Disability life lessons – Who cares what society thinks?

Life can be tough. Sometimes people with disabilities/impairments have to make tough choices and the impact of society can make tough choices even tougher. Using mobility aids, pacing and pain management strategies often come with judgments and assumptions attached. Over the last few years, I’ve learnt a lot about myself and I feel like I’ve…Continue reading Disability life lessons – Who cares what society thinks?

Chronic Pain – What does it actually feel like?

This is something I’ve been meaning to write about for a long time. While doing my dissertation before christmas I repeatedly read that most newly qualified healthcare professionals do not have a modern understanding of pain. I reviewed 9 articles for my dissertation, one common theme was the negative patient experience. Patients not feeling validated,…Continue reading Chronic Pain – What does it actually feel like?

Non-verbal communication

So this is a new topic for me but I think it’s probably going to help a lot of people. Communication is something we all do, usually without much thought but there are some times when communication can be a bit harder. The most obvious types of communication are talking and listening but actually, a…Continue reading Non-verbal communication

Therapeutic Relationships

Therapeutic Relationships – Getting the most from Healthcare

I’m often asked how I’ve managed to get the most out of healthcare appointments, there is no quick answer so I’ve decided to write a longer one. As always, this post is written from the dual perspective of expert patient and healthcare professional. Much of this post is written from my own personal experience. During…Continue reading Therapeutic Relationships – Getting the most from Healthcare

Joint Protection

Introduction to Joint Protection

As usual this post is written from a dual perspective, I’m an Occupational Therapist and I have spent many years learning to manage my own health. With this post I aim to give a few simple ways of looking after your joints during everyday activities, hopefully explained in a simple way. As with all of…Continue reading Introduction to Joint Protection

Pain Management

Pain Management, it’s not always about pills.

Pain management is a complex and lifelong challenge for many people. The most obvious answer to the pain problem is painkillers right? Pain meds often come with some nasty side effects and can be highly addictive. I’m not saying pain killers are all bad (they aren’t) and I’m not saying everyone who uses them will…Continue reading Pain Management, it’s not always about pills.

Surviving a General Anaesthetic with H-EDS & PoTS

So as many of my friends will know I was in hospital yesterday to have a tooth extracted under general anaesthetic. It couldn’t have gone better really! I’ve spoken to a few people who have requested I jot down some of the ways the surgical team and I managed my ‘complex issues’ throughout the surgery…Continue reading Surviving a General Anaesthetic with H-EDS & PoTS

Reflections on ‘Life and Limb’ – Aceptance & Emotional Rollercoasters

As many of my regular readers will know I am currently training as an Occupational Therapist, as part of our final year my class mates and I are undertaking specialist workshops. We were recommended to pick something of interest, something we don’t know a lot about and something that we don’t have too strong an…Continue reading Reflections on ‘Life and Limb’ – Aceptance & Emotional Rollercoasters