“In the beginning, everyone thought they were going to find this one breakthrough pain drug that would replace opioids,” Gereau said. Increasingly, though, it’s looking like chronic pain, like cancer, could end up having a range of genetic and cellular drivers that vary both by condition and by the particular makeup of the person experiencing it. “What we’re learning is that pain is not just one thing,” Gereau added. “It’s a thousand different things, all called ‘pain.’”

For patients, too, the landscape of chronic pain is wildly varied. Some people endure a miserable year of low-back pain, only to have it vanish for no clear reason. Others aren’t so lucky. A friend of a friend spent five years with extreme pain in his arm and face after roughhousing with his son. He had to stop working, couldn’t drive, couldn’t even ride in a car without a neck brace. His doctors prescribed endless medications: the maximum dose of gabapentin, plus duloxetine and others. At one point, he admitted himself to a psychiatric ward, because his pain was so bad that he’d become suicidal. There, he met other people who also became suicidal after years of living with terrible pain day in and day out.

The thing that makes chronic pain so awful is that it’s chronic: a grinding distress that never ends. For those with extreme pain, that’s easy to understand. But even less severe cases can be miserable. A pain rating of 3 or 4 out of 10 sounds mild, but having it almost all the time is grueling — and limiting. Unlike a broken arm, which gets better, or tendinitis, which hurts mostly in response to overuse, chronic pain makes your whole world shrink. It’s harder to work, and to exercise, and even to do the many smaller things that make life rewarding and rich.

It’s also lonely. When my arms first went crazy, I could barely function. But even after the worst had passed, I saw friends rarely; I still couldn’t drive more than a few minutes, or sit comfortably in a chair, and I felt guilty inviting people over when there wasn’t anything to do. As Christin Veasley, director and co-founder of the Chronic Pain Research Alliance, puts it: “With acute pain, medications, if you take them, they get you over a hump, and you go on your way. What people don’t realize is that when you have chronic pain, even if you’re also taking meds, you rarely feel like you were before. At best, they can reduce your pain, but usually don’t eliminate it.”

A cruel Catch-22 around chronic pain is that it often leads to anxiety and depression, both of which can make pain worse. That’s partly because focusing on a thing can reinforce it, but also because emotional states have physical effects. Both anxiety and depression are known to increase inflammation, which can also worsen pain. As a result, pain management often includes cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation practice or other coping skills. But while those tools are vital, it’s notoriously hard to reprogram our reactions. Our minds and bodies have evolved both to anticipate pain and to remember it, making it hard not to worry. And because chronic pain is so uncomfortable and isolating, it’s also depressing.

Several key mistakes could throw off the accuracy of blood pressure readings for people who take them at home.

The average “normal” blood pressure is 120/80, according to the American Heart Association.

Almost half of all U.S. adults have elevated blood pressure (systolic pressure between 120 and 19 and diastolic pressure less than 80). High blood pressure (hypertension, which is when the systolic pressure is between 130 and 139 or diastolic pressure is between 80 and 89) can raise the risk of heart attack and stroke if left untreated, per the AHA.

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“It is very common to see patients with bad data,” said Dr. Bradley Serwer, a Maryland-based cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, an Ingenovis Health company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals.

“It is essential to follow the proper standardized instructions.”

The cardiologist shared with Fox News Digital the following common mistakes he often sees patients make when monitoring their blood pressure.

1. Using the wrong arm position

Certain arm positions can lead to inflated results and misdiagnoses of hypertension. This was supported by recent research from Johns Hopkins Medicine.

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People who rested their arms on their laps drove up the top number in the blood pressure reading (systolic pressure) by nearly 4 mmHg, while leaving their arm hanging at their side increased it by nearly 7 mmHg.

For the most accurate results, the guidelines are to rest the arm on a desk or another firm surface at the same level as the heart, Serwer told Fox News Digital.

2. Sitting in the wrong position

“The proper position is to sit upright with your feet on the floor and your legs uncrossed, resting your arm on a flat surface that is level with your heart,” Serwer advised.

Certain arm positions can lead to inflated results and misdiagnoses of hypertension, research has shown. (iStock)

3. Using the wrong type or size of cuff

If the cuff is too large or small, measurements will be abnormal, the cardiologist cautioned. 

“Most blood pressure monitors use either an arm cuff or a wrist cuff,” he said. “Arm cuffs tend to be more accurate and require fewer steps to ensure accuracy.”

4. Not calibrating the cuff

Serwer said he typically asks all patients to bring their home cuff to the office, where he first measures their blood pressure manually and then uses the patient’s cuff.  

“We can then assess the accuracy of their cuff,” he said.

5. Not allowing enough time to equilibrate

The most accurate results are obtained after sitting in a low-stress environment for five minutes, Serwer noted.

“Know your blood pressure, even if you are healthy.”

6. Drinking caffeine beforehand

“Avoid stimulants before measuring your pressure, as caffeine will raise it,” Serwer said.

7. Checking at different times of day

When taking blood pressure, Serwer recommends checking it twice and waiting at least one minute between measurements. 

“Blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day, so checking your pressure at the same time each day gives us a better trend,” he added.

Serwer also advises his patients to track their blood pressure readings in a log.

“If the average blood pressure reading is greater than 130/80, they have stage I hypertension and should be evaluated by their primary care provider,” a cardiologist said.  (iStock)

“If the average blood pressure reading is greater than 130/80, they have stage I hypertension and should be evaluated by their primary care provider,” he said. 

“If their blood pressure is greater than 180/100 or if they have symptoms of chest pain, shortness of breath or severe headache, they should seek immediate attention.”

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Even if there are no other symptoms other than high blood pressure, Serwer emphasizes that people shouldn’t wait until they have complications before treating hypertension.

“Heart attacks, strokes, renal failure and peripheral vascular disease can often be avoided with early interventions,” he said.

In most cases, making lifestyle changes such as improving your diet, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can help keep blood pressure within a safe range, according to the AHA. (iStock)

“Know your blood pressure, even if you are healthy.”

In most cases, making lifestyle changes such as improving your diet, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can help keep blood pressure within a safe range, according to the AHA.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

When necessary, a doctor can provide guidance on medications to treat hypertension that does not respond to lifestyle changes.

A married couple who have long enjoyed the game of Scrabble both together and separately before they even met are never at a loss for words — and attribute their wedded bliss in part to their love of the nostalgic game.

They’re still playing in tournaments built around the game decades after they began doing so.

Graham Harding and his wife Helen Harding, both in their 60s, have been married for over 20 years.

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They met in the 1990s at Scrabble tournaments, as news agency SWNS reported.

But it was a “special match” in 2000 that brought the couple together — and has kept them together now.

Graham Harding is from the East Berkshire Scrabble Club, while his wife Helen is from the Leicester Scrabble Club in the U.K.

They have been taking part in the UK Open Scrabble Championship in Reading this week.

“The more words you know, the more ammunition you’ve got.”

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“Scrabble is all about having a good vocabulary,” said Graham Harding, SWNS noted.

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“But it is a Scrabble vocabulary — not necessarily everyday English.”

Added Helen Harding, “The more words you know, the more ammunition you’ve got.”

Graham and Helen Harding’s wedding cake. They bonded over their love of Scrabble – and are still playing in tournaments together.  (Courtesy Graham and Helen Harding via SWNS)

The couple said they were “vague acquaintances” for about five years after they first met.

Then they got together after a special match in Swindon.

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They maintained a long-distance relationship before they got married in 2004.

The couple even brought their Scrabble board to their wedding. 

The couple likely have played thousands of games between them.  (Courtesy Graham and Helen Harding via SWNS)

It featured a message with Scrabble pieces that said, “Congratulations on your wedding day” — while their wedding cake said, in Scrabble letters, “Helen and Graham.”

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They each took up the hobby early in life well before they met each other. 

The tournament that’s been taking place this week is the first since the COVID pandemic after a five-year break — and the couple has played some two dozen games in it as of Friday, SWNS reported.