"I'm Not Faking Being Sick; I'm Faking Being Well." The post Why I’m Not Faking Being Sick; I’m Faking Being Well appeared first on My Brain Lesion and Me ..read more

In my last blog post, I shared how I often feel invisible when reading books because I can never find authentic portrayals of chronic illness in fiction. In this post, I share 6 beautiful novels about chronic illness with authentic and relatable chronically ill characters.... The post 6 Novels That Get Chronic Illness Right appeared first on My Brain Lesion and Me ..read more

Why We Need More Representation of Chronic Illness in Books In my bedroom, everywhere I turn, whichever cupboard I open, I find a book. I regularly and with considerable enthusiasm rescue books from the bookshelves at any place that sells them. I lean on books... The post As Invisible In Books As I Am In Life appeared first on My Brain Lesion and Me ..read more

‘I’m fine.’ Two small, simple words I speak no matter what when asked how I am. But it’s also an extremely misleading answer, if not an outright lie. Because in reality, I am never fine. I never feel fine; my chronic illness’s symptoms ensure that.... The post I’m Fine: A Lie Illness Makes Me Tell appeared first on My Brain Lesion and Me ..read more

Do you know that you talk about your illness a lot? I hear this accusation a lot, but one I can’t entirely agree with, there are reasons why I don’t always talk about my chronic life. Like many people in this day and age, I... The post Why I Don’t Always Talk About My Chronic Life appeared first on My Brain Lesion and Me ..read more

February is the month of love. The world likes to remind me of it every day; emails flooding my inbox of gift ideas from retailers on what to buy that special someone. My social media feeds drown in stories of love and relationships and cliched... The post Dating & Chronic Illness: Will Anyone Love Me? appeared first on My Brain Lesion and Me ..read more

Trigger Warning: Descriptions of Depression, Suicide and Suicidal Thoughts I love losing myself in a story. I especially love doing so when experiencing adversity and setbacks in my health. It allows me the opportunity to escape from my life dictated by illness. Instead, I can... The post Depression: The Darker Side of Chronic Illness appeared first on My Brain Lesion and Me ..read more

As I stare out of my window, I witness the seasons changing. I saw as the leaves fell from the trees outside. The ground suddenly became a beautiful canvas of colours with orange, red, yellow, and green hues. The days gave way to cooling temperatures... The post Deterioration: A Threat That This Isn’t Over appeared first on My Brain Lesion and Me ..read more

I lie here in bed, unable to discern anything but pain. A burning, searing pain travelling up and down my back and legs. Pain that proves to be both unyielding and punishing in its intensity. Another flare, one of many I have experienced over the... The post Pain or Painkiller: A Difficult Decision To Make appeared first on My Brain Lesion and Me ..read more

The true heartbreak of living with chronic illness is being forced to relive the worst moments of it over and over again” I am an avid reader. I love nothing more than to sit and devour the latest bestsellers. Unfortunately, at times disabling symptoms that accompany chronic illness prevents me from doing so. Blurred vision, dizziness and intense, crippling pain all make reading near impossible. But still, I am grateful for the times I able to find pleasure in the pages of a good book. Recently, I have been able to find joy in reading once again. At the moment, I am seemingly choosing stories ..read more