pain.  At the top of the list is my bread machine.  I love this and use it 2-4 times a week.  It has multiple perks:

Bread tastes […]

The Thanksgiving of 2014, we spent 30 hours with a foot of new snow and no power. I found myself cooking Thanksgiving dinner on the grill and everything went pretty well. I did notice, however, that even with the […]

I love the holidays and they are approaching fast. Like me, you can cook with minimal increase in your pain and stress.  All it takes is planning and discarding some common assumptions. For example, just because […]

At my house, I seldom know exactly how many I am feeding (can be anywhere from 2 to 6).  Usually I have a rough idea, but erring on the side of planning for more is usually prudent.  Then there are those recipes […]

Tip #1:  Keep in mind that “Pain Brain” can cause culinary hiccups. It’s always important to read the recipes of a desired meal a day or two ahead to make sure you:

Have all items needed
Are able to thaw if […]

In today’s world especially for those of us with persistent pain, a most important medical document is our medication list.  Did you know that it is now are requirement to perform a medication reconciliation […]

When cooking while dealing with pain we know “easy” is what we want.  When we think “easy” we also think of convenience foods. The thing is, anyone can say their product makes cooking “easier”; the question is: […]

Released in the 1980’s, as part of a record album, titled “Free to Be You and Me” there is one particular song that carries this theme. “It’s All Right to Cry”. The lyrics were sung by Rosey Grier–an actor, […]

Do you find that standing for any length of time can be difficult? Does that keep you from spending time in the kitchen cooking your favorite meals?  I find that when your feet or hands hurt, your overall pain may […]

The presence of persistent (aka chronic) pain is often “the elephant in the room”.  For those of us who have persistent pain, daily living can be a challenge.  Though we may not “look” like there is a problem, […]

My favorite tool for making cooking easier is the microwave. Most of us have one but likely don’t use it as labor saver. I rarely “cook” with it (although there are a few items I do-more about them in a minute), […]

One of the secrets to cooking when one has persistent pain is “make it easy”.  There are so many good recipes out there that are fairly easy and sometimes you don’t even require a recipe. Main dish salads (MDS) […]