Listen to the live interview of Larry Wurn, Research Director, Clear Passage Therapies and co-author of Miracle Moms, with Dr. Derrick DeSilva, Jr. MD, host of Health Radio.

Click here to listen http://www.healthradio.net/archives/20091005/0941dd1b.mp3

Wurn talks with Dr. DeSilva about opening blocked fallopian tubes and treating adhesions causing small bowel obstructions, using the Wurn Technique, a nonsurgical manual physical therapy treatment.

Derrick DeSilva, Jr., MD

“Derrick DeSilva Jr., M.D. has his own radio talk show called “Ask the Doctor” , which airs on WCTC Radio in New Jersey (1450 AM), as well as his own television show, “To Your Health”, which airs on News 12 New Jersey.” More at http://www.askdrdesilva.com/

‘Miracle Moms’ is a pioneering work built on 20 years of research and includes 80 case study success stories. It has received high praise from nationally respected physicians, including Christiane Northrup, MD, Ob/Gyn, who says, “Your work is a Godsend.”

Miracle Moms available September 15, 2009 (Med-Art Press)

Gainesville, FL (PRWEB) September 15, 2009 – Med-Art Press announces the official publication of ‘Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain.’ In this pioneering work, research gynecologist Richard King, MD joins physical therapist Belinda Wurn and her husband Larry to help patients avoid surgery for adhesion-related conditions causing female infertility, pain, and sexual dysfunction. www.miraclemoms.net (Order Book)

With over 700 pages, ‘Miracle Moms’ is an elegant combination of more than 80 heart-felt patient narratives, and 20 years of remarkable discovery and development of a ‘hands-on’ physical therapy, backed by published scientific research.

More than 100 original illustrations provide a visual journey into the body. The book explains why adhesions cause problems for millions of patients and their doctors, and why the unique manual therapy (Wurn Technique) was successful for so many women who were diagnosed ‘beyond help’ by their physicians – until this therapy fulfilled their dreams.

Top rated experts and physicians on these subjects are raving about this novel approach to women’s health.

Christiane Northrup, MD, Ob/Gyn and ‘New York Times’ best-selling author (who wrote the Foreword) says “Your work is a Godsend… a safe, natural, and effective therapy to enhance fertility and pelvic health.”

Harvard Medical School Instructor Dr. Lisa Conboy says, “Miracle Moms reads like a novel, rich in information…useful for people with pain or dysfunction. The use of patient narratives makes the therapy more understandable for health professionals and potential patients.”

Dr. Howard T. Sharp, President of the International Pelvic Pain Society says, “Patients with chronic pelvic pain should not ignore the value of manipulation therapy. This book illustrates this point beautifully with both medical detail and emotion. Women who suffer from chronic pelvic pain will benefit greatly by reading this book, not only from the hope it exudes, but from the therapy it describes.”

Medical Directors recommend this book for patients and for healthcare professionals. Dr. Melinda Ring of the Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, and Medical Director of Chicago’s Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness says, “Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain will bring awareness and hope to legions of women suffering from pelvic pain and infertility disorders. With clear explanations, research studies and patient narratives this book brings a formerly ‘taboo’ topic front and center, opening the door for greater healing and quality of life. I recommend this to both patients and women’s health specialists alike.”

Others tout the emotional aspects of the 20-year journey of discovery. Julia Indichova, Director of the Fertile Heart Studio, and Author of ‘Inconceivable’ and ‘The Fertile Female’ said “The love story of Belinda and Larry Wurn, and the birth of the stunning Wurn Technique reveals beyond any doubt, that when we approach the body with reverence, intelligence and a desire to reduce suffering, we can repair what the most sophisticated technologies fail to fix. Read it and learn what a pair of skilled, listening hands can do.”

‘Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain’ is now available online for $24.95, a special authors’ discount, at www.miraclemoms.net. (Order Book)

‘Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain: A Remarkable Journey in Hands-on Healing for Infertility, Pain, Sexual Dysfunction, and Adhesions’ by Belinda Wurn PT, Larry Wurn, LMT with Richard King, MD. Original edition. 6 x 9” with 704 pages, 110 illustrations.  ISBN 9811868.  $29.95.

Adhesions in abdomen after surgery

Click here to download the free ebook, chapter 16  “Surgical Adhesions, Small Bowel Obstructions” from “Miracle Moms.” Includes theory, research, and heart-warming stories from individuals struggling with surgical adhesion pain and small bowel obstructions.
(http://www.clearpassage.com/resources/ebook.php)

“Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain” by Larry and Belinda Wurn with Richard King, MD is available now at amazon.com (Med-Art Press). Foreword by New York Times best-selling author Christiane Northrup, MD  and endorsed by physicians from Harvard, Columbia, Northwestern, and other fine professionals.

Dr. Jacques Moritz, Director of Endoscopy Section and Division of Gynecology, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center says, “As a gynecological surgeon I have seen first hand what happens after I operate on patients. As much as I try to prevent adhesions I know that most patients after surgery are going to develop some form of adhesive disease. In the past treatment for adhesions has been even more surgery which caused even more adhesions. Now with the amazing “Clear Passage” technique patients have a safe and effective alternative to surgery. “

The authors of ‘Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain’ prepare for their September 15 book publication and announce the launch of their social media and news site on adhesions, infertility, sexual dysfunction, and pain.

Gainesville, FL, September 11, 2009 – ‘Miracle Moms’ co-authors Larry and Belinda Wurn, recognized leaders in non-surgical treatment for female infertility and chronic adhesion pain, launch www.miraclemoms.net. This new site is geared towards news and online social connections about subjects in their upcoming book, ‘Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain: A Remarkable Journey in Hands-on Healing for Infertility, Pain, Sexual Dysfunction, and Adhesions.’

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, an estimated six million women in the US experience infertility, and that number is growing. Ovulation problems account for a big part of female infertility; warning signs include irregular or absent menstruation. Adhesions and blocked fallopian tubes are also major causes of infertility. Fallopian tubes can become blocked by adhesions after surgery, trauma, infection, or inflammation.

Adhesions can form whenever the body heals from infection, inflammation, surgery or trauma. Pelvic and abdominal surgeries such as laparoscopy, C-section or D&C are primary causes of adhesions. Traumas such as auto accident, fall, or abuse also cause adhesions. Infection and inflammation (endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, or STD) can all cause adhesions to form in the bowel or female reproductive organs. As adhesions grow, they can restrict normal body function and cause pain and dysfunction, including nearly half of all female infertility.

Larry Wurn, Co-Author of Miracle Moms

“We have already featured three ebooks at miraclemoms.net and plan to offer more,” says Co-Author Larry Wurn, LMT and Director of Clinical Studies of Clear Passage Therapies. “These ebooks are free to our website guests and cover chapters directly from Miracle Moms on blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis pain, endometriosis and infertility, and coming soon, surgical and bowel adhesions.”

‘NY Times’ best selling author Christine Northrup, MD wrote the Foreword. Physicians and authors from Harvard, Columbia, Northwestern medical school, and more join her in praising ‘Miracle Moms’.

“Your work is a Godsend,” says Dr. Northrup. “A heartfelt thank you for providing women all over the world with such a safe, natural, and effective therapy to enhance fertility and pelvic health.”

Co-Author Belinda Wurn, PT, Clinical Director of Clear Passage Therapies says, “We hope miraclemoms.net will become a resource for people to learn and connect on topics focused on infertility, adhesions, and related health issues.”

‘Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain’ will be published September 15, 2009 and available online and in bookstores for $29.95. A special authors’ online discount will be available for guests of www.miraclemoms.net for $24.95.

‘Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain: A Remarkable Journey in Hands-on Healing for Infertility, Pain, Sexual Dysfunction, and Adhesions’ by Belinda Wurn PT, Larry Wurn, LMT with Richard King, MD. Original edition. 6 x 9” with 704 pages, 110 illustrations.  ISBN 9811868.  $29.95.

Miracle Moms available September 15, 2009 (Med-Art Press)

Gainesville, FL (PRWEB) September 2, 2009 — Adhesions are a leading cause of female infertility, pain, and sexual dysfunction. Many women have avoided surgery for these conditions by using a ‘hands-on’ physical therapy, with proven scientific results.

In the upcoming book ‘Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain,’ research gynecologist Richard King, MD joins Belinda and Larry Wurn to share a 20-year medical journey examining a physical therapy treatment to help patients achieve goals of pregnancy, better sex, and a pain-free life. Born from Belinda’s debilitating adhesion pain after cancer surgery, ‘Miracle Moms’ is a pioneering work.

Endorsed by Christiane Northrup, MD, ‘New York Times’ best-selling author (who wrote the Foreword) and physicians from Harvard, Columbia, Northwestern, and other fine medical schools, this book promises to usher in a women’s health revolution for the 21st century.

“A heartfelt thank you for providing women all over the world with such a safe, natural, and effective therapy to enhance fertility and pelvic health. Your work is a Godsend,” says Dr. Northrup.

With over 700 pages, ‘Miracle Moms’ is an elegant combination of more than 80 heart-felt patient narratives, and 20 years of theory, development, treatment, and published scientific research. More than 100 original illustrations provide a visual journey into the body and help explain how adhesions cause problems for so many patients and doctors, and why the unique manual therapy (Wurn Technique) was successful for so many women who were diagnosed “beyond help” by their physicians – until this therapy fulfilled their dreams.

The authors have published studies in some of the most respected peer-reviewed medical journals in the US. Studies in ‘Medscape General Medicine’ (2004) and ‘Fertility and Sterility’ (2006) showed that the therapy improved female fertility and decreased or eliminated endometriosis pain and intercourse pain in most participants. A major study in ‘Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine’ (2008) showed that the therapy opened totally blocked fallopian tubes in women who had been diagnosed infertile – a feat previously thought impossible. Most had natural pregnancies after their tube(s) opened. The therapy also provides hope for people with post-surgical pain and life-threatening bowel obstructions – common occurrences after surgery.

‘Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain’ will be published September 15, 2009 and available in bookstores for $29.95. www.miraclemoms.net 

‘Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain: A Remarkable Journey in Hands-on Healing for Infertility, Pain,
Sexual Dysfunction, and Adhesions’ by Belinda Wurn PT, Larry Wurn, LMT with Richard King, MD.
Original edition. 6 x 9” with 704 pages, 110 illustrations.  ISBN 9811868.  $29.95.

Endometriosis and adhesions can form outside the uterus and cause pain

�
Click here to download the free ebook, chapter 17  “Endometriosis Pain” from “Miracle Moms.” Includes theory, research, and heart-warming stories from women struggling with endometriosis pain.
(http://www.clearpassage.com/resources/ebook.php)

“Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain” by Larry and Belinda Wurn with Richard King, MD will be available September 15, 2009 (Med-Art Press). Foreword by New York Times best-selling author Christiane Northrup, MD  and endorsed by physicians from Harvard, Columbia, Northwestern, and other fine professionals.

Mary Lou Ballweg, Ph.D., President, Endometriosis Association, says, “Adhesions are a major problem for women with endometriosis, causing pain which can continue for decades, sexual and bowel function problems, difficulty with exercise and other movement. Previously, only surgery was available, which in itself could lead to more adhesions. This book will bring new hope to many women now suffering.”

Submitted by Teresa Belinski as part of the summer educational article series*

You know how some people just know certain things?  For example, they just know that they will marry that certain somebody, or they just know that they’ll get that certain job or, mine and every other infertile woman’s favorite, they just know that they are pregnant.  Puh-lease.  I wouldn’t know if I was pregnant if the stork itself landed on my head and pooped out a positive home pregnancy test.  I feel like I should know though, I mean I’ve been at this since 2001.  I’m basically an expert when it comes to knowing why my boobs hurt or why I feel nauseous at that moment and I’ve peed on about 5 million sticks since I first started trying to get knocked up.  Oh how I wish I could just know that I was pregnant and call it good for the following 9 months. 

I, on the other hand, just knew that I would have a hard time conceiving and keeping a baby.  My friends all knew they’d be fertile myrtles and I knew I’d be a barren Bessie.  They were right, but heck so was I.  I tried for almost 2 years without any luck at all.  We are all told to wait at least a year before going into the doctor and throwing an “I’m not pregnant YET” fit.  What a waste of a year.  You could’ve been pregnant 11 months ago!  How is it that everyone else around you gets pregnant the second they start to “try,” yet it’s taken you some actual time?  It’s because 9 times out of 10, there is something wrong.  So fudge the truth a little and tell your doctor that heck, yes, you’ve been trying for a year.  The reason I say this is because I went in, got an endometrial biopsy, and was immediately diagnosed with a luteal phase defect.  I was put on 50mg of Clomid and BAM! conceived my now 5 year old twins the very next month. I now know that if I would’ve have been more aware of my body and had learned more about how things worked (or didn’t work in my case) I could have diagnosed myself without going through the pain of a biopsy.  Hindsight is always 20/20.

My doctor told me that the chances of me ever conceiving on my own were slim to none and if I ever did I would definitely miscarry.  Wow, thanks ovaries and uterus.  I thought nothing more of it because I had my little perfect boy and little perfect girl. I didn’t need any more.

I didn’t count on getting a divorce and then remarrying somebody that didn’t have kids of their own and wanted one or two. I was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing, foolishly thinking that another round of Clomid would do the trick as soon as I was ready. The thing is I got pregnant on my very own and almost keeled over from complete shock.  Before you begin hating me though for not truly being infertile, please remember what my doctor had said.  I miscarried at 6 weeks and 2 days.  It was the most devastating time of my life and still affects me greatly.  Apparently we all need a little hormone called progesterone to make a pregnancy work.  I lack that hormone greatly and my doctor got me all jumbled up in “the system” because of my name change.  Long story there, but the quick moral is making your doctor do their job or you could regret it literally for the rest of your life.

Here I sit, almost a year since my miscarriage, wondering what it’s gonna take this time to get pregnant.  I rock a huge sailor heart tattoo on my left arm with all 3 of my kid’s names and I’ve been on 3 rounds of Clomid since miscarrying.  My husband has been diagnosed with only 8% morphology.  Not good.  Out of all the people in the entire world, these two infertiles were drawn to each other.  I visited a reproductive endocrinologist and got the whole spiel of doing 3 IUI’s and 3 more rounds of Clomid and if those didn’t work we’d move onto IVF.  Nothing I didn’t already know.  Maybe you can relate when I say, we definitely don’t roll around in money and laugh because our bank account is blowin up.  

So I opted for a more natural method.  Everybody is going more natural these days; it’s the cool thing to do right?  I just recently started Creighton charting. It’s a fairly unknown system that definitely should be well known.  They combine detailed fertility charting with Natural Procreative Technology to diagnose and actually treat infertility.  Yes I said treat.  It’s their belief and now mine that most doctors are just trained to mask our infertility with things like in vitro fertilization and that infertility is a disease as real as any other disease out there.  The use of Creighton and NaPro technology in infertile couples has shown up to an 80% success rate.  The use of IVF in infertile couples has only shown a 21-27% success rate.  Did your jaw just drop wide open?  Creighton teaches you how to recognize your fertility or lack there of.   I literally never, ever thought I got any kind of cervical mucus before I started this.  I thought I was a mutant of some sorts because my friends were boasting about their 6 inch strings of boogers they’d get once a month.  I now know what they are talking about and have made up a cool little “I have cervical mucus” dance.  It’s thrilling to know that my body is working in at least one area.  My Creighton doctor will do a complete hormone workup after I get a good solid 2 months of charting done and will also give me the magical progesterone that my body oh so desires and hopefully soon I will get to pee on another stick.  This time though I hope to frame that stick rather than stomp on it in another insane infertile rage. 

Author: Teresa Belinski is a mother of 5 year old boy/girl twins and loves to talk about anything and everything.  If you ever run into her be prepared to talk about your whole life story and also learn about hers.  Nothing is sacred.  Visit her at www.teresabelinski.blogspot.com aka Keepin’ a Close Watch on This Heart of Mine.

*This post was submitted by a third party as part of a summer educational article series. The comments expressed here in this post are the personal opinions of the original author, and do not necessarily state the views or opinions of Clear Passage Therapies, Inc. 

Information contained on this blog is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information on this blog for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters regarding your health, and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

The CDC recommends pregnant women suspected with H1N1 obtain treatment within 48hrs of the onset of symptoms. Symptoms manifest as an “acute respiratory influenza-like illness (e.g., cough, sore throat, rhinorrhea) and fever.” http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/clinician_pregnant.htm

Pregnant women are at high-risk for life-threatening infections including pneumonia as well as pregnancy complications. The CDC advises that while testing for H1N1 in pregnant women with symptoms is ideal, if testing and test results are not available within the first 2 days of onset of symptoms, the mother and child may be at risk if treatment is not provided due to the potential rapid progression of the illness as seen in other cases. 

The bottom line says the CDC, “The highest priority message is to treat pregnant women with influenza-like illness as soon as possible; treatment should not be withheld pending results of testing for influenza, if testing is done.”

For the full advisory from the CDC, Pregnant Women and Novel Influenza A (H1N1)
Virus: Considerations for Clinicians visit http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/clinician_pregnant.htm

Submitted by O’Nell Starkey as part of the summer educational article series*

When I was 19, at my annual gynecological exam, the midwife asked me if I wanted to see my cervix and, smiling, whipped out a mirror.  What a fascinating experience – to see the little, moist, pink entity that is the opening to my womb, that regularly releases my blood, that will one day stretch to 10 cm to birth a baby.  It felt like a homecoming!

I was in awe of my body in a more visceral way. I now encourage all my friends to ask to view their cervices at exams; after all, why should a practitioner see more of you than you have seen?

Six years after that empowering exam, I read the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler from cover to cover. Though I had understood the basic hormonal and physical cycle of menstruation, I had never before studied it in such depth. Weschler teaches the Fertility Awareness Method – a practical method of accurately tracking menstrual cycles and fertility by keeping daily records of basal body temperature, cervical mucous, and cervical position.

I began taking my basal body temperature (oral temperature taken every morning upon waking) and graphing these subtle shifts in my body’s temperature over each cycle.   I had a 33 day cycle.  My temperature was consistently between 97F and 97.5F until ovulation had occurred and then it rose about 1F for the duration of my cycle.  After the egg (oocyte) is released into the fallopian tubes at ovulation, the corpus luteum remains in the ovary and produces the heat-inducing hormone progesterone that helps build and maintain the endometrium (lining of the uterus, eventually the blood shed at menstruation) and causes this shift in basal body temperature.

I charted corresponding changes in the texture, color, and amount of my cervical mucous.  After menstruating, my cervical mucous was sticky or creamy.  It became more of an eggwhite stringy texture at ovulation, then drier until menstruation.

I also checked the position and firmness of my cervix with my finger. I noticed slight, but distinguishable, movement of the cervix’s position over time; it moved farther away from my vaginal opening near ovulation and lower approaching menstruation.  I observed that it was softest around ovulation (due to increased estrogen) and otherwise felt about as hard as the tip of my nose.   I charted my cycles for a few months and became fascinated by my increasing awareness of how my hormones affect my body, mind, and spirit – and vice versa.

While tracking one’s cycle certainly is not a unique idea, there didn’t seem to be many resources on the Internet that visually showed the changes over time in a woman’s cycle. In the tradition of the

feminist movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s that heralded the home speculum self-exam, I decided to help bring this empowering method into the 21st century. So, equipped with a speculum, a flashlight, a digital camera, a willing partner, and minimal blogging skills, I began the Beautiful Cervix Project.

My partner took a photo of my cervix daily and I posted these photos along with descriptions of changes in my emotional (i.e. tenderness, energy, libido) and physical states (i.e. cramps, breast tenderness, position of cervix).  I initially thought the site would only be useful to a few of my midwife friends who teach their clients about fertility cycles, but word of the Beautiful Cervix Project spread in the blogger community and beyond.  So far, in a few months, the site has trafficked almost a million visitors from countries all over the world.

There is no external genitalia visible in the photos, but there certainly has been some confusion about the intention of my site. Some photos have been removed due to ‘inappropriate content’ and I’ve had to change web hosts for similar reasons.  I’ve confronted sexism and body-phobia and unfortunately, the site has been linked to from pornographic websites.  People send me comments about how revolted they are, how perverted I must be, or how they have used my site for their own masturbatory purposes.  My reactions have ranged from feeling vulnerable to angry to disappointed in the ignorance and hate in the world.  Luckily, I choose what comments are publicly posted and I do not approve offensive comments because they are degrading and do not further my mission to empower women and normalize the reality of women’s bodies.

Fortunately, this criticism is countered with an overwhelming support from fans who appreciate my site.  I regularly hear from women who learned that the discharge they experience around ovulation is ‘normal’ (and not an infection), from medical students who have never seen a picture of a non-diseased cervix, or from women who have had hysterectomies and become nostalgic for their cervix after viewing the site.  Personal reproductive stories and questions (both hopeful and upsetting) have flooded my inbox.

The Beautiful Cervix Project appeals to a variety of people: healthcare professionals and students, families trying to conceive, women trying to avoid pregnancy, men curious about their partner’s shifts in libido, young women searching for information about their bodies, etc.

I hope The Beautiful Cervix Project inspires curiosity to observe and appreciate what is normal for each one of us.  I envision translating the site into other languages and posting photos of other women who have replicated the process, so a wide variation of normal can be represented (i.e. pregnant women, women with short or long cycles, women of different ages, women with cervical scarring, cysts, or polyps, etc)

Whose job is it to educate women (and for that matter everyone) about our own bodies, our cycles, and fertility? As a student homebirth midwife, I am fascinated by the way our educational and medical systems so often misinform or undereducate women about their bodies.

Sex education in many schools is dry, awkward, and minimal, if existent at all.  There is so much fear, shame, and confusion in the world about fertility.  The Beautiful Cervix Project is a grassroots movement of reclaiming our power and celebrating our womanhood!  The site is dedicated to the healing of our physical and emotional wounds through self-awareness.

Author: O’Nell Starkey is a student midwife, postpartum doula and artist. You can see the beautiful cervix project at www.beautifulcervix.com

*This post was submitted by a third party as part of a summer educational article series. The comments expressed here in this post are the personal opinions of the original author, and do not necessarily state the views or opinions of Clear Passage Therapies, Inc. 

Information contained on this blog is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information on this blog for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters regarding your health, and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

Submitted by Rosalind Joffe as part of the summer educational article series*

1.  For most people, health, like the weather, is relatively unpredictable and there’s an element of luck.  But living with chronic illness means that I face unpredictable health daily. It can change as quickly as the weather, often without warning. I find this difficult, constantly challenging and even demoralizing. But, I try very hard not to let this prevent me from delivering my best.

2.  When I have to “slow down” or not show up because of chronic illness  symptoms, it can mean that others have to pick up the pieces to keep things going.  I appreciate that this can be frustrating for you.  It is for me, also.  Let’s just make sure we discuss what I can do to prevent my illness from becoming a burden to anyone.

3.  I’m not looking for your pity or even your sympathy.  I don’t feel sorry for myself and I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, either.  But I do welcome empathy, such as, “I understand this is tough”.  And once in a while, it’s really great to hear your encouragement, such as, “You do a great job with this” (but only if you mean it.)

4.  I know it doesn’t seem to make sense, but I can feel terrible and look fine.  When most people have the flu or even just a cold, they look sick.  My symptoms, sometimes disabling, are usually invisible.  I know it’s hard for others to understand this, especially when I look the same through it all. That’s why I’m often nervous about what others believe about my health and think about me.  It might sound odd but when I hear, “You look so good!” I wonder if you think I’m exaggerating my experience.

5.  You probably think you’re being helpful when you tell me what I could do to get better.  Your Aunt Gertrude, who went into remission with that special diet or your friend, Phil, who got better when he stopped working – they’re not me.  I promise you, if I want advice, I will ask for it.  Just because I’m not healthy, it doesn’t mean I’m incapable of managing my life.  

6.  When I mention my chronic illness, please don’t “skip” over it and look away.  When you avoid the subject, it doesn’t feel polite or respectful. Instead, it feels as if you’re avoiding the topic.  The fact is, I appreciate questions that show genuine interest in my experience, such as, “What does this mean for you?”  And, I’ll try my best to be respectful of you by not overly focusing on the subject.

7.  Have you ever noticed how often people pass you in the office halls with, “How ya’ doing?” and they keep walking?  I know it’s just a greeting but when I don’t feel well, I don’t have a quick answer.  I’m still responding to the question five minutes later — -  in my head.  In fact, there are times when it’s difficult to carry on simple, normal, office banter when I don’t feel “normal” and my life doesn’t fit into a sound bite.  So if you ask, be prepared for more than you might have bargained.

8.  Healthy people can work (or play) too hard but they can catch up after pushing their bodies too far without too much wear and tear.  Part of the problem with this chronic illness, however, is that my limits can vary greatly. I can’t ever be sure how hard I can push without hurting myself. Some days, walking upstairs to the water cooler feels like I’m running the marathon. Sometimes it can take days or even weeks to feel “normal” after working a few late nights and weekends. And, yet, at other times, I can do any of this without a problem. Go figure.

9.  People in the office (particularly management) will tell me, “Take care of yourself, that’s most important”.  But how should I interpret this message when working 10 hour days/6 days a week is considered a virtue?  I want to have high standards for my performance and be respected for what I do, just like everyone else.  But, the crazy schedule that we work doesn’t allow time for doctors’ appointments or time to recoup.  I find that there’s a bit of a contradiction here.

10.  Please don’t assume that because I live with a chronic illness, I can’t do my job or take on new responsibilities.  If I say I can do something, I will.  I don’t want to be protected from work demands and I want to be held to the same high standards as everyone else.  I might have to ask for help at times.  But, that’s my responsibility.  Please don’t discount me without checking with me first.

Author: Rosalind Joffe, The Chronic Illness Career Coach, rosalind@cicoach.com  t: 617 · 969 ·1930

http://cicoach.com and blog: http://WorkingWithChronicIllness.com  

©cicoach.com llc 2009  all rights reserved

*This post was submitted by a third party as part of a summer educational article series. The comments expressed here in this post are the personal opinions of the original author, and do not necessarily state the views or opinions of Clear Passage Therapies, Inc. 

Information contained on this blog is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information on this blog for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters regarding your health, and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.