Life with Scoliosis

Your Inspiring Stories: Lovaine Cohen

Posted on January 21, 2021January 21, 2021 by Louise

Lovaine was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) about 20 years ago. As a result, she has lived with chronic pain for a very long time. She's also had both of her hips replaced and has some fusion in her upper neck. In this post, read about Lovaine's journey with AS and how she changed her victim mentality mindset. Lovaine's Story I have lived for over 20 years with Ankylosing Spondylitis with difficulties, twists, and turns. I was a healthy kid...Read More

New! Life with Scoliosis Merchandise

Posted on January 9, 2021July 8, 2023 by Louise

Hello everyone, I just wanted to write a quick post to let you know that I have launched a brand new range of Scoliosis Awareness products on Teespring and Redbubble. Available products include t-shirts, vests, hoodies, mugs and bags. So please feel free to check out my store :) I will be adding more designs over the coming weeks and months, so please do check back. Also, if you have any ideas for future designs, or any feedback, please let...Read More

New Year, Same Virus

Posted on January 9, 2021January 9, 2021 by Louise

So we are now in January 2021 - happy new year! We are getting towards the end of the first week back to work after Christmas (for myself and many others), and what a week it's been! I feel like so much has happened already, and I'm ready for another break. As it's a brand new month, I wanted to take part in the latest link up with a Chronic Voice. I try to take part every month, as the...Read More

Happy New Year: Goal Setting for 2021.

Posted on December 31, 2020December 31, 2020 by Louise

I wanted to write a quick post to wish my readers and followers a very Happy New Year. Lets hope that 2021 is better than 2020 for all of us! I for one have mixed feelings about 2021. With the pandemic not going away any time soon, it's hard to know what to expect for the New Year. The area I live is still in a strict Tier 3 (edit - now Tier 4!), meaning we cannot mix indoors and...Read More

10 products to help ease back pain when working from home

Posted on December 30, 2020February 12, 2021 by Louise

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in more people working from home than ever before. In April 2020, 46.6% of people in employment did some work at home. I have been working from home since March 2020. Whilst there are elements of it I like, it can also be quite uncomfortable for my back. I've therefore done a bit of research and found some products and ideas that might help to ease back pain when working from home. As we head...Read More

9 Best Tips for Treating Chronic Pain

Posted on December 29, 2020December 29, 2020 by Louise

This post is a guest post, written by Lovaine Cohen. Lovaine is a former corporate professional turned chronic pain management health coach. She’s the founder of the Holistic Healing Method, her signature personal coaching program. She also writes on her chronic illness blog, is a website and social media audit consultant, and loves drinking green matcha latte with almond milk. 9 Best Tips for Treating Chronic Pain Chronic pain affects 50 million adults in the US. and it’s continuing to escalate....Read More

My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2020

Posted on December 23, 2020December 23, 2020 by Louise

As 2020 draws to a close, I thought I'd share the 10 most popular blog posts from this year, in case you missed them. It's been a strange old year but one positive to come out of 2020, is that I have had more time than ever to spend writing blog content. These are the top 10 posts I've written this year that have been read the most, in reverse order. Enjoy! 10. 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for those with...Read More

Merry Covid Christmas

Posted on December 15, 2020December 15, 2020 by Louise

It's that time again... it's almost Christmas! As it's December, it's also time for me to take part in the monthly blogging link up with A Chronic Voice. The linkups are a monthly get together for anyone with a chronic illness or condition. This month, the prompts to write about are: Exhausting, Exciting, Socialising, Indulging and Cutting. I thought I'd use the prompts as an excuse to write about Christmas in light of the pandemic. It's going to be different,...Read More

2020: Things didn’t quite go to plan!

Posted on December 10, 2020December 10, 2020 by Louise

So... 2020 was an "interesting" year to say the least wasn't it? When I wrote my goals for 2020 back in January, I definitely couldn't have predicted how this year would turn out. Reading them back now, it feels like a different life. I have always been very determined and in 2019, I crammed my year full of running, challenges and travel. To be honest, I had high hopes for 2020. As it marked 10 years since my scoliosis surgery,...Read More

Blog Content Survey

Posted on November 10, 2020July 8, 2023 by Louise

Hi everyone, Hope you are doing ok and staying safe. :) I've been using some of my extra time in lockdown to think about the direction of my blog and what's next. I'd really appreciate it if you could spare a few minutes to complete a quick survey, to help me improve my content and blog going forwards. I really want my content to be helpful and interesting to others and for my blog to be the best it can...Read More

Hello November – Link up with A Chronic Voice

Posted on November 8, 2020November 8, 2020 by Louise

Every month, I try to take part in the link up party with A Chronic Voice, where we get given writing prompts for a blog post. This months' prompts are: Incorporating, Experimenting, Sanitising, Launching and Writing. I like to take part, as it's a chance to reflect on my life, which I find therapeutic, whilst linking up with others' with chronic illnesses and discovering new blogs in the process. Incorporating It's been a strange year for us all, and I...Read More

Stress Awareness Week: The Effects of Covid-19

Posted on November 2, 2020November 1, 2020 by Louise

It's Stress Awareness Week, which got me thinking about stress and how the current pandemic is affecting myself and others at the moment. I've always been a "stressy" person. I pretty much worry about everything, even things that others may class as trivial. I know worrying doesn't get me anywhere half the time but it's part of who I am. I have always been a worrier, even as a child. For people like myself, who worry about trivial things, when...Read More

Invisible Disabilities Awareness Week

Posted on October 17, 2020October 23, 2020 by Louise

Did you know, that the 18th - 24th October is Invisible Disabilities Awareness Week? I wasn't aware of this until recently, but it really resonated with me, so I wanted to write a bit about my own experiences around this topic. What is an invisible disability? According to Scope, there are over 14 million disabled people in the UK. The majority of these are not "visible" to other people. Invisible disabilities may include conditions such as mental health conditions, hearing/vision...Read More

Be Kind To Yourself: 20 Positive Scoliosis Quotes

Posted on October 5, 2020January 10, 2021 by Louise

I personally love a good uplifting quote or affirmation. For this post, I have listed my favourite positive scoliosis quotes that I can apply to my own experiences with scoliosis. If I've learnt anything over the years when dealing with my scoliosis, it's this. Be Kind to Yourself. Scoliosis can be difficult to live with at times. It can be painful, uncomfortable and isolating. However, it's all about mindset. A positive mindset can do wonders for your self-esteem and self...Read More

Scoliosis and Mental Health: My Story

Posted on October 3, 2020January 29, 2021 by Louise

It's World Mental Health Day on 10th October, which got me thinking about how scoliosis has impacted my own mental health. What many people don't realise, is that scoliosis is more than a back condition. Depending on severity and location of curve(s), scoliosis can cause physical deformity, pain, neurological issues, breathing, digestive problems, and more. It is also a chronic condition, meaning it cannot be cured and it can also be progressive in severe cases. All this is not to...Read More