Over the last couple of days I’ve felt a lingering sadness. This isn’t surprising given that we’re living through a global pandemic, but there was a bit more to it than that – I just couldn’t quite work out what it was.…

This is a post I need to write but you might not need to read – I’m going to discuss some of the complicated, distressing parts of having Tourettes, and if reading it feels too much at any point please stop or take a break.…

I feel really sad.
A deep churning sadness.
A very familiar and crushing mix of shame, frustration and exhaustion.

It’s a mix of feelings I can’t remember ever not being present. Experience tells me these feelings won’t last with the intensity I’m feeling them right now, but neither will they ever fully go away.…

I realised in the cab on the way back from Heathrow that there aren’t many flights that I’ve done without Leftwing Idiot. On most journeys I’ve had a dedicated support worker too, but Leftwing Idiot’s almost always been there calmly organising and advocating for me.…

A few weeks ago I wrote about my tricky appointment with the local continence nurse. I was there to get a prescription for pads to help me manage some of the issues I’ve been having with my bladder. Towards the end of that post, and despite the challenges, I wrote “In the end I got what I needed.”…

My neuro urology appointment (a specialism within medicine that looks after how the bladder and brain work together) got off to a very wet start this morning. But the liquid being spilt wasn’t wee, it was tears.

I’ve been having increasing issues with my bladder over the last year or so and they’ve been having a really disruptive effect on my sleep.…

I’ve been in bed for about five minutes and my body’s just starting to relax, with my incredibly soft duvet wrapped around me. But just before I slid into bed I had an unexpectedly emotional moment.

I’d been feeling quite sore so I decided to have a bath before bed.…

We’ve been in Zurich for the last few days. The flight back yesterday morning was only an hour and twenty minutes. But for a wheelchair user flying is nearly always stressful and yesterday’s flight was no exception.

For the last couple of years I’ve been experiencing chronic pain and fatigue, and more recently loads of issues with my bladder as well, which mean I need to go to the toilet very often and don’t get much warning.…

Our last morning in Portland was a bright one. We enjoyed a relaxed start, packing slowly and getting ready for the long trip back to the UK. By mid-afternoon we were on the first leg of our journey, a short flight from Portland to Phoenix, before the longer flight home.…

When I was at college I used to find seminars really stressful. When I wasn’t worrying about the noises and movements I was making I was battling to stay awake. Dark, warm rooms and the hypnotic whir of a projector would leave me fighting to keep my eyes open.…