Welcome to Still Pain, where I blog about working and living gently while wrangling a host of chronic illnesses.

Hi, I’m Kym, a freelance writer, translator, editor and language teacher, with wide ranging hobbies and interests.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia. Now living in Leipzig, Germany, after a detour via Fukushima, Japan (yup, I was there during the earthquake).

I manage multiple painful chronic illnesses, and am a cancer and cPTSD survivor.

You’ll find discussions of my illnesses, treatments, various medical systems, and specific doctors (anonymised) on this blog, along with how I work and chase a multitude of hobbies and interests gently with a good amount of pacing.

Note: I am not a doctor or physical therapist. Please see your doctor to identify the actual cause of your pain, mental or physical, and determine which treatments are appropriate for you. I do not take responsibility for the outcomes of any action you take based on information from this site.

Why “Still Pain”?

Still is a word that defines chronic pain in many more ways than just the adverb meaning ‘from the past and into the future’.

Still is quiet, peaceful, at rest, calm, subdued, and even is a synonym for ‘and yet’, ‘even though’, and ‘nonetheless’.

I have never known life without pain of some kind or another. It waxes and wanes, with the moon, with the seasons, with therapies and medication, and over the years. But it’s always a minimum of a 4/10. And none of it is curable.

It will only ever be still there.

Hormone: endometriosis, PCOS, fibro-cystic breasts, lipedema, lymphedema, migraines, two types of breast cancer.

Inflammation / auto-immune: spondyloarthritis, psoriasis, IBS, enthesitis, chronic sinusitis, blepharitis, meibomitis, gingivitis, costochondritis, wrist tenosynovitis, shoulder bursitis, sciatica, Moreton’s neuromas, a torn meniscus and a slippy C2 joint in my spine (subluxation).

Secondary caused by the above: fibromyalgia, headaches, Reynaud’s phenomenon, bruxism, kidney disease, neuralgia, demodicosis, fat necrosis in the transplant, and (unsurprisingly) high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Add in a number of allergies, a couple of different hernias, GERD, tinnitis, and cPTSD from a 14-year childhood of daily sexual abuse.

I can overwhelm any doctor or specialist in a matter of minutes.

But I’m still here, gently working, living and enjoying life.

Hobbies?

I love cats, tea, coffee, and good food - both the cooking and the eating.

My vast hobbies would take a few lifetimes, if they could: sewing, knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, gardening, photography, reading, writing, anime, 3D printing, miniature painting, art of many types, music (both listening and playing), and gaming.

I am still shielding - immune-suppressed. It is not safe for me to be near people who don’t take strict pandemic precautions.

Support me

Hire me: I write, edit and translate from German into English for freelance clients, either independently or through Upwork (if 3rd party tracking is required).

Specialising in medical, legal (data privacy and contracts), IT, and any technical content. I’ve also written extensive marketing and economic content.

I’m open to art commissions and looking for new freelance writing/editing/translation clients.

Visit LearnedWords.com for my portfolio and more information.

Patreon: Originally started as a way to make ESL conversation class resources available to language teachers, but morphed into following everything that I’m learning and the creative projects I do along the way. If you want to support me, or follow my projects and learning journey, I’d love for you to join the Learned Words Patreon.

Ko-fi: A shop front for bundles of ESL language resources for English teachers and students, as well as original artworks for sale. You can also tip me a coffee.

Instagram: I post regular photos and occasional reels when energy allows - garden, cats, and crafts.

Mastodon: Toots about any topic that current lives in my head and needs an out. On a small instance at old.mermaid.town/@kymberly

Twitch: Sporadic crafting or co-working streams, when energy allows (rarely).

Youtube: Occasional garden videos and snippets from daily life, in a slower 1-second-a-day style. Subscribe and enable notifications if you enjoy my videos.

Zazzle: Some older photography on gift cards and other products. This may move in the near future.

I am extremely grateful to you for supporting me with your time, attention, and/or financial support.

Disclaimer: Occasionally I will endorse products, books or services which I personally use and love, for which I may receive commission.