The Dystonia Diagnosis and Prognosis
“You have dystonia” are three words that can be very confusing and frightening. Receiving the news that you have any chronic condition can bring out a lot of emotions....
NEW BOOK RELEASE — Beyond Pain and Suffering: Adapting to Adversity and Life Challenges
In 2015, I published my first book, Diagnosis Dystonia: Navigating the Journey. It is a combination autobiography, self-help, education book that provides treatment options, coping strategies, skills for daily...
THE TOWER – What my husband’s cancer diagnosis taught us about perspective
This is a guest blog from an old friend who shares how her husband’s recent cancer diagnosis changed his and their perspective about life. This is so well written...
The impact stress and emotions have on our health
25 years ago, I developed a painful neurological movement disorder called dystonia. I was 30 years old at the time. It totally turned my life upside down where I...
Managing excessive worry and fear to avoid health consequences
I think it would be safe to say that everyone is afraid of something. Sometimes the fear is justified and sometimes not. In this article, I want to focus...
Be careful about being too hard on yourself if you live with a health condition that already kicks your ass
Dystonia and chronic pain, as well as many other health conditions, remind me of bullies that pick on kids in the schoolyard every day. Like the bully, dystonia and...
Finding the proper puzzle pieces for better health and life balance
Not too long ago, my girlfriend and I did a 500-piece puzzle over a period of a weekend. It was not a remarkable feat, but this is the first...
After the diagnosis/Self harming thoughts
After being diagnosed with dystonia, or any other chronic health condition, and learning it is not a temporary problem (or if you have lived with it for years and...
A tool for practicing gratitude
Many of us recently celebrated Thanksgiving, a time to reflect upon things for which we are thankful. It is a time to really focus on gratitude, which got me...
Dealing with uncertainty in life and health: Sometimes trees fall on cars
Even when we think we are fully prepared for something, life can throw us a surprise. If you have followed my blogs over the years, this one may sound...
Finding meaning and purpose in our pain and suffering
Life is ever evolving so it is important to remember that the storms in our lives do not always last forever. When I developed dystonia in 2001, I lost...
The Frog Blog – How nature can teach us to stop resisting the flow of life
I was driving the other night and seemingly out of nowhere, a tree frog jumped on my windshield as I was going about 30 mph heading towards my home....
Replacement activities when living with pain
I have lived with chronic pain from dystonia, a neurological movement disorder, for nearly 20 years. The first 5 years my symptoms were so severe that I was barely...
