Life of a Self-Employed Fibro-Warrior
Maintaining a Social Life with CFS
Spring has finally sprung, which means diaries are quickly filling up with all the social gatherings put off during the winter months. Walks in the park with loved ones scheduled, Sunday roasts at the pub with family booked, a night at the local bar with friends being...
Doing It Twice a Day – Updated
Doing it every morning when I wake up, every evening after my tea, and sometimes even when I’m sleeping, is what works for me! Now, wherever your brain went when you read that, I can guarantee it went to the wrong place! Let me explain… Just Give it A Go I was...
A New Era of Rolling with the Glen
Team, we’ve only gone and done it! If you're reading this, it's because you've found your way to my brand-new website, and I honestly couldn't be happier to have you here. It's been a long time coming, and a lot of hard work has been going on behind the scenes, but...
How Horse Riding Improves Posture
Rediscovering my love of horse riding has taught me many things. Firstly, it’s taught me that just because I live with chronic pain conditions doesn’t mean I can’t take up and enjoy physical hobbies. Secondly, horses are good for the soul. Thirdly, riding regularly...
Break up with your pain | Mindful Uncoupling
Relationships are complex. Some leave you feeling loved and content, while others make you want to run for the hills. Unfortunately, your relationship with chronic pain probably falls into the latter category. And although we wish we could, we can’t just tell our...
Is your posture impacting your chronic pain condition?
Are you sitting up straight? Is your head back? Shoulders down? Is your weight distributed evenly? It's a lot to think about, isn't it? Posture is an integral part of our overall health and well-being, but it's often overlooked and replaced by habitual movement and...
What is the alexander technique?
The Alexander Technique. Sounds impressive, but what does it mean? If you've come across the Alexander Technique while researching chronic pain, your symptoms or conditions, you may have guessed it has something to do with the way your body works. And it does! But...
A chronic pain Christmas: managing the festive season
‘Tis the season to… panic about how on earth you’re going to manage Christmas this year while living with chronic pain. There’s the prep to think about, the wrapping, the decorating, the cooking, the slapping a smile on your face and pretending you’re fine so you...
BEMER® and the brain: dementia
BEMER® therapy is beneficial for the body, but did you know it’s also making waves where the brain is concerned? A recent case study suggests that regular BEMER® Therapy sessions could help improve or delay symptoms of neurological conditions like dementia. Acting as...
How I stay active as a fibro warrior
I get it. Physical activity is the last thing on your mind when you're struggling with fibromyalgia-induced pain and fatigue. All you want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep. I've been there. But, as someone who has struggled with fibromyalgia for years, I can't...
BEMER® sleep study blog
New BEMER® Therapy Study Reveals Sleep Benefits A recent study has revealed that BEMER® Therapy could have a positive impact on sleep, increasing the efficiency of healing, repair and regeneration carried out in the different sleep stages. The study focused on a group...
Is CBD right for me?
If you’ve been living with chronic pain for a while, CBD is most probably on your radar. It’s fast becoming a popular addition to chronic pain management strategies and some who have tried it report a boost in overall well-being and improvements in chronic pain...
Haemorrhoids – a real pain in the ass!
I apologise for the title of this piece, but I truly feel there is no better way to describe this delightful little condition. It's painful, it's stressful and a massive inconvenience all round. Walking becomes painful, as does sitting, exercising feels like a no-go...
‘What am I actually taking?’ – managing your chronic pain meds
If you’ve been living with chronic pain for a while, chances are you’ll have accumulated enough pills and potions over the years to rival the local pharmacy. I know I have! Particularly back when I first started out on my chronic pain management journey, I tried and...
Does CBD have side effects?
Does CBD have Side Effects? You've heard a lot about CBD. It's all the rage when it comes to skincare, and it's making waves in the medical world where conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia and migraines are concerned. You want to give it a go to help you manage...
I have chronic pain and i’m not afraid to say it!
I have Chronic Pain and I’m Not Afraid to Say It: Dealing with Shame and Stigma If you suffer from a chronic pain condition, chances are you’ve had to fend off some pretty judgemental comments at times. ‘You don’t look sick.’ ‘How does that stop you going to work?’ ...
An emotional connection: chronic pain and mental health
Chronic pain and mental health are intrinsically linked, and, more often than not, one works to aggravate the other. An unfortunate cycle to find yourself stuck in! Living with constant pain will inevitably impact your mood and overall quality of life, meaning it’s...
The big question: is CBD addictive?
The short, simple answer to this question is no. But understanding why CBD isn’t addictive and why it could be useful in alleviating chronic pain symptoms is incredibly important for your peace of mind. So, here’s the complex bit… CBD is often mistaken for its...
Sex, love and…chronic pain?
When you have a chronic pain condition, sex takes on a whole new level of emotion. Instead of being something you look forward to and enjoy, intimacy with your partner can become a real source of stress, anxiety and frustration. If you’re a chronic pain sufferer like...
Dads feel pain too!
Dads are superheroes, right? At least, mine was, and still is in the memories I cherish. But after losing my dad and witnessing his pain, it’s made me hyper-aware of the struggles that men face when they’re suffering from a chronic pain condition. Not only do they...
How does CBD work?
Ah, the million-dollar question! Despite CBD becoming increasingly popular as a supplement for numerous conditions like chronic pain, anxiety and sleep disorders and being the new skincare craze, there's still some debate about how it all actually works. And for good...
Pain types: understanding your chronic pain
Chronic pain is a complex little creature. It comes in many shapes and sizes and doesn't always make itself easy to identify, meaning that understanding your chronic pain can be tough. And, sometimes, it’s this lack of understanding or fear of the unknown that can...
Is CBD safe?
Sometimes when I tell people I use CBD products to help manage my pain and, god forbid, sell them on my website, they look at me like I’ve just announced that I’m the most prolific drug lord of the century. Once they've finished being completely aghast, the first...
Anything but the pain!
How are you, Stacey?” “How’s the pain?” “Any better today?” “Any progress with your diagnosis?” Ah, good old pain talk. When you’re first diagnosed with a chronic pain condition, every conversation tends to sound like the ones above. Your pain not only becomes the...
Is working from home aggravating your chronic pain condition?
Working from home has become the new normal for thousands of people up and down the country. Covid kicked it off – gone were the long commutes and office chats. These were swiftly replaced with makeshift desks and half-muted Teams calls. And now, even with Covid...
Pain management: practicing what I preach
Hi, I’m Stacey, and I don’t always practice what I preach. If you’ve followed my story for a while, you’ll know that I’m a Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia warrior using my experiences to help others on the same journey. I share information, advice and support focused on...
Managing sleep with CBD
How much sleep are you getting? Chances are, if you suffer from chronic pain or have another condition that impacts sleep, the answer is not enough! We all struggle to fall or stay asleep from time to time, but if you have other conditions that make sleeping...
Festival of sleep day 2023
Happy Festival of Sleep Day to you! Designed to help us catch up on some much-needed sleep, Festival of Sleep Day is celebrated each year on the 3rd January – conveniently placed after one too many late nights during the festive period. Not only does the day give us...
Improve your energy to better enjoy family time
When chronic pain goes hand in hand with chronic fatigue, it can be difficult to muster up the energy and willpower to do anything at all. This, unfortunately, extends to spending time with family. As much as you love it, and as much as you want to make the most of...
Managing stress with a chronic pain condition
You’re in pain. You’re stressed because you’re in pain. You’re in more pain because you’re stressed. Sound familiar? The pain-stress cycle is a vicious creature with a bad case of can't live with one another, can't live without. The two come skipping hand in hand,...
Grieving the life that once was
Grief is a universal experience. We’ve all felt it. We've all been there; it’s an experience shared across humanity. What isn’t shared as often, however, is the way we experience it. Grief can rear its ugly head in a million different guises, making each grieving...
‘…It’s not good news…’ – what your diagnosis actually means
Hands up who heard this or something similar when being diagnosed with fibromyalgia? Hands up who also wanted to roll their eyes when they heard it? Look, as chronic pain sufferers, we knew it wasn’t going to be great news. The constant pain with no clear explanation...
Managing your mindset: accepting your chronic pain disorder
When it comes to living with chronic pain, managing your mindset is almost as important as managing the pain itself. By now, you’ll be sick of hearing the ‘acceptance is key’ crap, but managing your mindset goes beyond acceptance and can really make a difference to...
Insomnia and its effects on our health
What better way to observe Festival of Sleep Day than to take a deeper dive into the popular topic of Insomnia. As a pain management practitioner for those in chronic pain, based near the NEC Birmingham, I spend a lot of time with people who spend all day desperately...
How to put an end to pain without pills
Living with chronic pain can quite often feel like living a life sentence, in the prison that sometimes shows up as your body. As more knowledge is gained about the brain including the gut-brain axis, origins of pain, how pain and emotions show up in our lives, the...
Have you ever put the dog in the freezer*?
That moment when you walk into a room but forget what you went in there for. We’ve all done it at some point or another but what about when it happens more and more frequently through the month, the week or even the day? Forgetfulness happens to everyone at some point...
Don’t drop the basket!
Have you ever watched a child collecting their eggs during an Easter egg hunt? Watch how they wander around with their baskets in hand and collect up their finds. Notice how there is an egg in the basket, one melting away the free hand while another has been handed...
Lockdown week one how did it go for you?
March started out to be the month of focusing, prepping and planning to open a pain management clinic room in Kenilworth. I'd viewed and discussed options; chosen the room I was going to be using and then things became very strange fairly quickly. The clinic will...
Life after the BFG!
4 years ago on 6th March 2016 (Mother’s Day that year too) my entire world ended, or at least it felt as though it had. What I’ve learned is that it hadn’t ended rather more like someone had popped a pin in it and it deflated rapidly. You see the man that had been by...
What is it like to live with fibromyalgia?
What is it like….to live with Fibromyalgia? Frequently I’m asked this question and just as often I’m thinking what is it like to not live with it? You see when something becomes a part of your everyday life for as long as 'fibro' has been in ours (I include my family...
Doing it twice a day keeps the pain at bay!
Doing it every morning when I wake up, every evening after my tea, and sometimes even when I'm sleeping, is what works for me! Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia over 13 years ago, I can truly tell you I would be a billionaire if I'd have been given £1 for everytime I heard...
Are you getting enough?
As someone with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I was surprised and excited to learn that there is a day dedicated to the thing that I never seem to feel like I’ve had....SLEEP! Celebrated on January 3rd each year, the Festival of Sleep day was started by someone with a...
In pain all of the time?
If someone told you, they knew a way to help you live a life with much less pain; what would you do? That’s exactly what happened to me a few months ago and now I am saying the same to you! Having been in pain for over 13 years, living with a diagnosis of...