{"id":316,"date":"2019-11-02T17:34:49","date_gmt":"2019-11-02T17:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coachambermcauley.com\/?p=316"},"modified":"2023-11-22T13:43:52","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T13:43:52","slug":"mapping-out-my-new-work-life-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coachambermcauley.com\/2019\/11\/02\/mapping-out-my-new-work-life-balance\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping Out my New Work\/Life Balance"},"content":{"rendered":"

A clinician recently told me that I’m wearing rose coloured glasses and said I need to take them off, admit I have a problem, and accept help\/treatment.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I’ve been grappling with chronic pain for many years and have had an ongoing battle with trying to find my work\/life balance.<\/p>\n

I’ve decided to share a little bit of my experience with chronic pain. This way, if you, your colleagues, or someone in your family ever experience something similar, you\u2019ll have some insights on what I’ve explored and found helpful for my situation, and perhaps it will be supportive.<\/p>\n

Here’s an overview:<\/p>\n

Ten years ago, as a result of ongoing pain in my neck, hips and feet, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. For about two years I did a ton of yoga, qigong, meditation, made significant changes to my diet, naturopath\/supplements, spoke to counsellors\/therapists, positive self-talk\/affirmations, took prescription drugs, osteopathy, chiropractic, physiotherapy, acupuncture, massage, and and and\u2026<\/p>\n

I was determined and willing to try anything to get rid of the pain and felt defeated when none of the above gave me lasting relief. So, I chose to simplify my efforts, keep my stress levels down and be grateful for the health I did have. My osteopath at the time was convinced I had a blood condition and encouraged me to seek more testing, but I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

For several years I was all-in-all happy with my health. Even though I experienced a lot of stress surrounding life events (including, a separation, relocation, death of loved ones, loss of job, and sending a child off to university) my body was resilient and I felt proud of how I managed to keep chronic pain flare ups at bay.<\/p>\n

And then, my body crashed with a relapse of overwhelming pain in Dec. 2018.<\/p>\n

I decided to take my osteopath\u2019s advice from years ago about getting further blood tests and went to a clinic in Toronto that focuses on specialized blood tests. It turns out my immune system is significantly compromised. I\u2019m living with high levels of mold toxicity, Lyme disease, and 3 different autoimmune markers.<\/p>\n

Here are a few interesting points I’ve learned:<\/p>\n