The Chronic Elephant blog by hellytheelephant

Would love to see some of your stitching- if you feel like sharing.(?)
I have done a few kits, but am a very untidy sewer! X

 

Does anyone make art using an ipad or other digital media? A friend of mine designs pots on his.

 

I think I knew at the time it was a hugely unhelpful and stupid thing to say, but it certainly didn't help my confidence, and made me not want to be noticed. My work was very figuative,as was my illustration work. Now I love making abstract art.

 

Merged thread

DISABILITY & THE SHAME-TANGO.

Hi folks,
In this 3rd of my Blogs on the subject of Disability, I tackle the Shame that so many Disabled people experience.
(and functional incontinence gets a mention too!)

https://thechronicelephant.blogspot.com/2022/05/disability-shame-tango.html

 

Hi @hellytheelephant, I can’t see your blog link?

 

Beautiful pastel design

 

I found it from clicking around after accessing the website from a previous message:

https://thechronicelephant.blogspot.com/2022/05/disability-shame-tango.html

 

@lunarainbows -thank you so much for pointing that out!

 

Thank you for sharing the link @MeSci -I've now put it in the title post!

 

If anyone is interested in more creative perpectives on living with pain and illness: 3 years ago two of my online friends, Lee and Patric, both wrote and shared their artwork for The Chronic Elephant ( this piece HUSBANDS is by Patric):

https://thechronicelephant.blogspot...arning-to-craft-good.html?zx=aef54935bba55cc4

https://thechronicelephant.blogspot.com/2017/11/meet-patric-blossom-living-creatively.html

 

@hellytheelephant Thanks for posting this, very well written, encapsulates so much and resonates for me on many levels.

 

Merged thread

I AM NOT A NUMBER: I AM A FREE ELEPHANT.

Check out my latest Blog, which this week is about a topic close to my heart: PAIN, and how to quantify it. https://thechronicelephant.blogspot.com/2022/05/i-am-not-number-am-free-elephant-rating.html

 

Referring to the pain scales you mention in your blog i.e. marking one's pain from zero to ten, I have noticed an inconsistency in how "10" is described. People could be asked to compare their pain to the worst pain they've ever had or it could be the worst pain they can imagine. These are not the same number as far as I'm concerned, and might not be for others, and I could imagine a scenario where people would be under-treated for pain as a result if the wrong question was asked.

I was brought up to consider admitting to pain as humiliating, and I should be ashamed and embarrassed of feeling that way. It seems to me that society doesn't want to be made uncomfortable by someone else's pain, and I consider that to be a terrible thing. Why does a Pain Clinic suggest that pain should be hidden? It baffles me.

One of the things I hate is other people's pain being used for entertainment purposes, in such programs as "You've Been Framed". Pain isn't funny and shouldn't be dismissed as unimportant. It can destroy lives if it gets bad enough and goes on for long enough.

 

there has been times when i wish that only one bear was mauling me . i liked the second pain scale .

 

@Arnie Pye I totally agree! My rating of ten would be 'I am barely conscious and am dying on a battlefield' but probably we all have a different idea. I think as well, the same pain can feel better/worse depending on things like have you slept/ been bereaved, or noise pollution. Weather is a big issue for me too...

Pain's not in any sense funny..but I do wonder whether people laugh out of relief that the person's not seriously hurt ( like Chaplin/ Buster Keaton movies?) It's kinda cruel really...

 

Yeah- those blasted bears always turn up with a friend.
I hope it's a small bear sort of day for you today. X

 

I have written a new blog, but first I would like to thank @Trish and the other moderators for coping for my scattergun approach to posting. Thank you so much, and thanks to Trish for tracking down all the Blogs.

Ok so the latest Blog is called: M.E. - The Body Snatching Illness:
I have written about the time when I was trying to juggle working full time with the sense that M.E.had taken over my body.
https://thechronicelephant.blogspot.com/2022/06/me-invasion-of-body-snatching-illness.html

 

Check out mylatest Blog features the endurance needed for The Tour de France...and for the long-haul of living with chronic illness.
https://thechronicelephant.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-tour-de-chronic-illness.html