A Few Quick Updates:
My Manuscript, New Articles & CDC’s Latest Chronic Pain Stats
Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers! I am taking a little time with my family in the beautiful mountains of Colorado to unplug and reconnect with each other. I had hoped to write another Substack article before December, but my writing has been focused this month on getting a few articles published and advancing my manuscript. If there is a chronic pain topic you would like me to write about in the coming months, please send your ideas my way.
So here are a few quick updates to round out November:
New Articles: I was pleased to have Pain News Network and Senior Outlook Today publish my article on chronic pain caregiving. There are 53 million family caregivers in the United States, many who are caring for a loved one in pain and may also experience their own pain. You can also read this in Substack HERE and note I shared some resources at the bottom of the piece. Also, in December Health Affairs, a widely read U.S. health policy publication, will publish an article I wrote on how the health care system in the U.S. can be improved through changes to accountable care and other value-based care models for chronic pain. More on this soon.
Manuscript: I’ve been head down working on my manuscript with the goal of finalizing my first draft by the end of the year so it is ready to shop to publishers. In the meantime, I’ve been sending queries to literary agents and recently had one agent request a full proposal which was exciting. With a completed first draft I can directly query small presses (who require a full first draft and do not require a literary agent). While landing a deal with a major publishing house is nearly every writers dream, I am more likely to find a small publishing house/press since my topic is fairly niche. My editor Wendy Fox (also an author) has been a great asset to this phase of my work and continues to challenge me to tell more of my personal story which is the backdrop for this self-help book.
New Chronic Pain Data: Lastly, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released data from a recent survey finding that one in four U.S. adults have chronic pain with the percent higher for women, older adults, and those living in rural areas. This 2023 survey shows a four percent increase in chronic pain since the last CDC survey of this type in 2021. This data demonstrates the growing need for additional strategies to address chronic pain which is the leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. I hope to write more posts about the latest data on chronic pain, including the impacts and opportunities associated with the biopsychosocial nature of pain which is poorly addressed in our health care system.
And in wrapping up the month with this Thanksgiving holiday I just wanted to send a big thank you to every one of my readers! I could not keep this Substack going without your support. Important to this work is growing my readership so please do share Chronic Pain Chats with someone you know and encourage them to subscribe!
Looking forward to chatting with you next month! Mara
Hello Mara,
A bit late to the party here, but very interested to read your work.
I am in the UK, having chronic pain since March this year (post pelvic radiotherapy).
Follow up support is good, but I now have to navigate the "new" me.
Warm wishes to all.
Such exciting news about your book! There is an increasing level of interest in books on chronic illness and so few of us writing them. I can see this changing in the future (especially if I’ve got anything to do with it!). I learned this through Hay House and they advise the more niche the better.
I’m writing a series of books on migraine and supporting other chronic illness warriors with me as I go. Though it’s not that niche when you consider the stats for chronic pain - and how it’s increasing - and migraine affecting 1/7.