Persisting Pain

Sometimes buying gifts for your chronically ill friend or family member can be difficult; and as a chronically ill person, I often receive a lot of gifts that I cannot use. Here are some ideas of what they might like, but keep in mind that every person and every illness is different and so not every gift will be suitable for everyone. 1. A blanket (fleecy/weighted/heated) Spending a lot of time in bed or on the couch, a blanket always helps you get comfortable and relax. A lot of us with chronic illnesses have issues with regulating our body temperature and so a blanket helps with this. Getting them a heated or weighted blanket could also help alleviate some of their symptoms, such as pain. 2. A hot water bottle  Most chronic illnesses cause pain in some form or another, and a hot water bottle is an easy and reusable way to reduce this pain, even slightly, and it is great to cuddle up with during the colder months. 3. An eye mask An eye mask is a great gift fo...

**MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD** As some of you might know, a big part of why I started a blog was because of how much Claire Wineland inspired me. Claire was a young woman who got dealt a rubbish hand in life but still won. She lived her life despite having cystic fibrosis and although she died last year aged 21, she achieved so much. She inspired thousands, reminding lots of us with chronic illness that we aren’t alone, and she even set up her own charity to help others living with chronic illness. When I found out that Claire was a consultant on a movie about chronic illness and long term hospital stays as a teen, I couldn’t wait to see it. I was so sure that she wouldn’t let the right messages be lost and, although she unfortunately died before the movie’s release, her influence is clear throughout the entire movie. The protagonist, Stella, was heavily influenced by Claire and everything from her appearance to her attitude towards her illness shows this. Watching the movie ...