A banner with party hats and balloons in the background and some screenshots of things on top. There is text that says "help me celebrate my birthday by supporting Action for ME" and then there is a screenshot of Oscar's 250k for ME part 2 showing he has raised 74% of his fundraising target and asking you to donate, alongside a screenshot of BBC One's Lifeline with a message that Action for ME is next on on Sunday at 2.50pm and a request for you to watch.

It's my birthday next week & these would make my day!

1) Sponsor Oscar's fundraising challenge. He is currently just over halfway.

www.justgiving.com/page/oscar-2...

2) Watch BBC Lifeline on Sunday 26th April at 2.50pm when @actionforme.bsky.social will be on.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...

It really is! The success rate at appeal remains super high, which just proves the DWP declines it in hopes people will be unable to fight.

Help raise £1000 to Fund my PIP Appeal – JustGiving Crowdfunding Iʼm raising money to Fund my PIP Appeal. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

My friend Kenzie (who was one of my co-editors on @notcomingout.bsky.social) needs to raise £1,000 to get legal help from an advocacy firm with her PIP appeal.

For those who don't know, PIP is the UK disability benefit. Kenzie has ME/CFS. Please help if you can 💙

www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

I flew through yesterday on adrenaline and crashed spectacularly in the evening.

My AuDHD didn't help - I ended up in hyperfocus and couldn't stop even when my body was screaming at me.

Needless to say, the PEM is immense today. I feel horrific 😫

An illustration of 3 people holding a trans flag. One is a white person with long brown hair in a wheelchair, one is a brown person with long red hair crouching down, and one is a white person with short pink hair standing up. This is on a trams flag background with white text that says Trans Day Of Visibility - Let's Highlight the Voices of the Trans Community.

Happy Trans Day of Visibility.

I want to use my space to raise up the voices of Trans people.

If you're trans, feel free to post links to your profile, fundraiser, books, artwork, business etc in the comments.

And if you are cis, like, share, go follow and support them.

#TransDayOfVisibility

An ebook version of the book The Inadequaxy of Words by Amanda Shortman. The cover is cream with a pale blue splash of colour and a line drawing of a face with eyes closed. There is black text that says: Free poetry book about disability, chronic illness, mental health, and neurodiversity, 30th & 31st March at IndieVisibleEvents.Com. There are arrows coming out of the book to point at various themes - chronic pain, anxiety, isolation, chronic fatigue, identity, unreliable bodies, resilience, and medical battles

Can you help me get into double digits with downloads of my book during the Indie Visible Charity Book Sale?

It is completely free, and a perfect read for anyone living with disability, chronic illness, mental health issues, or neurodiversity.

www.indievisibleevents.com

Sending love - any procedure is scary, especially when it is something like this, add in anxiety and it's no wonder you feel so awful 😢❤️

I'm really struggling. I don't know if it's fallout from my cardiology appointment or hormonal shifts due to Zoladex, but I'm swinging between rage, sadness, and numbness.

Just sharing, as I want to try and stay ahead of any mental health spiral. Will be talking to the GP about it on Friday.

@theajane.bsky.social has jist been having this dame argument over on Threads 😔

Black text on a pastel background that says: She’d never known sex like this, this absurd, bewildering mixture of lust, mind-boggling pleasure, laughter, and silliness, but it was perfect. -The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna She’d always known exactly what I needed, never pushing or pulling beyond the boundaries known only by the intimacy of sex, and exploration, and care. Like how the smallest of touches on this part of my body could reduce me to tears, but this part would make me cry from laughter at the absurd nature of our relationship. Forever a bewildering combination of sex and supplication, a mixture of can and can’t, and do and don’t, of ‘YES! Don’t stop!’ and ‘ARGH! That hurts!’ - lust broken by a popped hip or muscle cramp, that mind-boggling experience of seeking pleasure in a wonky body. Laughter carried us through it all, laughter and care for the other, always as silliness reigned and the weight of the world dropped. But here in the folds of the bed, this dance of ours, it taught me the greatest lesson of all, which was that we are perfect in our imperfection.

It's World Poetry Day. So I thought it was high time I shared this with the world ☺️

I wrote it to submit to an anthology. It wasn't successful, and I haven't known what to do with it since.

But it's one of my favourite poems ever. It sums up so much of mine & @theajane.bsky.social's relationship.

A hardback copy of the book Tortall A Spy's Guide by Tamora Pierce. It has a black cover with two crossed keys on the front.

Day 31

I keep forgetting to post these on here, but I thought my fellow author friends might appreciate this one.

It's an out of print book by my very favourite author. I've been looking for a copy for years, and finally found one on Vinted. I can't wait to read it! 😃

#40DaysOfGratitude

White text on a red background that says The Zoladex Diaries The First Week. There is an illustration of a white woman with long dark hair wearing a yellow tshirt and pink knickers and holding her hands in front of her belly in pain.

White text on a red background that says: things to note. Zoladex has been prescribed due to Endo and Adeno. I have used GnRH analogues before, but usually Synarel. The one time I used Zoladex, I became intensely paranoid. We hope it was a HRT issue and not the zoladex itself. It's just one more step in a very long process, I hope it helps.

White text on a red background that says symptoms so far. I've had more migraines and dizziness, but that could be due to other factors. I've had a significant increase in joint pain and instability. I've had some mild spotting. The thought of food makes me feel sick, even when hungry. I feel a little more emotional than usual, but so far so good.

I had my first Zoladex injection last Friday. Here's how it's going.

The weirdest change has been my aversion to food. That happened last time I had Zoladex too - I survived on gluten free fishfingers and spaghetti for weeks 🙈

Trying to keep it a bit more varied this time. But 🤢

Remembered it was non-uniform day today just as O's mini bus arrived. That was the quickest outfit change ever 😂 So glad I remembered at the last moment, so he didn't stick out as the only kid who forgot!

Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment: Call for Evidence This Call for Evidence is being administered by DWP on behalf of the Timms Review steering group and seeks to gather feedback and insight relating to the areas outlined in the Terms of Reference of th...

If you have experience of PIP, the Timms Review has released a call for evidence. You have until 28th May 2026 to take part.

www.gov.uk/government/c...

Amanda, a middle aged white woman with long, dark auburn hair is sitting in the garden in front of a wall and fence with a climbing rise and bug house on them. She is wearing a pale blue dress with pink flower print and tintm.d glasses. She also has drop earrings with painted red dragon wings on the

40 Days of Gratitude | Day 29

Today I am grateful for a beautiful, sunny day 😎

We've managed to do a bit of gardening, and now I am reclining in a chair in the shade to rest whilst listening to the birds. Bliss.

#40DaysOfGratitude

Just managed to dictate 875 words for my WIP whilst laying in bed, nursing a migraine.

No idea how badly it has picked up the words 🤔 and it's going to need me to edit in punctuation properly later (I am still not used to that bit).

But that's 875 words that wouldn't have been written otherwise 😃

Does anyone else find that the Cefaly electrodes never seem to remain properly sticky for long?

I'm pretty sure it is not user error, given I have 2 other TENS machines with a variety of electrodes that last several times as long.

It costs me a fortune replacing them each month.

#Migraine

a cartoon of a cat holding flowers on top of the earth Alt: a cartoon of a cat holding flowers on top of the earth and the words, "the world is so much more beautiful with you in it"

Hey you. Yes, you! Come close, I have something important to tell you...

You are amazing ☺️

I know it might not feel that way right now, but I see it. You are incredible.

And I am so happy you are here today ❤️

Same info as in text

MEET ME ON ST PATRICK’S DAY is FREE until the 18th!

☘️ second chance romance
🇮🇪 chance encounters
☘️ mental health rep
🇮🇪 plus-size pan Irish MMC
☘️ slow burn (like, years)
🇮🇪 NYC setting
☘️ right person, wrong time

Available mostly everywhere you get your ebooks including itch.io & ko-fi!

Keeping everything crossed for you 🤞

My book is free this month for #LongCovidAwarenessMonth

It's made to be as accessible as possible, whilst still sharing insights into life with chronic illness that are punchy enough to grab the attention of those around you. I hope it helps.

Much solidarity to you all ❤️

books2read.com/u/3RAgOY

A handwritten message that says: Dear mum I'm so lucky to have a mother as generous as you Love from Oscar Xxoox

Day 26

Today is Mother's Day in the UK. This was what O wrote in my card 🥹

O was only 3 when I got sick with ME/CFS. He doesn't remember a non-sick version of me. And I often grieve for all the things we've lost. But it turns out he's more focused on other parts of who I am 🥰

#40DaysOfGratitude

Thanks ❤️ My sister used earlier versions of that software for her MA, but she got help from the uni to cover the cost. I'm just a poor writer 😂

I tried Google docs, but could not get the voice commands for punctuation to work 🤷‍♀️ so I'm now trialling Word. It's not perfect, but words are on the page!

Hey fellow authors 👋

Do any of you use a voice to text option for writing that you would recommend?

I am frustrated by how rarely I can sit at my laptop & write due to health issues.

I use an android phone and windows laptop - ideally I'd dictate on my phone & edit on laptop later.

Thanks ☺️

Thank you ❤️

You just had to go there 😂

The side of my right boob really fucking hurts 😫

Is this the first symptom from my Zoladex injection (seems rather quick, I only had it yesterday), or is it my lymph nodes swelling from this virus (seems a bit late, I've been sick all week)? 🤔

I have THE WORST migraine today. It's one of those where you feel like your whole body is dying 😭

And I just gagged, literally gagged, when @theajane.bsky.social kissed me 😳

She just smells so *wrong* to me when I get like this. In a way I cannot explain. I hate it.

Um... I just learned about human chimeras. And, well, now I'm wondering if I am one...

When I was born there was a twin placenta, but no twin. So there is every chance I absorbed my twin's DNA whilst in utero.

My parents always joked I must have got my twin's share of issues 😂