The Seated View

Sometimes, sharing the chronic pain voice and perspective on opioids feels like shouting into a gale. But you have to keep trying. Thank you so much to the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance for the great work they do and for hosting my article about the n ew Ontario Opioid Strategy and the missing missing voices of people who have chronic pain therein: "Ontario has a new opioid strategy and it’s missing the voices of Ontarians who live with chronic pain. One in five Canadians have chronic pain. The cost of chronic pain is more than the combined cost of cancer, HIV and heart disease. Direct healthcare for those who live with pain exceed 6 billion annually, and lost productivity is $37 billion. For many who live with chronic pain, opioids are an important part of their pain management program. Without these types of medications, so many of us would be unable to function and participate in our families, communities, and work. “I was struggling with the pain of u...

“You sound really chipper,” The Boy said. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard you like this.” He was right. I hadn’t felt that good about life and myself for a long time. And all it took was a long walk.   Well, to be fair it was a bit more complicated than that.   A brief recap of 2017 It feels as if I`ve been sick for the entire year. First there was croup , then recovering from croup. This was followed by a few months of feeling a bit better, then I got walloped by a crash/sinus infection that turned into three months of chronic sinus infection. Recovery took a long time and just as I was getting better, I was flattened by the mother of all summer colds. To be fair, that was only the past seven months. Ha! “Only”! When I look back on the time that’s passed since about Christmas, it seems like it’s been a fog of feeling too awful to participate in my life. Sure, there were periods where I extremely temporarily rebounded, only to lose g...

I have a new bed. I have never slept this well and it has reduced my chronic pain levels significantly. It is a blue checked Hästens bed. Earlier this year, I wrote about my quest for a new bed . To recap: every bed I found was too high, too hot, too smelly, or contained latex (I’m allergic). Any kind of foam would have to be broken in for months before it was as soft as was needed by my very sensitive body due to fibromyalgia and a lifetime of rheumatoid arthritis. Visiting Hästens In the last couple of years, I’ve wandered into the Hästens Toronto store as a tourist. I’d bring along friends who needed to see these unique beds and enjoy the atmosphere of peace and serenity. I got to know Sleep Consultant Nicholas Vardon and we’d have far-reaching conversations about all sorts of topics. He mentioned his own Hästens bed, saying that it healed him whenever he’d go climbing. Sounds nice, but I didn’t believe this was possible. At least not for me. And t...