If you pop by here often, you’ll know that in August I spent three weeks in Stanmore hospital undertaking their incredible pain management programme. Last week I went back for my three month follow-up; my actual follow-up was supposed to be in November but I couldn’t make it as I went home for my nephews…
Category: spoonie
BBC News: “Too Pretty To Be In A Wheelchair”
“Too pretty to be in a wheelchair.” I woke up to so many tweets and texts this morning because my interview with BBC’s Lucy Townsend had been published. I didn’t think it would get half as much attention as it has and it’s made my heart smile. Lucy emailed me after reading my post on…
Flare-Up Plan: Chronic Illness Strategies
Are you ever in so much pain that you can’t even begin to comprehend what to do to help yourself? I know I get to the point where the pain is so consuming that my brain simply won’t work and I have no answers to pull out of my bag. Where do I start? What do…
Assertiveness: Passive, Aggressive and Assertive Communication
Are you confident enough to express your feelings and opinions whilst respecting those of others? Are you able to say ‘no’? Do you think your opinion matters? Can you recognise unhealthy communication styles?There are three main types of communication, Passive, Aggressive and Assertive. My communication style changes depending on the situation but I know I’m…
Stigma and Chronic Illness
Do you know how difficult it is to live with a chronic condition? I don’t just mean the pain (physical and/or emotional), the fatigue, the lack of sleep or concentration; I mean the judgement, the discrimination from other people, the constant questioning. That look you get from someone when you’re out in public and you…
You’re Suffering but Family and Friends Can’t Read Your Mind
You’re in pain, you’re dealing with emotional issues, you’re falling apart, and you desperately want someone to help you but you haven’t asked anyone…how can they know? The luckiest of us have people in our lives that can read our facial expressions and know we’re not being honest about pain or distress, but even they…
Getting The Right Wheelchair For You
Surely, it’s easy to pick a wheelchair, right? It’s just a seat with wheels, how hard could it be? There are many different types of wheelchair and to get the right one, that is comfortable, going to last a while, and be suitable for your individual needs, you need to consider a few things.As a prolific…
I’m Disabled and I Wear Make Up, So What?
I’ve wanted to write this post for a while, in fact, I’ve changed this first sentence numerous times. How else do I introduce this post when the title says it all? I’m disabled and I wear make up, what’s the problem? If you’re not disabled or never experienced anything that I have, I urge you…
Chronic Illness is Hard Enough: All I ask for is Empathy, Part Two
First of all can I just define what a chronic illness is as there seems to be so many people that have never experienced anything more than the flu or acute pain who think they’re experts on what it is like to live with a chronic condition. If you’re one of these healthy little experts…
Productivity and a Change of Scenery
I haven’t felt this productive in such a long time and it feels good. I was stuck in a cycle of wanting to be productive but putting things off as other things got in the way. When I finished my MA (in December 2013), I intended on starting a blog, writing a novel, getting more…