Jude Willhoff - Living Well with Chronic Pain

The subject is a universal one and should appeal to a huge audience. Willhoff knows whereof she speaks (having suffered with chronic pain), so she hits the points any pain sufferer would want to hear, including all the attendant feelings, emotions, desperation, social/familial implications. That she found methods to live with the pain is commendablethe reader will want to relate. But she also lives beyond the pain, as do others she highlights, and that is inspiration for any pain sufferer. This book details the control of different kinds of pain and the helpful Medtronic technologies.

Writers Digest

Jude Willhoffs story is a gift of hope and inspiration to anyone suffering from chronic pain. It has the ability to pull us back from the brink of desperation and give us the strength to go on with our lives. If you dont think there is a way outyoure wrong. This book will outline a path to your new life! If your doctor doesnt have a copy of this book, get him one.

Capri, Failed Back Syndrome

The book, Living Well With Chronic Pain, adds up to a much-needed message of hope for those caught in the clutches of chronic pain.

Bill Radford, The Colorado Springs Gazette

Jude shares her personal journey through managing chronic pain with warmth and optimism. She gives the reader hope that there is life after chronic pain. With the practical advice and coping strategies included, this book is a must for chronic pain sufferers and their caregivers.

Lisa Shetler, Massage Therapist

I met you briefly on Saturday at your signing at Invesco Field in Denver. You dont know, on second thought of course you do, how good it feels to meet someone who has been where I am today. I would say that I am perhaps as close to ending it as you can be, after 18 years of chronic pain, the last ten being the hardest. So it was truly wonderful to read your story. Just to hear that you got off all drugs and your life got better again, has given me such hope. Thank you for writing this book, thank you for renewing my hope.I took it home the day I bought it and finished it by the following evening. I am in the process of being tested to see if the Medtronic Advanced Pain Therapy will work for me.

Jeannie Stephens, Chronic Back Pain

Instead of pain controlling you, control it with lifestyle changes and the use of Medtronic Advanced Pain Therapies.

To the millions of people who are coping with Chronic Pain on their own.

And to Medtronic: A world leader in medical technology, pioneering pain therapies which restore health, extend life and alleviate pain.

And a heartfelt thank you to:

Dr. Patrick Higgins and Staff - My family physician who has gone beyond the call of duty, taking the time to get me the help I needed and encouraging me to write this book.

Dr. Kevin C. Murphy Ph.D - For helping me find myself in the middle of excruciating pain and for teaching me how to regain control of my life.

Dr. Michael Brown, Neurosurgeon - An angel in disguise with gifted hands during my spinal cord implant surgery.

Dr. John Tyler - For having the courage to work with chronic pain patients and for your encouragement in writing this book.

And to my family

Robert J. Willhoff Jr.

My hero, my husband, the love of my life who stands beside me through my trials and tribulations.

And to the rest of my wonderful family

Many excellent books have been written on the devastating, life-changing effects of chronic pain. Most focus on helping individuals to better cope with the physical, emotional, social, and work-related changes that accompany long-standing pain. Such books are written by those of us who work with people in constant pain and represent an outsiders view of a person who actually has pain that does not go away.

Ms. Willhoff has written an excellent insiders account of her own chronic pain experience from injury through recovery. With great sensitivity and clarity, she takes on the extremely difficult journey of one person caught in the grip of unrelenting pain. Her honesty combined with many useful tips on how to better manage chronic pain make this book a unique contribution.

I believe her information will prove invaluable to anyone having chronic pain. Living Well With Chronic Pain will save sufferers a great deal of time on their own journey toward recovery. It will not only be shortened by the knowledge she shares, but also by showing those in her same situation that they are not alone in the struggle. Her clear message is one of hope and courage. If she has been brave enough to take back her own life against great odds, she suggests that so might we all. I am honored to have witnessed her changes and hope her book lightens the burden of pain sufferers everywhere.

Kevin C. Murphy, Ph.D.

Living Well With Chronic Painis the story of how I regained control of my life from constant, excruciating pain. With a mixture of personal journal entries, success stories and narrative from others, I tell the story of how I moved from the diagnosis, fear, anger, denial, and confusion in my life to the acceptance and spiritual growth I needed to survive.

Without intervention from a pain management program and Medtronic Advanced Pain Therapy, I would have ended my life. Instead, I chose to empower myself with education to fight back. Pain is recognized as a major US public health problem. Various studies estimate that chronic pain affects 15 to 33% of the US population, or as many as 86 million people. In fact, chronic pain disables more people than cancer or heart disease and costs the American people more than both combined. Pain cost an estimated $70 billion a year in medical costs, lost working days, and workers compensation.

Statistics show one out of three people will have chronic debilitating pain. Many people I talk with about this condition either have it or know of someone who is dealing with it on a daily basis.

Incurable pain wears down the body and the mind. It can lead to physical, psychological and financial meltdown. The idea of becoming a burden to loved ones and deteriorating to a point of helplessness is a persons worst nightmare, and indeed, many people whove been diagnosed with a life sentence of chronic pain have committed suicide.