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What a Pain
I’m Rach, creator of What a Pain! What a Pain started as a blog, and has since grown on several social media channels and Youtube. I write about life with chronic illness, but What a Pain is so much more than that!
What a Pain began in 2018, after I had to give up my career due to ill health. I was riding high after landing my dream job, marrying my best friend and having bought a beautiful home. My world came crashing down shortly after when I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
I had already been diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia in 2012, the diagnosis of RA followed in 2015 and I went on to be diagnosed with Hypothyroidism in 2020. I continued working with RA, but sadly my employer in 2016 refused to make reasonable adjustments when my health deteriorated. I fought to keep working, even going as far as an employment tribunal for Disability Discrimination. I am proud that I fought for my rights, and for those of disabled employees, but sadly the toll it took on my health was too great and I was unable to return to work.
Once I had taken some time to work on my mental and physical health, I set up What a Pain. I have always loved writing, and it seemed the most logical step. In 2019 I fell pregnant and shared my journey of navigating pregnancy and chronic illness. I had a very traumatic birth and have since become passionate about raising awareness of birth trauma and it’s implications. I was diagnosed with PTSD after having my son, and have shared extensively about that on my YouTube channel.
I am now 32, living in the North East of England with my amazing, supportive husband Dave, five year old rescue Lurcher Blue and almost two year old human child James.
I am passionate about raising awareness of the realities of living with chronic illness, and advocating for change in relation to disability discrimination and ableism. I also write about the realities of being a parent with chronic illness and how I navigate that. I love being a Mum, but as any parent knows it can be one of the toughest jobs in the world. I have also decided to start writing reviews from the POV of a disabled parent. Since having my son I have noticed it can be tough to find accurate information about accessibility for days out and family trips. We do a lot as a family, and I thought it may be useful to share reviews of the place we visit in relation to that. These will be largely in the North East of England, though any other places we visit will be included.
Feel free to get in touch at info@whatapain.co.uk for collaborations, sponsored pieces, social media queries, to suggest a place for review or anything more general. I’d love to hear from you!
