Lollies can do Great Things
I’m not a sweet tooth – however, I have always loved jelly lollies (and Haigh’s chocolate). Usually, the harder the jelly lolly, the better – but not [...]
February 16th, 2026
10:18 am
September 7th, 2023
12:50 pm
Is Symptom Tracking Your Road Map to Better Days?
Soula Mantalvanos (me!) as a guest contributor on MoreGoodDays. If you're living with fibromyalgia, you'll know first-hand how the experience forces you into constant symptom tracking. What’s this niggle? Is this [...]
December 5th, 2022
11:35 am
Remember! Slow Down to Speed Up
Near impossible! Slowing yourself down when you’re feeling great is a pathetic concept for a person living with chronic illness. It’s not like you ever go very [...]
September 27th, 2022
8:43 pm
Pacing (and Baking)
A brief note on pacing Sometimes pacing means trading a walk to manage baking a cake. I wanted to post this as too many of us managing chronic illness are made [...]
September 8th, 2022
12:47 pm
Soula’s Stylish Seating Aid
Preparing for my recent trip to Venice, I felt the urge to look a little more stylish. So I thought it was time to update my seating aid cover. I was specifically looking for another cover for my trusty custom-cut foam pieces.
September 7th, 2022
11:52 am
A Venetian Refuelling (part 2)
While 'researching' places to eat as I sat by the canals drawing, Theo accumulated excellent bearings for Venice's delightful geographical maze. This helped us find the shortest way around the place when we needed it as we're both always concerned about how my up-time is managed. Theo gathered an impressive list of food recommendations, as mentioned in the full report of our Italian trip, Venetian Refuelling (part 1).
May 16th, 2022
8:42 pm
Hello Happy Ears, Hello Better Night’s Sleep
Who would have thought it? But these wobbly, jelly-like babies (officially known as Happy Ears) are helping me get a great night's sleep. At first, I thought the sound caused by putting [...]
May 8th, 2022
1:52 pm
Keeping up my Stamina
I was going to title this blog Fatigue, but after reviewing it repeatedly, I decided to title it Stamina instead. It took me years to get to 'managing'. Now I have transitioned to pacing. As stated in my previous post, I'm living now. I'm not in a passive state watching and being attacked by an unpleasant experience. It wasn't easy getting to the state of 'management'. There are so many 'have to' activities – we can't avoid these. When I explain my 'have to' activities such as showering, making a coffee, sitting/standing all day, dressing, etc., people look at me bewildered, but you'll get me. Until this fight is experienced, one can't understand that day-to-day activities can strip your energy and count as 'activity'. It feels insane when faced with this realisation. But I have found a way...
August 12th, 2021
11:38 am
Say Goodbye to Covid-19 Lockdowns
That would be like me saying ‘goodbye flares’ in my undiagnosed years. You just don’t get to make those decisions when you don’t have explicit knowledge about the beast you are dealing [...]
March 8th, 2021
10:11 pm
A Chat with Deb Thompson
A most essential chat – person (living with pain)-to-person (living with pain). As well as having a lived experience of pain in common, Deb and I also share a love for [...]