DR ELLIE CANNON: Why do I keep on getting a pain in my chest at bedtime? Q. A few years ago I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. I take medication for it but have recently begun to feel a pain in my chest when I go to bed and when…
I'm 24 and my spine is slowly wearing away – with no cure in sight
It began as an ache in my neck. Seemingly overnight, the simple task of lying down had become a complex equation. Pain spread like a weed in the space between my vertebrae. Imagine crumpling a plastic bag in your hand – this was the sound I heard when I turned…
I froze my eggs at 33, but I should have longer than 10 years to use them
I’ve always wanted to be a mum, but I know I’m not yet ready. So, two years ago, aged 33, I spent £5,000 to successfully freeze 16 eggs. Social egg freezing, which is when you do it for non-medical reasons, was something I’d been considering for years – since my…
Kailyn Lowry: My Pregnancy Is High-Risk Because of My Weight
Her fourth pregnancy is turning out to be unlike the others. Kailyn Lowry opened up about how her weight has factored into her road to delivery. Every Time Kailyn Lowry Clapped Back at Mom-Shamers “I am at the heaviest weight I’ve ever been — before I got pregnant and then…
Lockdown has made me face my eating disorder and finally get help
Just days after my 33rd birthday, with trembling hands and eyes blurred by tears, I picked up the phone. Content warning: This article contains frank discussion on eating disorders. Embarrassment, shame and guilt flooded my body as I spoke to an adviser called Laura* from the eating disorder charity BEAT….
How I'm Raising My Black Son to Be Free & Fearless Despite the Killings of Men Like Him
My son is brown. Dark-brown-sugar-left-on-the-stove-to-caramelize brown. He is short and muscular, with a wide back and a high, track booty like his dad. He is deep-voiced despite his mere five years. He’s full of gumption, eye rolls, and head cocks, with a smart mouth and lip smacks. He is expressive….
I'm using lockdown to finally kick my smoking habit
I took my first puff on a cigarette before puberty had even reared its ugly head. At the age of 11, I was camping in the garden with a family friend when I begged him to let me try one of the cigs he kept carefully hidden from his parents. As…
The worst thing I did after my cancer diagnosis was Google it
It is terrifying to hear you have a disease that kills thousands of people globally every day. Just moments after hearing ‘Kris, unfortunately you do have breast cancer’, my body and mind drifted to another dimension. Whatever words my doctor was saying turned into nonsensical noise. I vaguely remember him…
'My doctor said my symptoms were the after-effects of having kids'
You Don’t Look Sick is our weekly series, discussing invisible illness and living with a condition that other people can’t see. This week, we’re talking to Jane Edwards, 45, from Stamford, Lincolnshire, who has a rare autoimmune disease called vasculitis, which means that her immune system attacks her blood vessels…
My day on a plate: Siobhan Boyle
Charity CEO Siobhan Boyle, 39, shares her day on a plate. Siobhan Boyle is the CEO of The Good Foundation. 8.30am After waking up to make a batch of brownies for today’s meetings, then going for a swim and walk, breakfast is crushed avocado with poached eggs, homemade dukkah and Persian…
Why I Don't Want My Kids to Be "the Best" at Anything
My six-year-old daughter scored several goals in her last soccer game. She plays on a mixed-gender team and stands out as one of the best athletes in the league. Even at a young age, coaches and parents see something in her that other kids may develop but don’t have yet. She…