On the third night, I settled into bed after my husband and couldn’t get properly situated. After a few minutes, I realized why: my now-asleep husband had stolen my Eden pillow and replaced it with his years-old foam pillow. I retrieved my own pre-Eden pillow from the closet and eventually dozed off. In the morning, he was unapologetic and said he’d had an incredible night’s sleep.
Read MoreMany thanks to Patrick Young of Able USA for writing this guest post. Check out their website and great resources at www.ableUSA.info.
Being diagnosed with a condition that causes chronic pain can be a scary thing, especially with new guidelines that recommend avoiding or limiting the use of opiate pain medications. How are you going to manage pain so you can keep living life? Without great medical treatments for chronic pain, you may feel like this question looms large.
Read MoreI’m better now, and I want to do everything. But sometimes I’m so desperate to do absolutely everything I desire that I end up lacking the energy to do anything at all. And then I feel crummy about spending the evening laying in bed watching Netflix just like when I was sick (even though it’s for entirely different reasons and has absolutely nothing to do with being sick). Arg.
Read MoreThen came doctor appointments and physical therapy appointments, and soon, I was out of my wheelchair and walking again. But as the months wore on, my husband ultimately had to take a job out-of-state. I was doing better, but I found myself completely lost. Who was I now?
Read MoreIt's so hard to accept any bad days after suffering so many bad years. I think that, as my pain continues to recede in my rearview mirror, that will become less challenging. With time, I expect that I'll even come to appreciate the occasional "down day" with some minor ailment. But for now, I'm desperate to enjoy my still-fresh health.
Read MoreMy mother and I have been estranged for more than five years. While I was at my lowest point -- wheelchair bound, in excruciating pain, and suffering immensely -- she was critical and skeptical of my pain. That became intolerable, and my recovery ultimately required that I sever ties with her and work on rebuilding my emotional health and my strength. She's missed so much these past several years.
Read MoreHealthcare providers may be aware of the presence of yellow flags in a patient’s history, such as a major accident, depression, catastrophization, or prior trauma or abuse (to name a few), but not consider it related to the patient’s clinical presentation of pain. But it is. Prior pain experience shapes pain perception.
Read MoreI've been dairy-free for three years now and I've never felt healthier. Give these a try, and add your own to the list!
Read MoreConsidering the fact caregiving duties take up as many hours as a part-time or even full-time job for many unpaid providers, it’s often extremely difficult for them to prioritize self-care. But thoughtful gifts can help make their lives a little easier and even encourage them to indulge in a little “me time.” Here are a few gift suggestions for the deserving caregivers on your list.
Read MoreAnyone who’s battled chronic pain or invisible illnesses knows the chorus too well: “But you don’t look sick!,” or “But you look so healthy!” The way people look and the way people feel can be vastly different. And none of us should ever feel that it’s appropriate for us to comment upon, criticize, and judge the conduct of others based on outward appearances.
Read MoreIn the spirit of Thanksgiving today, I'm sharing my gratitude journey.... My yoga mat reminds me that I’m safe here, and that I’ve done this many times before. My mat has become a symbol of my strength and my ability to feel good. As I lug it around the city, it tells others “I’m a healthy woman!” But more importantly, it reminds me: “You’re a healthy woman. You did it. You made it. You survived.”
Read MoreWith the benefit of 20/20 hindsight and a joyously pain-free existence, I wish I hadn't given in so easily. I wish I'd searched harder for clothes that were both comfortable but also helped me retain a sense of me.
Read MoreI went from doctor to therapist looking for answers and nobody had them for me. It was devastating to say the least. Normal life had ended on some levels; I was a physically active individual who went from playing beach volleyball to not even being able to wash my own hair some days. I had two therapists, a chiropractor and a back doctor all managing my ‘recovery’ and I wasn’t getting any better, at all.
Read MoreI know that the way I’ve changed has been hard for some of my friends. Not everyone who befriended my overachieving, high-charging self in our twenties had bargained for a kale-growing, vaginal-health-preaching, yogi friend in our thirties. I get it. I changed a lot, and so have my friends.
Read More“Being sick is your entire identity right now – by necessity. You go to the doctor, to physical therapy, to Walgreens. You spend your ‘free time’ doing your physical therapy exercises or intentionally trying to relax. The people in your life relate to you as a sick person – the way they interact with you is reflective of their awareness of your disability. When you no longer have that disability, it will change the way people see and treat you. It will change how you spend your time. It’ll change the entire focus of your day and life.”
Read MoreI thought I could “start fresh,” making a clean break with my pain-riddled life and beginning the pain-free chapter. But my reflection since my pain faded away have taught me that there are no clean breaks. Our lives are fluid, and our experiences color us. So today, I’ll admit that my pain changed me. And I’m working to be OK with that.
Read MoreFor those who don't know, THINX are a period underwear that can substitute for (or give back-up to) tampons or pads. They're reusable (so they scratched my environmentalist itch), they're made by a woman-owned company (scratching my feminist itch), and they're utterly natural (scratching my itch to have transparency for those things I put in or on my body).
Read MoreI’ve connected with many women around Chicago, holding hands across the table with them at Starbucks while we shed tears of sheer gratitude for the unique empathy and understanding we can offer to each other. I’ve giggled with them through mascara-stained cheeks as we wonder what nearby customers think of all this emotional vulva talk.
Read MoreI think we as patients would often be better off with no medical intervention. Because not all "intervention" counts as healthcare. And yesterday, while I saw a doctor and received an exam and had some tests run, I wasn't cared for. And it felt like shit.
Read MoreExercise feels good, it’s empowering, and it’s taught me to be in-tune with my strengths in a way I didn’t realize possible. I’ve formed friendships, gained confidence, and found community. And, had I listened to those providers who long ago told me I should live more gently, I would’ve missed out on the entire experience.
Read MoreInspire Santé®
909 Davis Street, Suite 500, Evanston, Illinois 60201 | team@inspiresante.org
Website Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions of Use | Disclaimer
All content © 2019 Inspire Santé, NFP
We are designated a 501(c)(3) public charity by the IRS.
”Inspire Santé”, “Hope Dealer,” and “Patients are people.” are all trademarks of ours. They stem from our founder Erin Jackson’s personal retelling and writing of her experience with pelvic pain. Words matter, and these are hers and ours. Don’t steal; it’s bad karma, and we’re trying to do good. If you use them, attribute them.
![4 Steps to Taking Control of Chronic Pain [Guest post from Patrick Young of Able USA]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57ab512f9de4bbfd6c514caa/1527212404651-WK6127YYHV4LS6BVMUO3/jon-ly-453146-unsplash.jpg)
![A plea to providers: This is why biopsychosocial treatment of chronic pain works [Guest post by Devra Sheldon]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57ab512f9de4bbfd6c514caa/1519165934112-LAXZ9ANCVY3SDUKF00YQ/alexandra-gorn-471463-unsplash.jpg)
![Top 3 Stress-Busting Gifts for Caregivers [Guest post by Beverly Nelson]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57ab512f9de4bbfd6c514caa/1513817495297-06L931NO1FDGLX4GHZY4/rawpixel-com-455993.jpg){kind=tracking}
