Pain Is Personal

Optimism

Good Hope and Bad Hope

Jennifer Sarche MPH on May 13, 2024

Personal Perspective: There must be a line between the good hope that gets me up in the morning and to physical therapy and the bad hope that is unrealistic and can break my heart.

Personal Perspective: There must be a line between the good hope that gets me up in the morning and to physical therapy and the bad hope that is unrealistic and can break my heart.

Personal Perspectives

How to Ask for and Receive Help

Jennifer Sarche MPH on April 10, 2024

Personal Perspective: Asking for help is hard, but instead of being ashamed or embarrassed, I feel insanely proud that I have built a community willing and ready to surround me.

Personal Perspective: Asking for help is hard, but instead of being ashamed or embarrassed, I feel insanely proud that I have built a community willing and ready to surround me.

Trauma

Medical Trauma Is Real

Jennifer Sarche MPH on March 10, 2024

The challenges before me as I prepare for this next surgery and the six-months-to-a-year of recovery are huge. But, I am not going to let trauma-brain run my life.

The challenges before me as I prepare for this next surgery and the six-months-to-a-year of recovery are huge. But, I am not going to let trauma-brain run my life.

Chronic Pain

Goal Setting and Chronic Pain

Jennifer Sarche MPH on December 4, 2023

A Personal Perspective: Setting and achieving goals makes me more hopeful about my future, even with chronic pain and chronic illness.

A Personal Perspective: Setting and achieving goals makes me more hopeful about my future, even with chronic pain and chronic illness.

Trauma

My Dumb Right Hand

Jennifer Sarche MPH on November 9, 2023

A Personal Perspective: It took me months to seek the care I needed because medical trauma took my brain offline. What changed? A visit with my therapist. 

A Personal Perspective: It took me months to seek the care I needed because medical trauma took my brain offline. What changed? A visit with my therapist. 

Chronic Pain

An Ode to My Elevator

Jennifer Sarche MPH on August 21, 2023

A Personal Perspective: I'm practicing self-care as I manage living with chronic pain in a building with broken elevators.

A Personal Perspective: I'm practicing self-care as I manage living with chronic pain in a building with broken elevators.

Chronic Pain

A New Label for Me: Dynamic Disability

Jennifer Sarche MPH on August 3, 2023

A Personal Perspective: The label “dynamic disability” allows me to talk openly about what I can and can’t do, to share my experience with others, and to feel less alone.

A Personal Perspective: The label “dynamic disability” allows me to talk openly about what I can and can’t do, to share my experience with others, and to feel less alone.

Embarrassment

My Inner Critic Is Ridiculous

Jennifer Sarche MPH on May 16, 2023

A Personal Perspective: My challenge is to recognize when my shame is talking and assess what is helpful in what it tells me.

A Personal Perspective: My challenge is to recognize when my shame is talking and assess what is helpful in what it tells me.

Career

Standing with My Choir: Singing for Mental Health

Jennifer Sarche MPH on April 27, 2023

A Personal Perspective: On singing, community, disability, and asking for help.

A Personal Perspective: On singing, community, disability, and asking for help.

Embarrassment

Ableism in All Its Forms Is a Shame

Jennifer Sarche MPH on February 24, 2023

When Denver City Councilman Chris Hinds had to crawl onto an inaccessible stage for a public debate, it evoked strong feelings. Advocacy helps.

When Denver City Councilman Chris Hinds had to crawl onto an inaccessible stage for a public debate, it evoked strong feelings. Advocacy helps.

Career

Self-Advocacy and Invisible Disability

Jennifer Sarche MPH on February 9, 2023

A Personal Perspective: We need to get comfortable talking about disabilities and bodies that work differently.

A Personal Perspective: We need to get comfortable talking about disabilities and bodies that work differently.

Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain and Pain Assessment

Jennifer Sarche MPH on January 29, 2023

As a person in chronic pain, I’ve been asked approximately one zillion times by healthcare providers of all kinds to rate my pain on a scale of 1 to 10, and that worsens my pain.

As a person in chronic pain, I’ve been asked approximately one zillion times by healthcare providers of all kinds to rate my pain on a scale of 1 to 10, and that worsens my pain.