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Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt

Loneliness is one of the hardest things to conquer for many people living with chronic pain. But sometimes, it is not so much the feeling of being alone as it is the feeling of not belonging – belonging to a group, family, church, or workplace team. When we struggle with ongoing and often severe pain,…

My immune system is, once again, in overdrive and making new and serious antibodies, among them to my retinas. I’ve had to begin a more aggressive form of treatment, and it will make me more susceptible to infection. As a lupus patient, I am usually much more conscious of avoiding infections than, perhaps, more healthy…

You have to rest, you have to take care…but your stomach cringes and you find yourself close to criticizing yourself for being lazy…Please, dear friend, banish the guilt! Yes, at times, you might feel guilty that you are taking care of yourself while others around you are working. It’s that “I have to rest, but…

I am not a grandparent, nor are my grandparents living, but I delight in the joy of friends and others who have eased from parenthood to grandparenthood (and I smile at friends who cannot wait until they will become grandparents, too!) It’s a unique and wonderful bond, the relationship between grandchild to grandparent, and one…

Pain is like a very nasty weed. Its roots run deep, its leaves spread wide and block out light. It can take over and make all things good seem distant, unreachable. But just as pain is within, so, too, is goodness. God dwells within, grace resides down deep, and the Holy Spirit makes its home…

True confession: I was never fond of exercise. In fact, I used every excuse not to exercise way back in high school. Now, of course, I understand the benefits much better than I did then, and I also like exercising – really and truly! If you haven’t quite gotten to that point, yet, here are some…

It’s TLC Tuesday, again. But it’s also probably the heart of “Back to…” season. Back to school, back to work, back to lots and lots of activities. Yes, activities, and, probably, a lot more stress, a lot more “Hurry up!” But we know that our illnesses and pain often react negatively to “Hurry up!” So……

Somewhere, amid the pain and the frustration we feel over lost health and today’s health trials, there are bright, uplifting memories we’ve lost track of, times when life was easier or days when we heard and enjoyed laughter, did good things and had good times. There are people and places that brought us peace, and…

Like the calm before the storm, or the comfort before the next flare, the period of relatively “smooth sailing” can be a bit nerve-wracking. We know that “chronic” means ongoing, and have had flares rise up unexpectedly in the past. So, a period of quiet, when the illness is not so active, might make us…

If you have a chronic illness or live with serious pain, you know that sometimes, you “miss” a day or two in the week. It’s too hard to get out of bed. You are going through medical tests, and the outside world seems to disappear into the technicality of prep and procedure. You’re brain-fogged, and…
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