True stories
Sometimes unforeseen opportunities emerge from the remnants of life’s challenges, writes Harprit Gill
Pain, a word that means different things to different individuals. For me, pain has followed me on my journey for several years, in various forms. It started one morning in February 1997, when I woke up with severe swelling and stiffness in my left elbow. Continue reading
My symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis were misdiagnosed as growing pains, with dire consequences for my long-term health – Ivan Charleton
Walking to school one morning when I was 13 years old, I felt a sharp pain in my left hip that never left me. Over my teenage years I saw many doctors, who all suggested I was experiencing growing pains. Continue reading
The loss of your former self is a mourning process and I don’t know if and when that ends, says Andrea Willis
Most of us have experienced some form of loss in our lives. As a society we have learned how to cope with the finality of death. There are religious and cultural ceremonies, people attend memorials, send cards and flowers and even bring food. Continue reading
Graham John Campbell, on coming to terms with his diagnosis of Forestier’s disease
I am reasonably fit and healthy but just over five years ago, when I was 49 years old, I began to have severe pins and needles in both hands, which was diagnosed as ulnar nerve compression (at the elbow). Continue reading
A devastating diagnosis of early onset osteoarthritis became the inspiration for Stuart Jackson’s book of poetry
My journey with osteoarthritis began when I started noticing that I was having great difficulty with climbing the stairs – in terms of pain and stiffness – and getting in and out of the bath. The pain in my legs began to get much worse and my partner suggested I go to see my GP. Continue reading
