I Am Not My Pain with Melissa Adams

Meet warrior, Lisa Rutledge. Lisa is an author and owner of her own editing and publishing company and has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. For her, caregivers are essential to her everyday life. Join us as Lisa discusses her experience with caregiving and the important lessons, she has learned including how to maintain her mental health and her advice to those needing care as well as for caregivers. “We need to acknowledge our interdependence. We all have strengths and limitations. We all need each other.” If you are interested in Lisa’s editing services or reading her published writing, please visit lisarutledgeauthor.com and to read her Christian blog, visit sittingwiththescared.com.

Meet warrior, Wendy Maxwell. Wendy is the epitome of the adage, never judge a book by its cover! She appears healthy on the surface, but she is in fact, disabled and suffers from many invisible illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Epstein Barr, hypothyroidism, and multiple chemical sensitivity. Listen to Wendy as she shares her story, the knowledge she has gained and how she discovered new purpose in her life as a teacher disability advocate and a mental health coach. Let’s redefine disability! If you are interested in Wendy’s services as a mental health coach, you can contact her by phone at 972-619-5254 or email at [email protected]. To find her YouTube channel, search Life with Spirit Chronic Illness.

Continuing our discussion with warrior, Danielle. Tune in as this licensed mental health therapist and credentialed substance abuse counselor shares her professional recommendations for coping with chronic illness and pain.

Meet warrior, Danielle. Danielle is a licensed mental health therapist, a credentialed substance abuse counselor and manages a myriad of conditions such as fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, tendonitis and more. Danielle realized quickly that navigating the world of chronic illness is not easy. She must handle not only her symptoms, but never-ending appointments, medications, their side effects, failed treatments, and even skeptical, disbelieving doctors and loved ones. Listen to her story and how she copes with her all the facets of living with her chronic conditions.

Meet warrior, Aly. Aly woke up from a nap one day and the right side of her body was paralyzed for hours. She began the two-year journey to find her correct diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder or FND- a complex and mysterious condition causing Aly temporary paralysis, seizures, migraines and more. Listen as she shares her experience navigating the symptoms and doctors to finally reach her diagnosis.

Meet warrior, Chris L’Amarca. Her countless autoimmune, endocrine, and genetic conditions such as Ehlers Danlos, POTS and Addison’s disease have truly transformed her into a medical marvel. Her conditions require her to self-isolate even from her own children unless wearing a respirator and will sadly take her life prematurely. Tune in to hear this inspirational warrior and advocate share how she manages her traumas, her conditions and her mental health. Visit her YouTube channel by searching Chris L’Amarca on YouTube.

Meet warrior and podcast host, Melissa Adams. Living with an invisible condition for over twenty years, Melissa has been the recipient of often well-intended comments with the most common phrase being, “But you don’t look sick.” Listen as Melissa and her best friend, Sommer, discuss Melissa’s chronic pain journey and how certain comments can create deep shame and guilt. Let’s remove the stigma that one is lazy or weak if suffering from illness and pain and realize the strength and fortitude it takes to manage it.

I Am Not My Pain is a weekly podcast where real warriors living with pain and illness discuss their challenges and victories including treatments and coping strategies that they use to get through each day.