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    Getting Government assistance | Overcoming Obstacles

    Can you work while applying for disability?

    ByAlison Hayes June 15, 2018September 5, 2019

    I was fortunate enough to never need to ask that question. When I applied, I was physically unable to work due to symptoms and had lost two jobs in the previous three months.  My parents helped me through the wait financially, and I focused on my treatments and healing process.  I did not even think…

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  • wrong way signs indicate you may be misdiagnosed by your doctor!
    Dealing with Doctors | Overcoming Obstacles

    Misdiagnosed by your doctor? Here are ways to minimize and mitigate the damage!

    ByAlison Hayes June 8, 2018February 18, 2020

    There are times when doctors, very simply, are wrong.  There are also times when they do not know the answer. Mistakes can and will happen, and your goal as a patient is to make sure you are properly diagnosed by your doctor.  Making sure you aren’t misdiagnosed!  If your doctor does not know what your…

    Read More Misdiagnosed by your doctor? Here are ways to minimize and mitigate the damage!Continue

  • Maintaining mental health while filing for disability
    Overcoming Obstacles | Getting Government assistance

    Maintaining mental health while filing for disability

    ByAlison Hayes June 1, 2018May 4, 2022

    Filing for disability put me in a depressive funk that left me exhausted, and the process of filing the paperwork literally took me weeks because I couldn’t work on it for more than ten to fifteen minutes at a time before I was physically unable to continue.  Filing for disability, in itself, was an emotional…

    Read More Maintaining mental health while filing for disabilityContinue

  • How healthy is your mind? a girl with the left half of her face made up to appear like a skull
    Strategizing for success | Taking care of yourself

    How healthy is your mind?

    ByAlison Hayes May 25, 2018May 27, 2022

    When you are injured or ill, there is a lot of focus on healing your body, but your mind’s health(mental health) is a huge factor in your recovery process. Since this is mental health awareness month I wanted to talk about the relationship between physical and mental health. The question I have for you is…

    Read More How healthy is your mind?Continue

  • why friendships fall apart after illness or injury - a woman with arm outreached short of the hand reaching down to her
    Social connections

    Why friendships fall apart after severe illness or injury

    ByAlison Hayes May 18, 2018July 16, 2022

    It is terrifyingly easy to become socially isolated after a serious injury or illness.  It doesn’t happen to all people, as there are a lot of variables. The quality of the friends that you have before your trauma is one of those important details that will affect your friendships post-injury.  Friendships and social interaction are…

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  • Internal Physical Therapy: Should I see a pelvic floor physical therapist?
    Dealing with Doctors

    Internal Physical Therapy: Should I see a pelvic floor physical therapist?

    ByAlison Hayes May 11, 2018January 10, 2020

    For both urge and stress incontinence, the best treatment is actually physical therapy.  You’ll probably have to do some digging, but there are physical therapists(many of them are DPT’s(doctors of physical therapy) as opposed to having a master’s in physical therapy) out there who focus in on pelvic floor health and rehabilitation.  Do some searching…

    Read More Internal Physical Therapy: Should I see a pelvic floor physical therapist?Continue

  • Stop mental health stigma!
    Taking care of yourself

    Stop mental health stigma!

    ByAlison Hayes May 4, 2018April 27, 2021

    This month is mental health awareness month! In honor of that, I intend to make sure that my posts for the month have more of a mental health focus. Today, I want to talk about the stigma that is placed on mental health, and what we can do to fight it off. So what is…

    Read More Stop mental health stigma!Continue

  • Seeing a specialist: getting the most out of your appointment
    Dealing with Doctors

    Seeing a specialist: getting the most out of your appointment

    ByAlison Hayes April 27, 2018January 12, 2022

    When trying to get diagnosed, you are often told your next step is seeing a specialist.  This is an indicator that your GP can’t easily figure out what’s going on, and wants you to see a doctor who focuses in on whatever system of yours seems out of whack.

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  • man and woman bathroom signs indicating they can't hold it much longer
    Taking care of yourself

    I have to pee all the time! Urinary urgency and incontinence

    ByAlison Hayes April 20, 2018April 27, 2021

    Roughly one in three women will experience urgency(that desperate feeling of needing to pee right now) or incontinence(not being able to keep the pee in until reaching the toilet) at some point in her life.   It is more frequent later in life or shortly after childbirth, but it can hit any woman at any…

    Read More I have to pee all the time! Urinary urgency and incontinenceContinue

  • Self-care with FND: 8 ways you can help yourself #letstalkfnd
    Strategizing for success | Functional Neurological Disorder(FND) | Taking care of yourself

    Self-care with FND: 8 ways you can help yourself #letstalkfnd

    ByAlison Hayes April 13, 2018September 29, 2022

    Today, in celebration of FND Awareness Day, I want to focus on my fellow FNDers.  For anybody wanting more details on what FND is and how it works, here is my guest-post about FND to promote awareness.  In a nutshell, Functional Neurological Disorder is a neurological condition where stress(especially emotional stress) is expressed in very…

    Read More Self-care with FND: 8 ways you can help yourself #letstalkfndContinue

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Meet The Author

Picture of Alison Hayes

Alison Hayes

As a person with a sometimes-invisible illness that straddles neurology and psychiatry (Functional Neurological Disorder), I've dealt with a lot of the stigma surrounding physical and mental illnesses and both visible and invisible illnesses. I want to help other people with disabilities to regain perspective and control over their lives through manageable steps and make their lives better, one step at a time.

Photography courtesy of Terry Manning(terrymakes.com)

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Disclaimer

I am not a doctor, lawyer, or therapist.  I am a person with a disability who has learned a lot about many aspects of living life with a disabling condition.  My posts are intended as jumping off points connected to the best knowledge I could find.  I cannot be held responsible for the decisions you make or the actions you take.  

For your reading pleasure

  • Functional Neurological Disorder(FND) (13)
  • Overcoming Obstacles (83)
    • Dealing with Doctors (31)
    • Getting Government assistance (36)
  • Strategizing for success (137)
    • Fabulous food (4)
    • Increasing your independence (13)
    • Social connections (33)
    • Taking care of yourself (76)
  • Uncategorized (3)

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