Tag: Bloggers

Monday Magic – Inspiring Blogs for You!

On By Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)In Blogging, Blogs, chronic illness, chronic pain, Poem12 Comments

Good Morning and welcome to another week, another Monday Magic and some more great blog posts to explore!  Monday Magic

Here in England the schools return this week, much to my daughter’s disgust, and it feels slightly odd that we only have one child still at school.  I have almost missed the ritual trip out to buy school shoes and stationary, but my 15 year old doesn’t need me for this any longer.  Note that I have said ALMOST, not really missing queuing up with a numbered ticket in a branch of Clarks along with a bunch of harassed mums and boisterous children……however there are going to be some shopping lists I should think, ahead of the soon to be politics student going off to uni in a couple of weeks.  He is more concerned about his football season ticket and joining the Facebook freshers’ group than how many sets of bed linen and cutlery he might need. Who am I kidding? One set of bedding will last the term, won’t it – there is no way my 18 year old son will change it of his own accord, YUK!

Moving on swiftly, September is Chronic Pain awareness month and naturally with my background I will be mentioning it….just a few times!  This week also happens to be Fibromyalgia awareness week – which falls under the chronic pain umbrella – and Kat writes about this over on Chronically Composed – a Scottish journey with Chronic Pain.  The other posts I have found this week include a back to school guide, an emotive poem about depression (you can see I have commented on it), a young dad struggling with illness and surgery whilst raising his family, and a face that many of you are already familiar with – Danny from Dream Big who is currently concentrating on his Youtube channel and MS awareness.  Plus a great post looking at what is more important in blogging…numbers or friendship?

But to kick off I have kindly been given permission to bring you this fun poem from Anna on Healing Hugs and Hope blog……

An Ode to My Heating Pad

Oh, heating pad,
 your warm hugs ease
my aches and pains.
I need your healing squeeze
When my feet get cold,
or when I get one of my migraines.

From arthritis to subluxations,

you’ve nursed me through.
When I find my muscles tied,
I cuddle up to you.
It’s so nice and toasty,

with you by my side.

Due to my poor circulation,
I’m often very cold.
When my thyroid acts out,
you are too hot to hold.
Still, you know I’ll be back,
  it’s your gentle hugs I’m mad about.
If you love your heating pad so much, why don’t you marry it? Well, maybe I will….

A Silly Poem for People with Chronic Illness by Anna Ottlinger HEALING HUGS AND HOPE

So now time for feet up, cuppa in hand and enjoy some great posts!

https://chronicallycomposed.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/my-fibromyalgia-awareness-week-2017/

https://thezebramom.com/2017/08/24/back-to-school-guide-for-parents-with-chronic-illness/

http://lifesapolyp.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/dialectical-behavioral-therapy-for.html

http://angelanoelauthor.com/inspiration-motivation/be-awesome-in-real-life/what-matters-more-numbers-or-relationships/

http://channongray.com/talk-mental-health-awareness-stigma/

https://thisreallifedad.com/surgery-going-knife/#comment-332

http://www.homeschoolinsights.com/2017/09/trials-of-chronic-illness.html

http://www.weareholistic.com/mental-health-care/might-call-depression/

 

I really hope that you enjoy these as much as I have – and had a giggle at the poem from Anna. It appealed to me as I really can’t go anywhere without my heating pad!  Please explore the blogs leave some messages and share posts you enjoy.

Claire x

 

Your Invite – Blog Improvement Series – starts Monday 4th September

On By Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)In Blogging, Blogs3 Comments

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Calling all bloggers!! This is your invitation to the Blog Improvement Series being run over at Scale It Simple.

Check it out now.

Monday Magic – Inspiring Blogs for You!

On By Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)In Blogging, Blogs, chronic illness, Disability15 Comments

Monday Magic

Good Morning, all!  Hope that those of you enjoying a Bank Holiday are having a fantastic day, and that everyone else has had a great weekend!

The weather is beautiful here and we have a family BBQ planned for later in the day – coincidental, but it just happens to be my parents 52nd wedding anniversary.  Dad would tell you that he would get less for a life sentence!!

A very good friend contacted me earlier in the week with the sad news that her mum had died.  She has been living in a nursing home for several years now and has gradually deteriorated, but in recent weeks she took a turn for the worse with a bad chest infection and just wasn’t strong enough to fight it. This week has been very hard for my friend, her brother & sister, and particularly her dad.  They had been married over 60 years.  It struck me that no matter how old or how sick a loved one is, the sense of loss at a death just can’t be anticipated.

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Beautiful bank holiday Monday!

When I received that message my own mum was here and I should probably point out that we have a great relationship.  She has been staying with me whilst the family have been away and has effectively been my carer again! Talk about turning the clock back, becoming the child again.  I felt so dependent physically and even a short car journey left me struggling, but it never fails to amaze me how that parent/child psychological bond is always there.  No matter how old you are,  it is always possible to feel like a teen again! A naughty teen at times!  Seriously though, thanks mum, I couldn’t have managed without you.

This week I have been able to spend time finding new groups and meeting new bloggers online.  So the inspiring blog posts I have for you are from a mixture of sources – one of them being the Facebook group Big Up Your Blog! – run by Suzie from “Suzie Speaks”.  I have included her post about self censorship on our blogs – it is something all bloggers should read, no matter what your content matter. I think that I have probably failed miserably on all counts!!  There is also a beautiful poem about a relationship break up, the role we play ins supporting new mothers emotionally and a shout out for a new disability campaign for parents later this year.

So as usual, grab a coffee, sit back and enjoy…..

https://suzie81speaks.com/2017/07/08/should-you-self-censor-your-personal-blog/

https://fancypaperblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/mental-health-be-kinder-to-new-mothers/?fref=gc

https://iwillnotliveinvain.wordpress.com/2017/08/26/vaguely-nauseated/

https://mindovermetablog.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/why-its-sometimes-good-to-look-back/

https://jellified.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/from-the-start/

https://addandsomuchmore.com/about-the-name-add/

https://nolightwithoutdarkness.com/2017/08/23/when-your-mental-health-affects-your-job/

https://fibromyalgia-chronic-pain.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/to-reduce-stress-and-pain-in-your-hands.html

https://cfsmeandkingdomliving.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/redefining-the-dark/

http://blossomandcompany.co.uk/italkdisability-campaign/

Please remember to comment, check out other posts on these blogs and find a new writer to follow,

Claire x

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Monday Magic – Inspiring Blogs for You!

On By Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)In Blogging, Blogs, chronic illness12 Comments

Welcome Pain Pals!

I have had various personal posts floating around my head, but am struggling with the key board as am on day 6 of a shoulder dislocation! Fellow bendies will understand…..everything in my shoulder is so stretched that it just keeps slipping out! Avoiding A&E as I know how hard they pulled it last time to relocate it and I think it just makes it worse in EDS as this stretches already stretched ligaments & muscles!!  So a sling and rest it is….must say my  neck, shoulder and arm feel pretty tired, in fact I do.

Enough of that now as I just want to acknowledge that 2 fellow bloggers have nominated me for awards recently and I haven’t followed through..yet!  The wonderful Bipolar Cat  at High Risk blog has nominated me for The Mystery Blogger Award and the equally wonderful Terri at Reclaiming Hope has nominated me for the Sunshine blogger award – thank you ladies so much and I promise that I will post properly!  I think that being recognised for the little that I do in such a massive blogging community is quite overwhelming and humbling.Monday Magic

 

You all know that I love connecting with other bloggers, meeting a making new friends, and there is no better way than linking with new posts.  So for our usual Monday slot – sit back, relax and enjoy some inspiring posts – varying from a review for beautiful eyshadows to organising ourselves as bloggers to a medical text about proprioception!

 

 

http://chronicallywhole.com/learned-simple-life-lesson-pause-perspective/

https://amigraineurslife.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/i-have-lost-all-faith-trust-and-confidence-in-our-medical-community/

http://www.mastattack.org/2017/08/stolen-summers/

http://www.mamasick.com/2017/08/what-is-dysthymia/

http://www.lazythoughts.co.uk/2017/08/how-i-use-my-bullet-journal.html/

https://justplainmarie.ca/self-reliance-important/

https://dgkayewriter.com/guest-feature-madelyn-griffith-haynie-power-reading/

https://bendybeauty.com/2017/08/18/opv-yemoja-eyeshadow-palette-review-swatches/?fref=gc

https://hannahelizasite.wordpress.com/2017/08/20/going-back-to-work-week-one/

http://www.doctorschierling.com/blog/fascia-as-a-proprioceptive-organ-and-its-relationship-to-chronic-pain

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Image from Bendy Beauty blog
bookmagic4deb
©Creative Commons by Mysticartdesign 

Please like, comment and follow these great bloggers – make someone’s day!

Claire x

Monday Magic – Inspiring Blogs for You!

On By Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)In Blogging, Blogs, chronic illness12 Comments

Hello and Happy Monday!  I hope that you have all enjoyed a relaxing weekend and are ready to face the week ahead.

This past week has offered us a smorgasbord on the world stage from the battle of words between the White House and North Korea to the retirement of possibly the greatest athlete to date, Usain Bolt.  As America’s top military officials arrive in South Korea and the leaders of China and Japan speak out publicly, let us all hope that this becomes no more than a war of words, not only for the the people of Guam, but for the world at large.

Over the last week our household has been glued to the IAAF World Athletics Championships. There have been some amazing highs and some breathtaking lows.  Athletics on the international stage is experiencing its own war at the moment: doping scandals, athletes fighting to prove that they are “clean” and able to compete,  medals being stripped and bans imposed.  The public made their feelings very clear with the booing of US athlete Justin Gatlin – an runner who has served 2 drug related suspensions and has become the representative bogeyman of all those accused of doping.

But we can also view many aspects of the championships as beacons of light in our allegory for world peace.  The final track races of sporting legends Usain Bolt and Mo Farah didn’t end as fairytales do, but instead showed these remarkable men to be human. They both won medals – just not the colour that everyone hoped for.  If Farah’s races had been the other way around and he had won his silver first and the gold medal last would this really have altered his achievements – or just the way his final race was reported in the media.  I don’t believe that anyone wanted to see Bolt fall in pain to the track rather than finishing his final race, but he showed his strength of character by returning to take a final bow for his international fans as the games closed.  Out with the old guard….but in with the new.  So many talented young people have sprung onto the world stage this week showing a spirit and enthusiasm that fires up even a chronic illness old crone like me!  There have been inspiring stories of overcoming injury and surgery, tears of disappointment and tears of joy.  For me a really memorable moment was when the Syrian high jumper realised that he had won a bronze medal, the first ever World Championship medal for his country.  The disbelief and ecstasy on his face told such a story of this man who lives and trains in war torn Damascus.  What an inspiration to us all!

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Bronze High jump World Champion Majd Eddin Ghazal Picture from IAAF.org

You must have wondered where that was all leading, but it can only be to one place – one set of inspirational people to another!  So grab a drink, sit down and allow yourself some “me time” finding and exploring some inspiring posts from some more inspirational bloggers!

http://blog.michellerosado.com/2017/07/5-benefits-of-meditation/

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2017/06/02/nobody-puts-bloggers-in-a-corner/

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http://blog.mangohealth.com/post/159941981912/dont-suffer-in-silence-why-talking-about-pain-is

https://wheelescapades.com/2016/10/31/wimpole-estate-down-on-the-farm/

http://www.writersam.co.uk/post/163802388755/the-power-and-purpose-of-blogging-and-why-you

http://www.navigatingthestorms.com/coping-skills/you-respond-plans-change-unexpectedly/

https://intrestinalfortitude.wordpress.com/2017/08/13/letter-to-my-surgeon/

https://laurachamberlain.co.uk/2017/08/07/echo-prescription-app-review-uk-an-app-to-order-nhs-prescriptions-to-your-door/

http://www.diseasecantstopme.com/5-second-rule/

https://cozyclothesblog.com/2017/06/14/what-if/#more-1312

Please remember to like, comment and even share if you enjoy these posts,

Claire x

Monday Magic

 

 

Monday Magic – Inspiring Blogs for You!

On By Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)In Blogging, Blogs, chronic illness10 Comments

Welcome back, pain pals, for another week and that means another Monday of inspiring blog posts that I have found for you.Monday Magic

I’m not going to write about the ups and downs of life in the Pain Pals house here this week – I still need to write a proper post about genetics, my lovely girl and i can now include our new family handbook….more of this later, I promise!

The dislocations have been fast, furious and very regular over the last week and severe gut pains after every meal have both left me fatigued and sofa bound……but the good news is that I have spent time finding and reading some great new blogs.  I have picked some posts here and they range from chronic illness depicted as sweets, to body image, to a review, to some delicious looking frozen treats – perfect for the summer holidays (if only the sun would come back!!).  If you are a mum of a daughter, or indeed an adolescent daughter, you must read Dear Little Girl With the Smart Mouth – it made me laugh and cry….and read it to my teen girl!

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Image from jthreeNMe blog

So….grab a cuppa, sit down and unwind with these great, inspiring blog posts.  Please, please make someone’s day with a like, a follow, a share or even better a comment!

http://www.healinghugsandhope.com/2017/07/my-chronic-illnesses-as-candy-bars.html

https://www.itsnottoocomplicated.com/home/2017/7/10/a-day-out-with-a-disabled-toddler

http://www.blessingmanifesting.com/2017/07/stop-verbally-abusing-your-body.html/

http://www.sublimemercies.com/2017/07/ableism-beaten-down-and-fighting-back.html

https://readbetweenthelyme.com/2017/07/22/celebrating-3-years-here-at-read-between-the-lyme

https://www.jthreenme.com/dear-little-girl-smart-mouth/

https://brokendownbody.wordpress.com/2017/06/30/but-one-of-my-best-friends-is-black/

http://www.smilesandsundays.com/imak-compression-gloves-review/

http://achysmile.com/index.php/2017/06/12/abdominal-migraine/

http://myfruitfulhome.com/2017/06/29/16-yummy-healthy-frozen-treats/

raspberry-frozen-treat
Image from My Fruitful Home website

 

Claire x

 

 

 

Monday Magic – Inspiring blogs for You!

On By Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)In Blogging, Blogs, chronic illness12 Comments

Good morning, it is a beautiful day here in South London and the beginning of the summer holidays.  The A level student – will have to change his name now – has been dog and house sitting for the last week, and the lovely girl is currently in her PJs painting…..she may be great at art, but she is so messy!!  There are paints, pencils and pencil shavings everywhere – the beginning of my lounge turning into an art studio for 8 weeks.

The rejected bull terrier!
At work….

She is currently working a matching picture of her grandparents’ other bull terrier (she didn’t like the first one that she started – pictured!!), has been asked to paint some canvases for the library in her old primary school (I think Harry Potter will figure!) and has a viking picture on the go for an instagram pal.  Oh, not forgetting the self portrait for her course work and the scrap book entitled “Blood, Flesh & Bones”.  She is taking some hideous pictures of family members hands, feet, elbows…..my dad told her she can’t afford his fee to strip off!!

Lucy self portrait
The start of a huge self portrait

As for me, well it has been a tricky week as you will have seen in my post about my benefits review, and I hate to complain about the lovely weather but it does send my circulation/POTS problems crazy.  I did manage a night out in London with Duncan though!  He told me we were going to a jazz concert in the Crypt of St Martins in the Field, Trafalgar Square – but when I saw some news feed that morning I had a sneaky feeling that I was actually being taken to the Formula One Live event in Trafalgar Square!  I wasn’t, but it did mean that the whole area was extremely busy and this was my first time in the wheelchair in a very crowded place which was quite intimidating.  The concert, with the wonderful Zena James, was fab though – a mixture of traditional and modern music jazzed up.  You should hear Zena’s version of Rag & Bone Man’s “Human”!!

Monday Magic

This week I have some posts on blogs that are all new to me and I have really enjoyed finding them.  I hope that you all enjoy exploring some new reads too…..so sit back with your cuppa and take some R&R with a new blog post!

https://needlintobenormal.com/2017/07/06/you-cant-go-back/

https://asecondlifeweb.blog/2017/04/11/idiocy/

https://headachehelper.wordpress.com/2017/07/16/the-what-not-to-do-if-you-have-chronic-pain-series-1-beat-yourself-up/

https://thelessonsoflyme.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/lizards-and-bunnies-and-cats-oh-my/

https://kathleenburkinshaw.wordpress.com/2017/05/03/why-did-i-choose-the-last-cherry-blossom-for-my-title/

http://www.bbhwithms.com/multiple-sclerosis-information-overload/

http://www.multipleexperiences.org/2017/07/15/what-i-would-have-done-differently-with-my-ms-diagnosis/

https://fromroopalismind.wordpress.com/2017/06/08/it-is-easier/

http://www.spinepainwarrior.co.uk/post/162956718101/coping-buying-equipment

http://www.lifeunplannedblog.com/how-to-be-less-of-a-hot-mess-and-rock-your-to-do-list/

Please like and post comments if you enjoy these posts – and for any C.I. bloggers who haven’t already, please check out The Chronic Illness Bloggers community, we are a very supportive bunch!

Claire x

 

 

 

 

Monday Magic – Inspiring Blogs for You!

On By Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)In Blogging, Blogs, chronic illness7 Comments

Good Morning!

I hope that you are all ready for another week – tennis at Wimbledon, more sun, heat and BBQs, and for many the end of the school term and for some the beginning of the long summer holidays.  So I really shouldn’t moan about this heat wave that we have in the south of the UK, but it is really sending my POTS/dysautonomia off the scale.  Please send me all your top tips and I will put a post together – funny tips too please!

Anyway I bought a big straw hat – not easy when you have inherited the family huge head! – and have been away for a couple of days with my parents to visit my brother at his new house.  We are talking brand new – living on a building site would aptly describe the estate at the moment – and my sister-in-law still has a lot of boxes to unpack.  Think I would be correct in saying mainly make up and bling…..she won’t be offended!  We were taken to the school play and end of year prize giving on Thursday, which was an incredibly hot day.  The children, aged 5 – 11, did a fantastic job of an interesting amalgamation of Romeo & Juliet, Peter Pan and the Cow who wanted to grow Sunflowers – beautiful costumes!  The whole event took place in a marquee – small Oxfordshire private school – and the heat during the afternoon was horrendous.  I think maybe the head should have adjusted her speech….shortened it!!

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Well earned picnic at nephew’s school – featuring Grandad!

Anyway,  despite being armed with said hat, water and the salt grinder from my brother’s kitchen, Auntie Claire had already fainted on leaving the portaloo.  But I completely stole the show at the end of the day with a fantastic backwards faint when standing up from my wheelchair to get into the car.  I came round on the gravel carpark floor surrounded by faces….not just those of my family!  There was a parent who is a doctor, the school nurse, a teacher……and my mum trying to explain POTS, my spinal cord stimulator etc etc…..and please don’t call an ambulance!!  The school nurse was quite excited, having come to these events for years and having nothing to do.  As a fellow nurse I loved this

!

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The stunning Hornbeam Walk at the Aston Pottery

Like many of you, I have spent the weekend feeling constantly giddy and last night managed to pop a hip and dislocate the knee and ankle on the same leg – the joys of EDS.  So whilst I should be at a governors’ visit day at our local primary school – Duncan would not let me go unless I could weight bear – I am instead sitting with leg up and finding some great posts for you.  The final You tube video comes from a young vlogger who appeared on the BBC yesterday morning to discuss organ donation in the UK – he has cystic fibrosis and is awaiting a lung transplant.  This post is about living with a chronic illness as a teen.

Time for your cuppa and relaxation time with some inspiring posts! Enjoy!Monday Magic

http://alifewellred.com/embrace-the-years-with-dignity-and-beauty/

http://xofaith.com/boost-your-confidence-beyonce-edition/

http://www.fromthispointforward.com/2017/07/facing-forward-jayne.html?m=1

http://www.thepaincompanion.com/blog/dancing-through-pain-to-freedom

http://bladder-help.com/role-hormones-bladder-health/

https://itrippedoverastone.com/2017/07/07/what-my-husband-said-to-me/

https://neurodivergentrebel.com/2017/07/07/lets-talk-take-a-break/

https://picnicwithants.com/2017/07/05/floaters-and-flashers/

https://theedschronicles.com/2017/07/06/model-with-eds-uses-her-condition-to-stand-out/

 

Please remember to like posts and follow these great bloggers!

Claire x

Monday Magic – Inspirational Blogs for You!

On By Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)In Blogging, Blogs, chronic illness4 Comments

Happy Monday, Pain Pals!

A levels finished last week for the sixth form student and that meant another end to an era marked by Prom hosted at the Queen’s Stand, Epsom Downs.  The preparations weren’t quite as intricate in our house as they were in those of friends with daughters – hair, false nails, spray tans, pencilling the eyebrows just right, different dresses for every girl…the list goes on!  A new suit was purchased along with matching tie and shoes……and he did have a haircut the day before which he says was coincidence, but I do wonder!  Anyway he scrubbed up pretty well and the Charlie’s Angel style pics are typical – the girls and the boys posed in very different ways.  I don’t understand the sticking out the bum thing that seems to have the replaced the fish pout.  Must be getting old….

Charlie's Angels
Charlie’s Angels – really?!

So only one child left at school now, and she is gutted that the student engineer is coming to live back at home for his 4th year – “I thought I was going to have the house to myself, Mum!”.  He is currently balancing the cost of living in London with the savings of moving home but living with us….not to mention us having to cope with having him back again full time.  We love him dearly, but the mess, the fussy eating, the mood swings – he is such a drama queen!!  I am well aware that I seem to be describing a toddler, who is actually 21!!

Monday MagicMy writing has been a bit non existent this week, but I have found another 10 blogs that are new to Monday Magic and I hope that you enjoy them as much as I have.  It never fails to surprise me just how many wonderful writers there are out there in the chronic community and how we all support each other.  But these posts are equally inspiring for everyone, ill or not – I love to find inspiring blogs, about different subjects, through link up parties that I might never ordinarily find.  So sit down with a cuppa and enjoy getting to know some new bloggers!

http://www.balancedespitethechaos.com/blog/new-dr

https://achronicspoonful.wordpress.com/2017/06/30/on-being-functional/

https://lennaesworld.com/2017/07/03/goal-kicking-4-years-on/

http://katethealmostgreat.com/30-things-about-living-with-pots/

https://janaowlfdesigns.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/when-your-brain-decides-to-shutdown.html

http://herviewfromhome.com/lets-admit-that-marriage-isnt-a-fairy-tale/

http://www.bbhwithms.com/married-disease-relationship-multiple-sclerosis/

http://chronicmomlife.com/overcome-depression/

http://www.trippingonair.com/2017/06/ms-relapse-9-ways-to-survive-steroids.html

https://highrisk1.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/my-first-mania-rash/

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Image from Kate the {almost} Great blog

Hope you enjoy these posts and comment/follow for these great writers.  If you have a suggestion for an Inspiring post to be included in Monday Magic, send me a line!

Enjoy

Claire x