Author Archives: Eleanor Bird

My doctor called me following my recent MRI and delivered mostly good news: Everything looks stable, and my right ventricle is slightly less enlarged than it was during my last MRI in 2018. However, I came away from the call feeling panicked because of a comment she made…

The rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations has sparked a lot of conversation. Some people feel uncomfortable putting something they consider “unnatural” and that they don’t fully understand into their bodies. But as a chronically ill person, this attitude feels alien. I take…

Living with a serious long-term illness can desensitize us to our own suffering. I often find I experience a reality check when I tell other people about my diagnosis and what it means for me, and then hear their reaction. People…

The ongoing pandemic means my normal schedule of hospital appointments has been disrupted for more than a year.  I have previously written that this makes me increasingly anxious about my physical health. Although I’ve had telephone check-ins with my…

Having a chronic illness can affect a person’s relationship with their body. It can feel like their body has let them down because it’s not working exactly how it should. Before I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH), I used to love…

I love to keep busy. Ever since I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 2017, I have been keen to fill my days and avoid the listless feeling that comes from having little planned. In last week’s column,…

Ever since I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 2017, I have been determined to live as normal a life as possible. As soon as I was able, I returned to work. My doctors had told me that lots of people with PH…

Not too long ago, I met someone and opened up to them about my pulmonary hypertension diagnosis. They listened and thanked me for sharing my experience. Later that week, they sent me a message saying they had researched my condition and wondered if I…

Since being diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in 2017, I have had a complicated relationship with exercise. I have been quite erratic in my approach to staying active. At times, I’ve followed a strict routine of working out every…

One difficult aspect of the pandemic and all of the necessary restrictions that have been put in place is the feeling that our time is being wasted. Young people, and likely the elderly, too, especially worry about this. Some might say, “I don’t want to waste my 20s…

Before my pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis, I’d never had therapy or counseling — though perhaps I could have used it. Over the past three years, I’ve constantly toyed with the idea.  I’ve always been good at putting on a…

A few years ago, if someone asked me to describe what self-care meant, images of long baths and DIY face masks would have sprung to mind. But since my diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PH), my understanding of self-care has changed dramatically. For those with chronic illnesses,…