A little while ago, my doctor told me that I need to convalesce. My instinct? To record a podcast episode about convalescence. In which I was called out (kindly) for that being my first instinct.

The episode is, I think, a fascinating conversation about what realistic convalescence in 2023 looks like when you live with a long-term health condition and can’t just disappear to “go and take the sea air”.

After a difficult few months, exacerbated in the last few weeks, I was putting the finishing touches to my script for the first episode of The Rest Room for 2023 (all about Post-Exertional Malaise), when I realised that I just need to take a break.

My capacity for work, or even basic tasks of daily living, and the impact they have on my ability to function has changed. So, after stubbornly clinging to some of my own projects for my own sense of wellbeing, it finally hit me that I need to respect my need to stop, rest, and recover.

It feels appropriate, then, that this episode is about convalescence. It’s a topic that good friend of the podcast, Jo Southall, and I arranged to talk about long before I decided to take a break. And I’m so glad that we did.

In it, we discuss:

* How we contextualise “health” in a modern world 

* How to start incorporating convalescence into everyday life 

* Exploring presenteeism, plateaus, and the stress bucket

* Learning to give yourself permission to rest

* Shifting your mindset when it comes to rest and recovery 

* How to convalesce at home

* Whether technology has affected our ability to convalesce…

…and much more.

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A huge thank you to TGA Mobility for sponsoring this episode. They believe that when it’s hard to move, you needn’t stop living.

Over Christmas, I had the opportunity to borrow and test out their new, foldable Whill F powerchair on my trip to Germany, and it helped me travel comfortably and independently. I have to say I was thoroughly impressed, it was incredibly comfortable and so easy to use, fold, and transport.

I know that buying a wheelchair is a big decision, but for if and when the time is right, TGA are offering 10% off new scooters and powerchairs for Rest Room listeners with code RESTROOM10.

Find me on Substack at natashalipman.substack.com.

Do you experience Post-Exertional Malaise? I have for a number of years now, and it can be utterly debilitating.

But, like the term “brain fog”, I know what PEM means, what it feels like, subjectively, but I didn’t know all that much about what we actually mean when we talk about PEM.

What’s actually happening inside our bodies when we experience these exacerbation of symptoms hours or days after exerting ourselves?

These are questions I’ve been pondering for a while, so I’m delighted to be joined for this episode by Todd Davenport, a Professor at the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of the Pacific in California in the US. Todd has been involved in pioneering studies of Post-Exertional Malaise in ME/CFS patients using CPET exercise techniques and has such fascinating insights and understanding of PEM, which I can’t wait to share with you.

In this episode we cover:

* The science of PEM

* What are the symptoms of PEM

* How to recognise it

* What triggers it

* What we can do to reduce PEM

* A realistic conversation about pacing to mitigate PEM…

…and much more!

To listen, you can just click play at the top of this email, or you can listen on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and Google.

If you’d rather read the transcript of the episode, I’ve made that available on my blog.

Please note: if you receive this email within the first few hours of it being sent out, it might take a few hours for the podcast to filter through to some of the podcast platforms like Amazon or Spotify.

Thanks to my brilliant producer Philly Guillou at OG Podcasts, to Lucy Dove for the episode art, and to Amit Rai for my intro music.

This year has been the best one yet when it comes to this podcast. I’ve been working with an amazing producer (big shoutout to Philly Guillou!) which means we’ve been able to consistently release two episodes a month - and with her support I’ve been able to start working on the kind of content I always felt like I needed when I was younger and early on in my diagnosis.

I’ve learned so much from our guests, and we’ve shared stories, laughs, and a few tears along the way, too.

Instead of releasing something new, I wanted to take some time to look back and reflect on the year we’ve had. There were simply too many brilliant moments from the show in 2022 to share them all, but I’ve picked out some of my favourites which I hope you’ll enjoy.

They might even serve as a good reminder during a difficult time - I definitely benefitted from re-listening to some of the tips, tricks, and hopeful messages.

In this episode we look back on:

* Recognising flare-ups

* The importance of pacing - and some excellent practical tips for how to do it (that doesn’t require endless time just zonked out in a darkened room)

* How to break the ‘boom & bust’ cycle

* The problem with how we conceptualise “self-management”

* What brain fog actually is

* Becoming sick as a child, and how our relationship to our health can change over time

* Navigating relationships with chronic illness

* Listener experiences of navigating work with chronic illness

…and much, much more!

Read the transcript on my blog.

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