Summer is in full swing here in the U.K. Many are jetting off on holiday, and thousands flocked to the recent Glastonbury Festival. I’ve always loved summer, music festivals, heat, and travel. But now that I live with pulmonary hypertension (PH), I have to make certain adjustments.
Chronically Uncool – a Column by Ellie Bird
For the past two-plus years, I’ve had to be alone because of COVID-19 for every hospital appointment for my idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). A year and a half ago, I began a new relationship — so until very recently, my partner had never been to an appointment with…
After four years of living with pulmonary hypertension (PH), I’ve learned that there are good doctors, bad doctors, and doctors who fall somewhere in between. I’m lucky to have had mostly positive experiences, but the reality is that doctors who specialize in treating physical illnesses may not always be…
Most people realize that living with a serious health condition can make it difficult to develop romantic relationships. The difficulty of forming new friendships doesn’t seem to be talked about as often. Making friends as an adult is hard enough without the added complication of a chronic illness…
Ever since I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 2017, I have hated this time of year. I refuse to make any resolutions, and I usually take some time away from social media to avoid looking at everyone else’s personal rebrandings. I’ve given…
For the first few years after I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 2017, I always felt an ongoing battle between the desire to go out and have fun and the need to look after myself. I was constantly walking the line between pushing myself just enough and…
It is strange to be diagnosed with a disability as an adult. I’ve lived with pulmonary hypertension for over four years now. In some ways, it feels like a lifetime — I feel like I can hardly remember pre-PH me — but I have really struggled to get used…
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…
