Hello and welcome to my Blog! Writing this has only been possible because of an upright folding bicycle gifted by a precious friend. Since then, cycling has transformed a miserable version of me, with a spine and balance system that scream out when I walk, into a fitter and happier drug-free version, in love with my bike, the friendship it brings and the green spaces it takes us to.
Bizarrely, a cycling accident in 2000 is responsible for the mess I find myself in. I have a medical degree that in no way prepared me for a life of illness, chronic pain and disability. Becoming an expert in managing it all is DESPITE that training and not because of it!
My passions include yoga, holistic health, cat cuddling, quiet time with the Quakers, cafe culture & curry nights out with friends …. and trying to get an old neglected house (oh so slowly) back into shape.
I like to see myself as an ‘ordinary’ person, which I am. I’m also having to overcome a long list of problems mostly due to my head injury. This includes syringomyelia (a painful cyst in the spinal cord), degenerative vestibulopathy (a damaged balance organ causing a sensation like ‘sea sickness’), post-traumatic chronic pain (persistent bad pain caused by trauma), hypermobility syndrome (makes pain worse), chronic migraines and post exertional fatigue (dizziness, fuzzy thinking and exhaustion after mental or physical activity). Try saying that lot with a marble in your mouth!
I love writing articles on my blog, focussing on the small things that I encounter in normal day to day life which I find extraordinary! I hope you will find it interesting.