My latest…
The 17th Anniversary Post
In 2013, when I began making progress with pain management, I had the idea to make a marionette of myself. Theo and I had just travelled to Italy (masks and Pinocchios everywhere!), and returning on the plane I watched the film, Marilyn. It dawned on me how seriously invisible many illnesses are. As much as I would have loved to make the marionette myself, at the time, any self-portraits I was drawing or painting were horrifying. They were brutal, disturbing, and sad to the point where I had to ask Theo to wrap them up one day – I couldn't look at them anymore.
Consultations with Anne-Florence Plante Now Available
Get ready to listen, learn and return to a better quality of life. I 100% believe that had I met Anne-Florence in the first six months after my accident, I would not have endured chronic pain. And this is why I'm confident Anne-Florence will help you return to your whole, fabulous, painless self - or as closest as possible. What she did for me after meeting me at my worst was nothing short of a life-saving boost. And a realignment. She popped me on the path to recovery, and even more than that, she reached me on a personal level, aiding my return to life with ideas relevant to me. I'm thrilled about telehealth and global communication options because they mean she's always there for me! And now, Anne-Florence is there for you too!
Is Symptom Tracking Your Road Map to Better Days?
Soula Mantalvanos (me!) as a guest contributor on MoreGoodDays. [...]
It’s National Pain Week And I’m Celebrating by Writing the End of this Story
Every year I think something amazing will happen during National Pain Week. But every year, nothing amazing ever does. We all wait for answers, but either the answers don't come, or they prove more tiresome. Worst of all, the answers are a direction to a lonely zone – the figure-it-out-yourself zone! So, figure it out myself; I will this year! I'm making National Pain Week AMAZING by writing the end of this story.
Let’s Be Brave Together
A few months ago and just appointed as CEO of Painaustralia, I was chatting to Giulia, who was making time to connect with people living with pain; our next step would be an interview for some media. Instead, I received an awful message. Giulia is a tough cookie, just watch our chat and feel that fire in her! And she'll be using that fire to put this awful experience to great use - raising funds for So Brave and Painaustralia as she shaves her hair on 31 July. I want us all to get behind her. It's an opportunity to maximise this incredible act of bravery and help two causes that cause such grief in life; Cancer and chronic pain. All funds raised will go to So Brave breast cancer charity and Painaustralia, the peak body representing those in chronic pain - we'll be helping a considerable group of people with one donation.
More and More Fab Women Founders, More and MoreGoodDays
Woohooo! The startup world is beginning to thrive with people who want to impact healthcare using their negative experiences. These people want to help others, change the quality of care and make sure you get better faster. One of these great people is Neala Fulia, and I am excited to have the chance to introduce More Good Days (MGD), a new online digital healthcare company Neala founded dedicated to helping individuals find relief from chronic pain - specifically fibromyalgia. I'm also excited that MGD has become a Friend of My Health Story (MHS), which signifies a shared commitment to improving the quality of care for all of us. It's what we all deserve and what has been so slow in coming.
‘Reading’ books, books and more books
Well, not entirely reading; using [...]
Chronic Pain Australia National Pain Survey
Yep, it's another call for your lived experience. I [...]
A glorious facade – just look at me!
(Photograph Ivan Kemp) Do you [...]
My Health Story Friends, Your New Care Network
Meet MHS Friend, Wise Psychology Over my 16-year period navigating this awful forest, I've met some pretty amazing people. I've also met many who have no idea about treating chronic health issues, and they will never become MHS Friends, I can tell you. I'm going to filter the good ones. And you are welcome to help me - pop me an email with your best! Or if you are a service or group and you think, 'hey that's me!' please also contact me or read more here. So let's start with mental health support you can receive via telehealth within a week. It's not uncommon for MHS subscribers to feel hesitant about either joining or discussing their health stories with a healthcare provider via MHS as the practitioner might not be keen on embracing new technology, or they say they ‘don’t have time’, or the patient is too intimidated even to ask. Well, MHS Friend, Wise Psychology, is not like that. In fact, they want to read about your lived experience and learn as much as possible before your appointment.
