I was loading my dishwasher this morning and fighting with a plate that refused to fit in. It wasn't really the plates fault. I was in severe lower back pain and trying to get the task over as quickly as possible. I was also trying to fit way too much into this particular load.....as you … Continue reading “Where There’s A Will There’s A Way”….Is It Really That Easy?
It's official! My spine is full of shenanigans and my Specialists can't quite find a way to fix it, not without creating even more shenanigans. My spine is completely unstable at l4/l5. L3/l4 isn't far behind it but the pain I experience from the severity of the instability at l4/l5, smothers pain I would be … Continue reading Spinal Shenanigans….It’s A Little Complicated
(As published on The Mighty) What are the rules for living with a chronic illness or rare disease? Where can I find the rule book to help me manage, especially when all my symptoms are flaring and are "Off The Charts"? This is the question my husband and I have been contemplating over recent weeks. How do … Continue reading Where’s The “Off The Charts” Rule Book?
When we have chronic illness, our minds are quickly programmed to think about all the things we can no longer do. Doctors, allied health professionals, family and friends, can easily feed us messages which concur with our "I can't do that" mindset. Don't get me wrong, there is lots we can't do when living with … Continue reading How Can I Do That ?
We all know the saying; "When life gives you lemons, use them to make lemonade" It conjures up the notion of strength, determination, optimism, resourcefulness, resilience. All characteristics I've drawn on to deal with the "chronic illness lemons" continuously thrown at me. My lemons often feel like tennis balls in one of those practice machines. … Continue reading This One Is All About Handling Lemons
How often do you tell yourself " I should be doing such and such" or " I'd better do this or that" ? We all do it. It's like we are programmed from birth to constantly have a catalogue of "should do, must do, better do", all filed in the front of our minds for … Continue reading “I Should, I Better, I Have To” …..No, You Really Don’t!!
I was once called "Stoic", when I was working, because of the way I got on with my chronic health issues without fuss. I was always cheerful, smiling and putting others first. I kept working full time with that stoic attitude and nature, until my body physically would no longer let me. Even with a … Continue reading Stoic By Nature…..Just Not For A Moment!
How many times have you written a "To Do List" this week? How many times have you looked at this list and felt like it's an impossible dream? How many times have you felt useless because you've only ticked off a few items? How many times have you looked at the list and felt like … Continue reading Can You Have A Chronic Illness And A “To Do” List?
Have you looked at your Calendar at the start of a month and thought to yourself, " What on earth was I thinking. I can't possibly do all that!" I'm sure I'm not alone in this exclamation. As I scrolled through my calendar on my phone for the month ahead, I felt physically sick. It … Continue reading Calendar Chaos
I’m currently in an extreme pain cycle (that’s a civilized way of putting it) My bone disease is progressing and my entire skeleton seems to be under attack. Put plainly, I hurt! Pain Is So Personal Pain is such a highly personal thing and while we can all relate to varying levels of high pain, … Continue reading Pain Is So Personal
