Is a good sex life possible when living with Persistent Pain?

Many of our clients say it is but it may require a bit of preparation, planning and a willingness to try something a bit different.

As someone who has had a chronic illness with debilitating fatigue and pain for over 16 years, I can find this time of new year resolutions and the general optimism associated with these difficult to be around. I might want to improve my health but keeping it realistic to my limitations can be challenging.

Irritable bowel syndrome, (IBS), is very common and can be really debilitating and can be much worse following festive indulgence.  Gut symptoms vary, but typically include abdominal pain, bloating, wind, nausea, diarrhoea and/or constipation. For some, the symptoms can be so severe that it stops or curtails every day and social activity.

The evidence for the impact of physical activity on health is compelling and the breadth of the impact is becoming clearer over time. The UK guidelines for Physical Activity were updated in 2019, and emphasised the fact that even small increases in physical activity can make a notable difference to health.

I found myself discussing Christmas with a client last week who is already planning for her inevitable setback in January – is this unavoidable? How can you enjoy Christmas but minimise the impact?

Firstly, think about whether you have to say yes!

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, consider going for part of the event

I have heard so many clients with Pain and fatigue saying they no longer have friends over because it is exhausting. When I ask them more about this the answer is almost always the same. By the time I have cleaned the house, gone shopping and cooked dinner I have no energy left to enjoy talking to my friends.

Overcoming chronic pain - a self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques is a very readable and relatable book offering a flexible approach on how to access the various elements of the book in order for the reader to get the most personal benefit.

GET' stands for 'Graded Exercise Therapy'. It is an approach for building physical activity in a person's life by being consistent, making gradual changes and responding to setbacks. It can be used as a treatment for people with physical injuries, persistent pain, fatigue, mild depression and other medical conditions.

What you need to know about keeping hydrated. Making sure that you are drinking is important for health and prevents dehydration.  You should aim to drink at least 1.6 to 2 litres (approx. 3 to 4 pints) of fluid per day to stay hydrated.  This is the same as about eight glasses or mugs of fluid.

As an experiment recently, I decided to pretend that I was alien from Mars (as you do) landing on planet earth and just observing how human beings behave. During one short journey by car through North Bristol, I was astonished by the numbers of people using their smartphones.

We have known people with fatigue and pain conditions, who also have IBS, where their main barrier to returning to work is not fatigue and pain but is in fact their gut symptoms.

It’s that time of year again.  The nights are drawing in, the days are shorter, the weather has changed.  Time to dive under the duvet and hibernate.