IBS Chat: Real Life Stories and Solutions is a compilation of the best postings by members of the Internet-based Irritable Bowel Syndrome Self Help and Support Group, www.ibsgroup.org. Since I run the message boards at
butyoudontlooksick.com I was curious to read these postings to see if their community was similar in experience as mine.

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We are at odds with an indomitable foe of the worst kind. One that challenges us with callous indifference and leaves us struggling while the rest of the world looks on unknowingly. It makes us question our toughness
and our resolve. It forces us to make difficult decisions in which, oftentimes, none of the choices seem favorable. It causes us to grow resentful when we think of what we’ve lost and what could have been.

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My journal was full of bits and pieces of me, not unlike the diary I kept as a teenager, but now there was a big difference. At 34, Rheumatoid Arthritis was ruling my life. My doctor told me to keep a record. “From one to
ten, write your pain level down everyday.” His suggestion proved to be a smart idea. By documenting my progress, we could see what combinations of medicines were working and find out if diet or my daily activities played a
role.

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The Body-Creamer might be just what you’ve been waiting for! Longing for someone to apply that lotion between your shoulder blades, or perhaps someone to rub that one spot - too high to reach from twisting your arm around your waist and too low for swinging your arm over your head?

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A poem about living with Fibromyalgia, submitted by one of our members.

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I just needed to share this with the butyoudontlooksick.com readers. I really made me think what would my "last words" be?

What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? For a Carnegie Mellon professor, Randy Pausch, the question isn’t rhetorical. He’s dying of cancer. The Journal’s Moving On columnist Jeff Zaslow narrates a video essay on Prof. Pausch’s final lecture, which he delivered Tuesday night to a packed auditorium.

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Christine from butyoudontlooksick.com had the pleasure of interviewing Daniel J. Vance, writer of the weekly column "Disabilities".

I had the chance to first talk with Daniel when he interviewed me in March of 2006 for his column. Since this year celebrates his fifth year of writing the column, I figured we would help him celebrate by getting to know him better.

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Book Review: Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes: 5 Essential Health Factors You Can Master to Enjoy a Long and Healthy Life

I recently had the pleasure of stumbling upon Amy Tendrich's blog about living with diabetes. I found her writing to be easy to read and interesting (an unusual combination when reading health related writing.) While I was there I noticed that she co-authored a book about diabetes. I was intrigued to see how her writing would read in book form.

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Ever since I first got sick, my skin has mirrored how I feel and during flares it is worse than when I was a teenager. I know that looking after my skin helps, but I hadn’t found products that were easy and pleasant to use, until now. Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare is a UK company based not far from where my parents now live. I had picked up the occasional sample before and liked it, but never got around to trying more. This summer I was given a couple of Liz Earle goody bags at parties. Among other products, included in those goody bags was a Cleanse and Polish Set, a sample of Skin Repair Moisturizer for Normal/Combination skin and a sample of Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash.

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Having had a probable seizure earlier this year, I had to surrender my driving license. We live on the outskirts of town and on a hill which means that while walking into town is possible, walking home up the hill when I’m tired often isn’t. The bus stop is further up the hill and I hate standing around for buses: the buses home aren’t frequent and I often get the timing wrong, plus someone always seems to light a cigarette right next to me. So the loss of my driving license was going to seriously cramp my independence, and just as I was taking a turn for the better too! My family knew how much I was upset by this and decided to club together to buy me an electric bike, as an early Christmas and birthday present.

Continue reading "Product Review: Powacycle Salisbury LPX electric bike" »

Recently I had to go to Chicago for a two week inpatient hospital stay. The good news was that it seems to really have helped with the 'frequency and intensity' of my illness. (Don't you hate how doctors use that phrase?) Anyway, I'm glad I have health insurance, and while I haven't gotten the bill, I'm pretty sure my co-pay is going to set me back a good semester's worth of tuition. (I keep telling myself it's worth it!) Knowing that I was going to be putting so much money into the bill, I really couldn't afford much else and was graced by kind friends who took me in while I waited before and after my stay in the city.

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Unfortunately we live in a time, where it seems that emergencies and disasters happen quite often. Some are man-made like terrorism threats and some are natural disasters like floods and hurricanes. In any case, we need now more than ever to be prepared and it is even more important to be prepared when you or a loved one have a chronic illness to also be concerned about.

Continue reading "Emergency Preparation - Remember the six M's" »