IrishHealthHour chats to Colette Coughlan

So look forward to sharing with you this conversation on pain management by Colette Coughlan, although it is so much more than that.  

Colette says;

"Until October 12 1995 I was a fully functioning member of the human race.   I was a driven, type A personality, sorting out the world for myself and anyone else who wanted me to do so.   I was Chairperson of the Residence Committee and had my own relatively new business.

I am a former banker, who left went to Ballymaloe and did my Certificate Course in Food and Wine, did a Certificate Stage A course in Wine and Spirit Trust and also cake decorating courses.

I absolutely loved what I was doing although I worked very, very hard  I was in psychologically abusive marriage with 2 young children and I looked after them 110% of time.

On the 12th of October 1995 I was on my way to a meeting when I was hit by a jeep from behind, my rear passenger door and my door, pushed to other side of the road and all I remember was a large Scania type vehicle beginning to jack knife as he attempted to brake".

Colette brings us on her journey of dealing with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, chronic myofascial pain, adrenal fatigue, ME, TMJ and more.  

She says "I could go on and on. I am more than my illness, far more and I have so much to offer. I just need to work out how to do more in a very controlled manner whilst respecting my body. Medically, it is a known fact that lazy people do not usually develop ME. I often wonder if I had been in the bank and had put my feet up as high as they would go would I be where I am now or would this not illness not have taken over my life. Life is what it is so I don't ponder on this very often".

Colette is an inspiration to us on dealing with pain on a day to day basis.  She is also the host of @ablehour on Twitter and tells us more about this on the call.