Someone who suffers with pain and feels hopeless.

Someone who challenges pain and minimizes their own suffering with self-care and a rational use of the medical system.

• The mere feeling of being heard can help the suffering of pain.
• Speaking of one's own pain allows a sense of validation and contribution to others.
• Stories can educate and empower.
• Stories help people cope with life's complexities.
• Stories connect and bring people together. Pain can create a sense of isolation and loneliness.
• Stories allow emotion to surface, which keeps us more human.
• Stories remind us that pain is not just physical but a biopsychosocial (biological-psychological-social) phenomenon.
• In the transactional business of medicine, we are missing out on the relational aspect of medicine. These stories are reminders that patients need ACTIVE listeners as much as medical professionals need ENGAGED patients who are ACTIVE in their own care.
• Once the medical system takes the time to truly listen to patients' stories without judgment, it will come to more fully understand and appreciate the struggle of those in pain and also be pleasantly surprised that their patients will finally feel heard and willing to be more active in the process of healing in multiple areas of their lives.

You will be inspired or inspiring to others!

By sharing your uplifting story of how you overcame obstacles and decreased or eliminated your pain, you can help others understand the little and big things that we do that can help pain.

A PAIN OUT LOUD – HEAR MY STORY bracelet will be given to those who have their story accepted and posted in this community.

Become part of a community to help create awareness, education, hope, and events for all who suffer from pain.

Prior to submitting your story, please review the Pain Challenger Story Guidelines.

PAIN OUT LOUD Story Submission Guidelines

Your PAIN OUT LOUD story must promote the POL Mission:

1. To enable a platform for pain challengers to tell their story of PAIN OUT LOUD with other pain challengers/sufferers regarding healthy ways in which they have overcome or minimized suffering from their pain.
2. To form a collaborative community of positive and constructive engagement to minimize the negative consequences of overly fixating on the pain.
3. To be a resource of practical, holistic, and varied approaches to the multiple pain challenges that members and the general public may have.
4. Be a source of supporters/attendees for future pain-related events.

Pain sufferer: Someone who suffers with pain and feels hopeless.

Pain challenger: Someone who challenges pain and minimizes their own suffering with self-care and a rational use of the medical system.

Story Guidelines:  The following is required prior to approving your Pain Challenger story for publishing to PAINOUTLOUD.com.

• You need to sign up for the Challengers (and/or Professionals) Collection in the POL community.
• Email Dr. Cady at [email protected] for an appointment for Dr. Cady to record a guided discussion of your story via Zoom. 10-30 minutes are the typical story-interview lengths.
• This is intended to be a natural conversation with no stress. I only ask that you have some lighting, decent internet access, and not looking like you just rolled out of bed.
• After interview, you will be asked by email (typically by SignNow) to sign a waiver acknowledging that all stories are public information and do not establish a patient-physician relationship.
• After you sign the release, your story will be made available to the general public and may be indexed in search engines.
• Every submitted and approved story will be published within the POL member community, which requires a secure login to access.
• By releasing your story to the antiPAIN Lifestyle, LLC’s website PAIN OUT LOUD, there is no violation of HIPAA (the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that was passed by Congress in 1996). Your choice to share or make your information public did not establish a patient-physician relationship with Dr. Cady.
• Your story will be a blog post within the Challengers collection and a short trailer will be shared on social media. There may be a need to clarify or edit parts of your story. PAIN OUT LOUD reserves editorial rights to your story.
• Your story becomes the property of this website and will remain online until your notification in writing to remove the story. Send removal request to [email protected]. You can also send a hand-written request to Melissa Cady, P.O. Box 92844, Austin, Texas, 78709.
• If you would like to embed the video for your own benefit and approved by Dr. Cady, then acknowledging PainOutLoud.com as the source is expected as a courtesy.
• Leader of the POL community reserves the right to archive or delete your story at any time for any reason without prior notification.
• You are offering your story and any accompanying photographs or images, if any, without expecting or receiving any monetary compensation upon submission or during any length of time that your story is part of the PAIN OUT LOUD community website.
• Your story with your permission may become a part of a video, webinar, documentary, or other teaching product that may be offered to the general public and members of the PAIN OUT LOUD community for a fee. You will not receive any type of monetary compensation or royalties for use of your story. However, you will still inspire many!

PAIN OUT LOUD’S Gift to Pain Challengers:

Each Pain Challenger who tells their story and is accepted for posting to POL.com will be mailed a “PAIN OUT LOUD – Hear My Story” bracelet unless opting not to receive one.

We very much appreciate each story submitted.  By sharing your story, you are inspiring and encouraging Pain Sufferers on a path to become Pain Challengers.

To Less Pain & More Joy!

Dr. Melissa Cady, D.O.

Leader, PAIN OUT LOUD Community
“The Challenge Doctor”

Author, PAINDEMIC® Book

Updated 05/22/2019. antiPAIN Lifestyle, LLC.

The PAIN OUT LOUD Community is a place for rich and engaging conversations among those who have overcome pain and are willing to share their stories with others looking for inspiration and encouragement. It’s a safe place to talk about overcoming or eliminating pain, what changes were made, and how life is more fun with less pain. The community is meant to provide HOPE. POL community is not a place to receive medical diagnosis or treatment advice. Each individual must consult with their own physician or medical professional about their particular situation.

The POL Community is a place to connect with others fighting the “pain epidemic” or PAINDEMIC® in the U.S. and the rest of the world. Here is where connections are made with people in our own hometowns or maybe even on the other side of the world. We have a common goal – overcoming and/or managing our pain. Through the power of community, we are all connected—and together we’re stronger! We are celebrating our Successes! Singing our Stories. Saying to those still suffering, “You are not alone!” and “There is Hope!”

Members share their pain stories after giving electronic or written consent to share publicly. Stories are considered helpful or uplifting and approved prior to being published. Members share their knowledge and experience in overcoming their particular pain or health situation. Their stories are unique to them and should be carefully considered by other members before deciding that the same action will provide the same results. All information should be verified as applicable by an individual’s medical professional.

Be courteous

This is a diverse community of people with diverse opinions. It is up to each of us to be polite and treat each other with respect.

Inappropriate Behavior

The following behavior will not be tolerated. We encourage you to report any instances of this behavior immediately by emailing Dr. Cady at [email protected].

• Venting, ranting or using hate speech

We are a community of like-minded believers, but still people with diverse beliefs, opinions and backgrounds, so please be respectful and refrain from making hateful and/or incendiary comments. You are free to express your opinions, but you must do so in a way that respects the opinions of others.

• Being mean or obscene

Sexually explicit and/or vulgar language, as well as inappropriate or disturbing images are not permitted in this community. Also, any personal attacks, belligerence, insults, slurs or generally objectionable speech will not be allowed. This is not a match-making community for the purposes of dating.

• Exploiting the community

The PAIN OUT LOUD Community is not designed to attract customers, build your clientele, business, or services. If you have years of experience in something, have a special hobby or write your own blog, you must have specific permission in writing from Dr. Cady ([email protected]). However, it is not OK to post links that are unrelated to the topic or are clearly meant only to solicit others for personal and financial gain. Solicitations like “Will you add me as a contact?” or propositioning people (for any financial purpose) will not be allowed.

• Not being yourself

Our community is meant to reward Members for sharing their stories and information freely and openly, so creating multiple accounts or posting content for the sole purpose of gaining kudos is not permitted. Be yourself, and just yourself.

• Violating the law

Members of the POL Community are not above the law; so don’t post anything that violates the laws of your country, state, province or city. Don’t steal anything (like copyright or trademark material) or solicit other contributors to share their personal information. Don’t threaten, harass, impersonate or hurt others, and don’t invade other people’s privacy.

• Acting maliciously

Don’t post links to sites that contain viruses or malicious programs that interfere with the operation of the POL Community or website.

This community is a place to be social, where you can join groups, share resources, and learn about events that create public awareness of what needs to change in regards to the rampant pain issues.

Dr. Melissa Cady, founder of antiPAIN Lifestyle LLC and leader of the POL community provides research, webinars, Q&A interviews, videos, and other resources for members. Some information is free to members and some will be available for a fee.

Dr. Cady is NOT acting as your physician. She is a physician, but is merely providing the benefit of her research and information on the changes she made in controlling her own pain and the wisdom of those with a history of pain and the professionals helping those in pain. No pain professional was paid nor did they pay Dr. Cady for their contribution to the Pain Out Loud website.

Most of all, the POL Community is a place of encouragement. It is not a community for complaints or misuse of member’s trust. We are here to inform, not criticize. Constructive criticism has its place and can be shared with Dr. Cady.

Be a good citizen

Like any community, the quality of our environment depends on the involvement of our citizens. If you see great content, give it kudos. If you see abuse, report it immediately to [email protected]. Before you write anything, ask yourself if your contribution increases the strength and virtue of the community. You make a difference in shaping the discussions and making the experience better for everyone. The human brain is influenced what it reads, hears, and sees.

Again, we have a common goal – overcoming and/or decreasing our pain. Through the power of community, we are all connected—and together we’re stronger! We are celebrating our Successes! Singing our Stories. Saying to those still suffering, “You are not alone!” and “There is Hope!”

We look forward to building a safe, engaging, and helpful community with you!

Dr. Melissa Cady, D.O.

Leader, PAIN OUT LOUD Community

“The Challenge Doctor”

Author of PAINDEMIC®

Have questions? Feel free to contact us via email at [email protected].

Or call us and leave a message at 669-237-2239.

Or write us at antiPAIN Lifestyle LLC, PO Box 92844, Austin, TX 78709.

DISCLAIMER: Information on PainOutLoud.com written and provided by Dr.Cady does not establish a doctor-physician relationship with Dr.Cady. All information on this site is merely suggestions and perspectives that may be used in conjunction with a real patient-physician relationship. Speak with your primary care provider or appropriate medical professional regarding what is best for your health.

Updated 4/26/2019; antiPAIN Lifestyle, LLC