Blog of the Swirly-eyed Sister
From Connections, Chronic Pain Support Group newsletter, Summer/Fall 2004 I have learned much about community from my daughter-in-law. She was only 10 when her mother died suddenly from an aneurysm. With no chance even to say goodbye, this grieving family Continue reading Community Ties
Five months ago, four anonymous strangers saved my life. After falling and breaking my hip, after successful hip replacement surgery, after three weeks of walking and exercising, I began to feel like my normal self again. Then, unexpectedly, a wave Continue reading How Four Anonymous Strangers Saved My Life
We all must stand up for ourselves as chronic pain survivors. Sometimes that means using precious time and energy to write letters, call legislators, vote for candidates sympathetic to our cause and supportive of money for research, and argue our Continue reading One “thank you” can go a long way
Banishing those insidious if onlys You’ve all heard people say, “If only I could win the lottery,” or “If only I had a fancy car,” or “If only I were younger (or thinner or richer).” This phenomenon—which I call the Continue reading Banish those insidious if-onlys
I hadn’t noticed the man on the sidewalk until he spoke. His thin coat and ripped sneakers offered little protection against the chill November wind. He carried a dirty duffle bag on his shoulders, and untamed gray hair escaped from Continue reading Finding Joy
My friends Ernie and Gail and I recently spoke with students in the local university’s health professions classes as part of a series to put them in touch with real patients and caregivers. In discussing the importance of connecting her Continue reading Becoming Real
A dear friend once told me that good health is everything. I can’t blame her for thinking that. For six years, she watched as Alzheimer’s disease claimed her sweet mother’s mind and body. I, too, watched as Alzheimer’s decimated my Continue reading Making a good life without good health
I run a support group for people who live with chronic pain. Almost everyone who attends has the same complaint: Other people don’t understand what it’s like to be in pain day in and day out. People’s perception of what Continue reading Opening the Doors of Perception
Those of us who live with chronic pain are all too familiar with the five stages of grief described by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her groundbreaking work “On Death and Dying.” The loved one we grieve for, however, is not another Continue reading What does grief have to do with chronic pain?
From Connections, the Chronic Pain Support Group newsletter, Spring 2002 Ah, Spring! “Puddle wonderful” and “mud-luscious,” as e.e. cummings described the season he so aptly called “Just-spring.” I hope by the time you read this, the sun will be warm Continue reading It’s Spring: Time for Sharing and Soaring