Sarah Bigham

Many thanks to Nancy Holzner and the Writing Together Meetup Group out of Ithaca, NY for hosting a very productive virtual writing session tonight. It was my very first Meetup experience plus I finished a poem! There really is something energizing about writing in community. Here's to more of these experiences in 2024!

Excellent description of chronic illness. I feel seen.

Opinion | 1,374 Days: My Life With Long Covid (Gift Article) Chronic illness has a way of picking apart your mind and breaking your heart.

I kept hearing about this book, but originally decided not to read it because I thought I had read (and written) a lot about invisible illness and needed a break. Then, a friend and colleague posted how seen she felt after reading the book. That changed my mind, and I am so glad I read it. If you live with an "invisible" illness or an autoimmune condition or Long COVID or any chronic condition OR if you love someone who does OR if you work in healthcare OR if you just want to learn more, this is a good book to choose.

Definitely worth the read

Learn more about banned books with this guide from the wonderful library staff at Frederick Community College: https://guides.frederick.edu/bannedbooks

If you are in the Frederick, MD area, you may also wish to attend one of these events!

This podcast explores yet another story of women's pain being dismissed (among other things).

‎The Retrievals on Apple Podcasts ‎True Crime · 2023

Many thanks to my friend and colleague Delaine for loaning this book to me. She knew it would resonate with me. If you have a chronic illness, this is for you. If you love someone with a chronic illness, you should also read it.

Summer creative projects

I do not know how those in perimenopause survived without air conditioning.

How to survive pollen season (if you have a mast cell disorder) . . .

*1 second-generation H1 antihistamine + 1 H2 antihistamine + 1 leukotriene inhibitor + 2 vials of Cromolyn + nasal spray w/ breakfast
*1 second-generation H1 antihistamine + 2 more vials of Cromolyn + more nasal spray w/ lunch
*1 second-generation H1 antihistamine + 3 more vials of Cromolyn + more nasal spray w/ dinner
*1 first-generation H2 antihistamine + 1 H2 antihistamine + 2 more vials of Cromolyn + more nasal spray at bedtime

+ 3 applications of eye drops + flare meds/supplements + coating of irritated/itchy skin with balm + spending as much time as possible indoors with HEPA filters running + using only unscented products + doing sinus rinses + avoiding trigger foods + sleeping with a cpap

If this book applies to you in any way, I recommend adding it to your reading list. So informative!

If you have wanted a copy of my book, but were waiting for a bargain, Amazon is now selling it for $5.34. If you love a sale, now's the time! 😁

Kind Chemist Wife: Musings at 3 a.m. Plagued with spiraling pain, and wandering the house in the middle of the night unable to sleep, Sarah Bigham began writing in a desperate attempt to distract herself. This collection of essays and poems traces memories and images in the life story of an ordinary person living a quietly extraordi...

I finished reading this at 3 AM. (It is normal for me to still be up at this hour, but it really is a great book!) Sexism, medical crises, the peril of being female in the healthcare system, and much, much more.

I love spring, but spring may be trying to kill me. (Like everyone else with seasonal allergies and/or mast cell disorders, I am struggling here in the Mid-Atlantic!) The photos below are from our deck and recycling bin. The pollen is everywhere! Wishing everyone a happy spring (and lots of Xyzal, if you need it).

Struggling with anything while also trying to run a household? This is the book for you! I loved it.

If you didn't catch this the first time around, here's a new opportunity to listen to this podcast interview.

Navigating Creativity with MCAD, Interstitial Cystitis, and Fibromyalgia: Sarah Bigham — Invisible Not Broken In this episode, Sarah and Monica delve into topics including combating the medical/wellness world, activism & activism, tapping into creativity, and much more.

Do I agree with everything in this book? No. Does it give us lots to think about? Yes. Was I finding many, many parts that resonated with me so much that I read them out loud to the cats? Absolutely!

When you live with chronic illness + your specialist increases the dose of your med + writes the script for 3 months. . . even the pharmacist laughs!

Just delightful. I love this series.

Are you feeling overworked? Overscheduled? Exhausted? (Most everyone I talk to seems to be.) This book by Celeste Headlee is for you. "Reclaim your time and reclaim your humanity." I heard her speak at the National Book Festival this month and knew I needed to read this. I am so glad I did.

Migraine series. Made with expired medication. Painted (during a migraine) by adding one (excruciating) drop of water at a time.

I always love these recommendations

Best Books 2022: Books We Love Here are 160+ great reads from the first half of 2022 handpicked just for you by NPR staff and trusted critics.

I have loved the expansion of virtual event options. The Smithsonian offers a host of online programs and I sign up for at least one a month. Tonight I learned about Preston Singletary, a Tlingit glass artist.

https://www.prestonsingletary.com/
https://www.si.edu/events/online

Need a summer read? This one is great! I absolutely loved it.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: 9780385547345 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • A must-read debut! Meet Elizabeth Zott: a one-of-a-kind scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a...

Unite Against Book Bans We should trust individuals to make their own decisions. Raise your voice for everyone's freedom to read.

I finally read this. (Thanks to Delaine Welch for lending me her copy.) As I once told a colleague: "My outrage knows no bounds." I needed to read this, and so do you.

I just finished this book and it was EXCELLENT! We all need to learn more about disability, ableism (it is embedded in our culture), disability history, accessibility, and more.

I received links to this NYT piece from several people. Clearly, it is resonating. The article is definitely worth reading, but do not miss the comments. As someone who lives with chronic illnesses that cause pain, I have endless stories of being dismissed. We must demand change.

Female patients and people of color are more likely to have their symptoms dismissed by medical providers, studies show.
New York Times readers shared their experiences with what many refer to as "medical gaslighting." Read more: https://nyti.ms/3qY5Zc6

I never thought much about my pelvic floor, until I was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis. It turns out our pelvic floors are really important! Reading about the experiences of others who cope with chronic conditions has helped me, and has introduced me to medical conditions I knew little about. I just finished this book, by a woman who lives with incontinence. 1 in 3 women will experience incontinence at some point, and hundreds of millions of people around the world live with incontinence. I had no idea the numbers were SO high! This is a great book for learning more about incontinence, pelvic floors, finding treatment for chronic (and potentially embarrassing) conditions, getting help for the depression that may go with such conditions, etc. Thanks to everyone talking about their bodies, breaking stigmas, and helping us all be real.

Thanks to Shannon Fisher for featuring me on her podcast! (Shannon and I have been friends since our college days, and had a lot to discuss!)

Sarah Bigham on Our Lives with Shannon Fisher Part 1 by Our Lives with Shannon Fisher Kind Chemist Wife: Musings at 3 a.m., is a collection of essays about moments in Sarah Bigham's life that range from the mundane to the monumental. In Part 1 of this conversation, Shannon and Sarah discuss creative expression, academia in the age of COVID-19, and living with chronic illness. Our Liv...