9 ~ Sex, intimacy & chronic illness: the conversation no one is having

In this episode, Marcus and I are talking about sex, intimacy, chronic pain and chronic illness. We’re having an honest conversation about how disability, pain, fatigue and body changes can affect intimacy, relationships and self-confidence.When you live with chronic illness or disability, intimacy can feel complicated. It can bring up insecurity, awkwardness, grief, fear, body image struggles and a lot of questions that people often don’t talk about out loud.In this episode, we share our own experience of navigating intimacy after my accidents, while living with CRPS, FND, chronic pain, spasms and fatigue. We talk about what changed for us, what felt hard, what helped, and why communication became such a big part of finding each other again, not just as patient and carer, but as partners.We talk about:sex and intimacy with chronic illnesshow chronic pain and disability can affect relationshipsthe impact of body changes on confidence and self-imagehow to talk to your partner about intimacywhy intimacy is about more than sexrebuilding trust, safety and connection in a relationshipThis episode is for people living with chronic illness, chronic pain or disability, and for partners who want to better understand how to navigate intimacy together.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Topic05:30 Impact on Romanticism and Spontaneity11:18 Balancing Caregiver and Partner Roles17:00 Laughter and Lightheartedness22:24 Diverse Forms of Intimacy35:48 Exploring Different Forms of IntimacyIf this episode resonates, I’d love for you to leave a review, share it with someone who needs it, or send me a message on Instagram with your thoughts or questions. And if you’d like us to record a part 2 on this topic, let me know!