Hello 50
I have arrived! I have lived half a century. I somehow made it through the horrid decade of my 40’s. I made it through the dark forest [...]
November 23rd, 2019
2:44 pm
November 9th, 2019
9:09 pm
Foam! I Found Foam!
Foam! I Found Foam! Am I excited today! As I progress this path of pain, I retain my non-negotiable pointers – one of which is my need for my custom made seating aid. I would love to ditch this damn thing from under my backside and from my clutch every time I go out for a seated event, but it's just too valuable for my capacity. Figuring out the big 'dangers in me' (remember we talked about DIMS and SIMS?) has been key to my pacing forward.
October 6th, 2019
1:11 pm
It’s Been a While… So How am I?
Being resourceful is what makes the difference — it is so hard working life out. But Theo and do it. We burrow down and we make it happen. There's no choice... or rather there was but I didn't want a fulltime WorkSafe paycheck. Of course, I think about that. And of course, I often call myself stupid for declining it – I was safe! I had that full-time paycheck for the rest of my life. But creativity and sharing the day with Theo is so precious to both of us. Even with the complexities and risks, it appears to be the only way Theo and I can live. For this, I am grateful! So I'll stop complaining now and go on with what I've been doing and what I am achieving. It's all good! I'm moving. Life is in forward motion after being so still for so long – a decade at least!
October 5th, 2019
9:44 pm
Gnawing, aching, pain in the butt feeling
Ages ago, I blogged about this magic move my diagnosing physiotherapist showed me. It was the first time in 4.5 years that my pain was shut off. It was heaven and I [...]
September 27th, 2019
2:01 pm
Hello. I’m back!
It's an act of forwards and backwards, sideways and a lot of down ways. It's really hard work. The less it yells, the better I feel and only then can I do more and pace up. The more I poke it, the worse it gets. The worse it gets, the deeper into the hole I go and further away from coming back out! I don't just pay with pain, I pay with time – lifetime!
September 26th, 2019
5:14 pm
«Χρόνιος πόνος: η ύπουλη ασθένεια που κλέβει τη ζωή χιλιάδων ανθρώπων»
(Excerpt from Neos Kosmos feature story, Chronic pain: the treacherous disease that steals the lives of thousands, MAΡΙΑ ΚΑΜΠΥΛH 25 September 2019) Η συγκλονιστική συνέντευξη – κατάθεση ψυχής της ομογενούς Σούλας Μανταλβάνου, που [...]
June 30th, 2019
2:27 pm
Insurer Request: Your Full Clinical File Please!
If you dress well - this system assumes you couldn't possibly have a health issue. If you speak well, there's no way you have suffered trauma. If you manage to stay alive through your darkest moments, they assume you can forfeit your compensation. When you are honest and remain transparent, they only abuse your information.
June 17th, 2019
4:17 pm
A national plan for better pain management (we hope!)
MEDIA RELEASE 17 June 2019 At last – A national plan for better pain management Painaustralia has today launched the new National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management. Millions of Australians live [...]
May 17th, 2019
2:09 pm
ABC Workers’ Compensation System Investigation
(Image: 2012 investigator’s photo, read the full post here) ABC investigative journalist, Pat McGrath is looking into the experiences of people who have been through the workers’ compensation system – and those [...]
March 10th, 2019
12:13 pm
John Quintner: A Follow up Interview
A few months before I decided to ease on the advocacy, I contacted my dear friend Dr John Quintner asking him if he was up for a followup interview. Ever willing to [...]