Episode 118: Outside of the Prescription Pad

With guest Dr. Jim Keany

May 06, 2025
37:22

This Episode Vibes About...

Dr. Jim Keany is a longtime emergency physician, healthcare executive, and consultant with over 30 years of experience in medicine and hospital leadership. He’s currently the Chief Medical Officer at St. Mary’s Medical Center, where he’s focused on making patient care better, hospital operations smoother, and community outreach stronger.

Dr. Keany spent his career on the front lines, making split-second decisions in emergency rooms and stepping up in disaster zones across the country and around the world. He brings that real-world experience into hospital leadership, always pushing for safer, smarter, and more compassionate care.

He’s especially passionate about helping underserved communities and has been a driving force behind programs like the Vision Center and the CARE program for HIV-positive patients — both dedicated to making sure everyone gets the care they deserve.

Let’s Vibe Outside of the Prescription Pad:

Don’t Go to the ER!
The Science of Pain
Psychological Trauma
How to be an Ally + Advocate
Navigating Healthcare
Whole Person Pain Management
HOPE + Human Connection
and more!

Show Notes

What do you do when your pain becomes so intense, so overwhelming, that the only place left to turn is the emergency room—and even that doesn’t feel safe?

In this raw and revealing episode, Lyndsay Soprano opens up about her own lived experience with chronic pain, including CRPS and Lyme disease, and the harsh reality of seeking help in an emergency medical system that often doesn’t know what to do with people like her. The ER isn’t always a place of comfort—it can be cold, dismissive, and downright dangerous when you’re already at your breaking point.

She’s joined by Dr. Jim Keany, an emergency physician who brings honesty and insight to the conversation. Together, they unpack the disconnect between chronic pain patients and emergency care providers, the emotional toll of pain that goes far beyond the physical, and the desperate need for a healthcare system that sees people as whole humans—not just symptoms.

Lyndsay and Dr. Keany discuss the deeper layers of chronic pain—how trauma can amplify it, how isolation can worsen it, and how the system often misses the mark. They touch on the struggles of medication management, the power of journaling, and how tools like hypnosis can actually help. Most of all, they stress the importance of treating the whole person, not just the symptoms. With empathy, advocacy, and even a little hope, healing becomes more possible.

If you’ve ever felt dismissed, gaslit, or broken by your pain—or by the people meant to help you, this episode is for you.

Episode Highlights:

(00:00) Introduction to Chronic Pain and Trauma

(03:04) Emergency Situations and Pain Management

(05:54) The Role of Emergency Medicine in Chronic Pain

(08:48) Understanding Pain: Psychological and Physical Aspects

(12:00) Navigating the Healthcare System

(14:57) Alternative Pain Management Strategies

(17:51) The Importance of Whole Person Care

(21:00) Supporting Loved Ones in Chronic Pain