Nothing like the sweet ring of “have you tried yoga?” in the ear of somebody with chronic pain. What these people miss is while yoga is great, it can’t fix chronic pain. Why? Because pain controls everything. It controls: -what I do – what I eat – when I sleep – my relationships – my… The post All the yoga in the world can’t make chronic pain disappear appeared first on Chronic Mom ..read more

I’m often asked if Fibromyalgia is as painful as people say, and if so what does that pain feel like? It’s not an easy question to answer because Fibromyalgia and the resulting pain are complicated. However: Yes, Fibromyalgia is incredibly painful It’s not one type of pain, there are multiple ways of feeling that pain.… The post How is Fibromyalgia so painful and what does the pain feel like? appeared first on Chronic Mom ..read more

I’d never heard of TMJ until I had Fibromyalgia and started seeing the two words paired together. It’s not surprising as Fibromyalgia is one of those illnesses doctors rarely explain correctly because they’re too busy to pay attention. One of those random symptoms is TMJ or temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD). What is the TMJ (temporomandibular… The post How to live with TMJ disorder as a side effect of Fibromyalgia appeared first on Chronic Mom ..read more

Dopesick is killing people with chronic pain.  In the last six months, things have spiraled out of control with regards to the opioid crisis hysteria. The release of “Dopesick” has created armchair addiction and pain experts. They believe Dopesick is a documentary even though it’s an entertainment show. Don’t you dare tell them that though, they’ll… The post How “Dopesick” misinformation is killing people with chronic pain appeared first on Chronic Mom ..read more

Life with chronic illness can be stressful, weighty, and overwhelming, but sometimes it’s the absurd little things that annoy you. Life has been a stressful mess the last year and a half, so I figured it was time for some chronic illness humor. Here are a few things that annoy me the most, with sarcastic commentary… The post How the absurd little things annoy you when you have a chronic illness appeared first on Chronic Mom ..read more

Toxic positivity is now the premier coping mechanism touted for dealing with chronic pain. Doctors have decided that pain is all in the attitude, and if someone is in pain, they’re not being optimistic enough. This has horrifying results for people in pain whose doctors are blaming them for their own suffering, and telling them… The post How chronic pain is brushed away by toxic positivity appeared first on Chronic Mom ..read more

Today first takes us to the lovely Portland Oregon where we’re learning about “The Ugly Laws” that were created to stop disabled people from being seen in public and “obstructing the roadways.” For people with visible disabilities, this history will not sound surprising, considering how entitled the public feels to comment on the way disability… The post How the Ugly Laws were designed to keep disabled people out of sight appeared first on Chronic Mom ..read more

Heat intolerance and temperature sensitivity are often overlooked side effects of Fibromyalgia. They don’t kill you except in the most extreme situations, so doctors don’t typically address them. Or if they do address them, they simply advise you to stay inside and avoid the sun. Unfortunately, it’s never that simple. Heat intolerance itself has its… The post How heat intolerance can be an annoying and overlooked symptom of Fibromyalgia appeared first on Chronic Mom ..read more

I’ve known about Elizabeth Blackwell for a long time, but what I did not know was that she suffered a serious eye injury while practicing medicine and became disabled. That injury changed the trajectory of her life, and possibly the trajectory of medicine as she taught the world that women were capable human beings. I… The post Elizabeth Blackwell: The disabled doctor that hated sick people appeared first on Chronic Mom ..read more

Wellness culture is toxic for people with chronic illness and chronic pain, and many chronic illness blogs and influencers get sucked into the culture and spread it with the best of intentions. They arrive so excited to talk about their illness, but slowly over time, they realize that chronic illness is a very niche topic… The post How wellness culture is toxic for people with chronic illness appeared first on Chronic Mom ..read more