About Me

I’m Deb and I’ve got Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia. But there’s so so much more to me than that – although for a long time I forgot that was the case.

I have a loving partner of 35 years. I’m the mother of three adult children and grandmother of six. I’ve been a teacher for 30 years – now part-time and working with teachers. I’ve re-trained as a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® and I do advocacy work (including research partnerships and developing peer support materials) for people with pain.

Pain found me after an accident 11 years ago – I’d fractured my pelvis, but it was 6 months before I was diagnosed – it was missed on an x-ray – and it’s safe to say that those months were not much fun, but that was only the start! From there I was funnelled into orthopaedics; two hip operations – one for a labral tear and a hip replacement two years later. 

A couple of years later – and still in pain I wrote The quiet room – musings on what I’d learnt in those five years. I’d love you to read it!

I’ve recently had my second hip replaced – 8 years after the first. You can read my tips for recovering from a major surgery with Fibromyalgia here.

Fibromyalgia Diagnosis

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2020 – it took some time and a lot of doctors visits (again..) to get that diagnosis. Chronic pain is a Fibro symptom, but the ‘big four’ also include unrefreshed sleep, brain fog and fatigue. And that’s just for starters – many people also experience a range of other confusing and distressing symptoms.

I had a general feeling of unwellness – like having a low-grade flu, often with a sore throat. When I’m overtired or overwhelmed, have done too much, that’s my clue to ‘pull up’ before I hit the ground with a giant splat!

The Game Changer!

I’m one of the lucky ones – I’ve had excellent support from our local pain services team, my friends and family, a close-knit community of fellow chronic pain and Fibro people and advocates.

And yet I still struggled to live a balanced life. I was trying to do it all, be everything to everyone and I lost myself and my health in the process.

At this point – overwhelmed and out of options I found a wonderful Fibromyalgia Coach.

With time and support I have been able to heal and find hope again.

And so can you!  Get in touch today for a free discovery call & let’s get you on the way to feeling well!

Take Care

Deb