This pinch sets up my next two pinches. I am now open about my pain with my family, friends, colleagues and even people I've just met. This is not how I was for most of the time I've had chronic pain. For a long time the way I handled my pain was to tell myself …
Thoughts (2)
I drafted this pinch on my phone one evening. I've left the first half as I wrote it in the moment. Pain in the moment It is 6.20pm on a Tuesday evening and I'm struggling. My pain has flared up over the last week. I'm stuck in a loop where I'm sore so I'm not …
Fibromyalgia (1)
I planned to make this post live on Friday. However today, Tuesday 12th May, is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. The topic seemed appropriate. My chronic pain has the diagnosis fibromyalgia. I can see that I'm going to write many pinches about fibromyalgia as this is my pain condition. I've labelled this pinch "fibromyalgia (1)" as I …
Images of pain
One thing I starting noticing once I had chronic pain was the images used to depict pain. I noticed what images were commonly used to show pain, and what images weren't. Open a new tab now and Google "pain", look at the images tab. What do you see? Do the same for "chronic pain". You'll …
Thoughts
One of the key changes in the way that I think about my pain that resulted in great improvements in how I manage my pain is: Chronic pain is my brain and body being really, really, really good at protecting me. I was first introduced to this way of thinking about pain at the Pain …
The first pinch
I am Hazel. I experience chronic pain. I have conducted research to extend our understanding of chronic pain. I live a full life. Most hours I am in pain. Sometimes I suffer, most of the time I don't. I am a wife, a daughter, a friend. Pinches of pain is starting out as a place …
Pinches of Pain 