Top 10 Posts of 2016

This has been a roller-coaster of a year (but aren’t they all). It’s actually been a pretty awesome year despite a few things that made it look like it was going to be terrible. One of the things that made the year look like it would be the worst is one of the reasons why this year has been awesome. We started the year with my mom being diagnosed with cancer, and we are ending the year with her cancer-free and healthy.

I also started the year with a lot of uncertainty regarding what I’d do with now that I was out of school. I knew I didn’t want to work for someone else but I thought I might have to. Thankfully, and idea that I had at the end of last year took hold and then Chronic Illness Bloggers really took off. We’ve had a really great first year – much better than I could have hoped for.

Through it all I’ve kept writing and with the help of some friends managed to keep this blog going and growing. That shows in this year’s Top 10 Posts, as several of them are actually guest posts.

1. Researchers Find a Neurological Signature for Fibromyalgia – we are getting closer and closer to finally having some real lab and imaging tests that can diagnose Fibromylagia.

2. Can Compression Socks Reduce Chronic Pain? – This guest post discusses how compression socks can be helfpul for relieving some types of chronic pain.

3. Talking with Your Doctor About Pain – In this guest post, Jim Sliney shares tips on how to talk with your doctor about pain, including making sure you are giving him all the right info in the way that he needs it.

4. Working with Chronic Illness – Need some ideas on how to make a living despite your chronic illness? This post has you covered.

5. 7 Tips for Dealing with Fibromyalgia – Is just what it sounds like.

6. Increased Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Patients with Fibromyalgia – this medical study shows an increase of certain types of stroke in those with Fibromyalgia.

7. What Chronic Illness Has Taught Me – Too often we focus on the negatives of living with chronic illness, but in many ways I’m thankful for my life with chronic illness as it has taught me a great deal.

8. How to Travel with Fibromyalgia – Just because you live with Fibromyalgia doesn’t mean you can’t travel, it just means you have to do it differently.

9. 11 Tips for Exercising with Chronic Pain – This guest post covers not just what exercises are best but tips for how to do them in a way that won’t aggravate your pain.

10. 12 Products I Can’t Live Without – These are my must-have products. The products that travel with me (if they can) or that I miss most when I travel (if they can’t).