I first started writing after retiring from work due to my health, when I was 28. For me, it was an enjoyable distraction. My mind was always thinking about my pain but when I was writing, it changed. I wrote poems and stories which took me to another world. There…
Chronic Pain
Read more
Chronic Pain is Unpredictable, Just Like Scottish Weather
Throughout Scotland, the weather can be fairly unpredictable and often I describe living with chronic pain in the same way. Unpredictable Scottish Weather Spring is upon us. At least, it should be. I live in the hills of the Scottish Borders and because we sit quite high (1150 feet above…
Back Pain & Scoliosis
Read more
Ill Health Retirement After Years of Struggling to Work
Very often, people with ill health or disability struggle to work and have to face early retirement. It’s not a decision that anyone takes lightly. I Had to Take Ill Health Retirement When I was 28 I had to take early retirement through ill health in 1994 when I was…
Chronic Pain
Read more
Feeling Like A Failure Was One of My Failings
If someone has fulfilled their hopes and dreams, is well off, has a fancy car and a five-bedroomed house in a nice area, they’re considered successful. Qualifications, careers, acquired wealth, sporting victories and acting awards all seem to measure a person’s success. But when people live with chronic pain or…
Chronic Pain
Read more
20 Ways to Try to Distract Yourself From Pain
Everyone needs to be distracted from time to time, whether from illness, what’s going on around them or simply from life itself. Distractions don’t take the problems away, but they might take your mind off whatever is bothering you. When you’re living with pain, learning to distract yourself from it…
Chronic Pain
Read more
Silent Symptoms of Chronic Illness – Loneliness and Isolation
Living with chronic illness of any kind is difficult. Obviously, the physical symptoms are difficult to cope with. There are often lots of emotional symptoms to deal with too, like depression, grief, guilt, stress and anxiety. But there are two other symptoms of chronic illness which are often overlooked –…
Awareness
Read more
Supporting People on Rare Disease Day
It can take a lot of courage to discuss health issues with friends and family, but sometimes people put their own health in the public spotlight to help others. This awareness is especially important when it comes to people who are living with a rare disease. When people are living…
Awareness
Read more
Why We Need to Support Rare Disease Day
Rare Disease Day, which takes place on the last day of February, was first set up in 2008, with awareness events taking place in just eighteen countries. Last year, 90 countries took part. To bring awareness to Rare Disease Day, I’d like to share a few stories from people who…
Emotional & Mental Health
Read more
How to Support Someone who has an Invisible Illness
Some illnesses are obvious to the naked eye. If someone is hobbling around with a plaster cast on their leg, we can tell they have a broken leg. If they have misshapen fingers, we can normally presume that they have painful arthritis. But so many people have health conditions that…
Chronic Pain
Read more
How to Cope with Medication Side Effects
For many people living with chronic health conditions, medication isn’t optional — it’s essential…but, unfortunately, it often brings a few unwelcome side effects along with the benefits. Some settle once your body adjusts, while others like to linger. We can learn to live with them to an extent, but some…