An OUWB medical student and two physicians have created a way for patients to track pelvic pain with hopes of creating more effective personalized treatment plans.

“盆腔疼痛杂志” was created by M4 Alexandra Jankulov, Meera Kirpekar, M.D., attending physician, NYU Langone Health, and Alopi Patel, M.D., associate professor, Rutgers – Robert Wood Johnson 医疗 School.

Available for purchase on Amazon, the paperback journal allows for 60 days of tracking day-to-day activity, 食品消费, 以及其他生活习惯.

The idea is to gather as much data as possible to share with physicians so that they can create the best personalized treatment plan.

“If this book can support even one patient to identify their pain triggers, gain more peace of mind that they are doing everything to seek the best treatment plans they can, to learn more about how physical and mental wellbeing integrates into the pain response, I will feel immensely proud of the work we do,詹库洛夫说.

Benefits of pain journaling

据帕特尔说, pelvic pain refers to discomfort or pain that is localized in the lower part of the abdomen and pelvis.

Both men and women can experience pelvic pain, although the causes and symptoms can vary. Pelvic pain can be caused by a wide range of factors, 包括妇科, 胃肠, 泌尿, and musculoskeletal conditions. Some common causes of pelvic pain include menstrual cramps, 子宫内膜异位, 卵巢囊肿, 尿路感染, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), 和更多的.

Treatment of pelvic pain relies on multimodal and comprehensive approach including lifestyle changes such as implementing an anti-inflammatory diet, 锻炼, 避免引发疼痛, 压力管理, 睡眠卫生, 和更多的.

That’s where the pelvic pain journal comes in.

Published last spring by Wellness Warrior Press, the book is 154 pages. Patients document various aspects of daily life, 比如心情, 疼痛和压力水平, 睡眠时间, 多少运动, 和更多的. There are also sections where users can write down details about their doctors and/or specialists as well as daily medications and supplements.  

“Benefits of pain journaling include ability to identify pain triggers, communicate with their physicians, evaluate efficacy of treatments, 感觉授权, 跟踪进度,帕特尔说.

“真的很幸运”

Jankulov said she’s an “avid reader” of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Monitor newsletter, which is how she first was exposed to Kirpekar and Patel, who are based out of New York City.

She followed the two on social media and listened to their podcast.

“I was absolutely fascinated by their background and clinical interests because chronic pain management and women’s health are two of my interests,詹库洛夫说.

以前, Jankulov served as president of the OUWB Anesthesiology Interest Group and vice president of the American 医疗 Women’s Association. The two organizations collaborated on an event to have Kirpekar and Patel serve as guest speakers.

She stayed in contact with the two physicians, and the trio decided to work together on the pelvic pain journal.

Patel called her “the perfect person to collaborate with to develop a much-needed patient-centric tool.”

亚历山德拉很激动, 有组织的, and diligent during her involvement in this project,帕特尔说. “She was clearly able to deliver on deadlines, identify pertinent medical information to incorporate into the journal and promote the journal for patient care.”

Jankulov said working on the project “has been such a joy.”

“I am genuinely lucky to be working with these incredible role models,” she said.

For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, marketing writer, OUWB, at (电子邮件保护).

To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & 市场营销 网页.

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