About Soula Mantalvanos

“I felt I had lost my independence, I could not communicate and express my personal experience and that no one understood me.” Soula combines her many years of chronic pain with her professional design experience to advocate about misdiagnosis and injured Victorian workers. Soula founded pudendalnerve.com.au and PainTrain My Health Summary to help raise the quality of care for those enduring and treating chronic pain.
March 25th, 2015 12:11 pm

Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia’s Melbourne launch

By |2017-12-11T15:12:07+11:00March 25th, 2015|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, Help, Professional|Tags: , |

I was thrilled to be invited to The Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia (PPFA)'s Melbourne launch last night. I originally met Dr Susan Evans when I was invited to present my patient story at AIM Pain 2014. I had cyber met Dr Evans prior, asking if I could include her details on this website, in fact I've 'e-met' many pain professionals this way. I never dreamt that one day they may all be in the one room together, all of us advocating for pelvic pain and helping start up a National organisation that addresses pelvic pain for women AND MEN. Needless to say, last night I went on a magic carpet ride!

February 18th, 2015 12:41 pm

SBS Insight: Ouch!

By |2017-12-11T13:11:42+11:00February 18th, 2015|Categories: Learn, Professional Resources|Tags: , , |

As usual, I was waiting for a lead. Waiting to hear that someone with chronic pain had found a way out of it and was cured. Mrs Gleeson, I could have bet you were going to say you were fine, after all, you looked it! And so did Lesley Brydon, Pain Australia's CEO... how could she be in any pain?

January 12th, 2015 11:23 am

Permission granted and now it’s back to reality!

By |2024-03-18T15:48:06+11:00January 12th, 2015|Categories: Blog, Living|Tags: , |

Permission granted and now it's back to reality! Or is it possible I never really left my reality? As if anyone can leave chronic pain behind and really have time off! I'm going to post my brain's two conflicting versions: 1. Crap thinking out-of-the-way first version..

October 30th, 2014 9:59 am

My interview with the Australian Pain Society

By |2017-12-11T14:10:27+11:00October 30th, 2014|Categories: Advocacy, Online|Tags: , , , |

APS: How important are support groups for both you and your close family/community? Soula: I can’t say I feel there is much support for my husband and family/community. It’s difficult with invisible pain, it’s a similar scenario with depression, we still don’t get it. Society seems to have been given an immense right to provide their opinion (e.g. with social media platforms) and this has opened up some kind of authority to encourage opinions and much judgment. Not many tread carefully or really think from someone else’s perspective. Although we have more information accessible to us, we seem to be learning less.

October 22nd, 2014 10:07 am

‘The Hurting Strings’ wins International Film Festival Reel Health Award 2014

By |2017-12-11T16:40:26+11:00October 22nd, 2014|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, Events, Film, Online, The Hurting Strings|Tags: |

I must sound like a broken record by now, but once again, I am left bewildered by my chronic pain journey and the contrasting experiences that go from excruciating pain to exhilaration. Above all, I feel incredibly privileged at the opportunities presented to me and so happy to be able to help others by communicating my story. I could not have done this without Theo, my family and of course Peter Lamont and Jacinta Cashen.

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