My Several Worlds - Stories of Disability, Illness & Belonging

09/04/2026

Today is a . (High Intensity Pain Day) That means life has ground to a halt. No moving, no talking, no thinking, just existing.

Unfortunately I have already had to escalate with my MPP because my transfer into has been stalled for over a month. Eight months of waiting now and I was approved and recognized as disabled on Aug 4. At 1pm, I head in for a dental extraction, so this week has hit peak 💩.

High intensity pain feels like being wrapped in barbed wire.

When symptoms such as stabbing pain that feels like pins and needles, burning pain that makes you feel like every inch of your body is on fire, cramps, spasms and even electric shock pain that ricochet through your body.

It gets bad fast. When pain starts hitting at high intensity like that, depression follows fast and your mental health spirals. It really feels like you are dying.

~Carrie,

09/04/2026

Many thanks to Melissa Talwar at Fibromyalgia National Health Organization for featuring my journey with . Stay tuned for a major announcement coming up soon.

Learn top tips for
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https://supportfibromyalgia.org/fibromyalgia-warrior-journey-myseveralworlds-carrie/

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Inspiring Fibromyalgia Warrior Carrie. She shares her journey living in Taiwan with Ankylosing Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia, and ME/CFS.

09/04/2026

Throat Pain with MECFS and Fibromyalgia: A Rarely Talked About Symptom

I wrote this article many years ago and documented my voice loss in a video so others can see what happens.

Throat pain is a rarely talked about symptom with & patients. I lost a 20 year career in music thanks to this symptom. Many patients can relate to once they realize it's more common than you think. It's so common, I asked friends on Twitter and they submitted their experiences which you can read about in my article.
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Read about it: https://buff.ly/3148cFt

https://www.myseveralworlds.com/2021/03/21/throat-pain-with-fibromyalgia/

May 12 is and . Let's break the stigma and silence with these severe illnesses and talk more about the widespread devastation they can have on our lives.

Do you experience hoarseness and throat pain? I'd love to hear your experience.

09/03/2026

Imagine living with several diseases known as the most painful diseases in the world and they are measured as being equal to or higher than the pain experienced during childbirth.

Can't imagine it?

The McGill Pain Index recognizes it and built the index on patient responses. Here are some of the most painful experiences known to humans.

And yes, there are many more. This list is not exhaustive. If you are in pain, your disease or condition is likely represented on the McGill Pain Index which was created in the 70s at McGill University in Canada.

09/03/2026

Arthritis leg pain and fibromyalgia leg pain: What's the difference between the two? How can we tell?

"Learning how to live with extreme leg pain is a brutal life lesson that can often feel like you have no control over. In time, however, you might find yourself being able to work around it." (via My Several Worlds - Chronic Pain and Disability Awareness)

One of the most common questions I get in my groups for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Fibromyalgia in women is how to tell the difference between arthritis leg pain and fibromyalgia leg pain. This post explains the differences between the two while providing some clear guidelines on determining what's causing your leg pain. Remember that it could be both at play. It's common to get arthritis and fibromyalgia mixed up, but there are distinct differences you should know.
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https://www.myseveralworlds.com/2025/01/24/arthritis-leg-pain-and-fibromyalgia-leg-pain/

09/03/2026

"It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had."
~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Who is Elisabeth Kübler-Ross?

Her work helped revolutionize the care of the terminally ill and helped change attitudes toward pain control and death. She was known for having identified five stages of grief experienced by people who are chronically ill or living with terminal disease: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

[Carrie is seated in her wheelchair at home. She is wearing her My Several Worlds t-shirt. She is surrounded by mounds of scrap paper. Carrie is holding a framed collage that is a self portrait from before she got sick.]

09/03/2026

My Several Worlds: At the intersection of axSpA, fibromyalgia, and disability awareness in Asia.

✔️I was diagnosed with EBV at age 14
✔️I was diagnosed with axSpA when I was 34
✔️ I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, ME, and chronic migraine at age 36
✔️ By my 40s, I learned I also have Psoriatic Arthritis.
✔️ In July 2023, I learned I have a rare autoimmune blood disorder called APS.
✔️ In 2025, I was diagnosed with PSVT and ruptured bilateral Baker's Cysts. Then my marriage imploded and I went back to Canada and started rebuilding healthcare from the beginning.

The hits keep coming! It's a lot, but I've used the knowledge I've gained about life with illness and disability to carve out fantastic content for readers worldwide.

Check out my about About page on MSW to learn more
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https://www.myseveralworlds.com/carrie-kellenberger/

Some of these stats might surprise you! My mission with My Several Worlds is to connect, educate, and inspire chronically ill patients around the world, while also providing much needed resources in English to patients in Asia.

09/02/2026

I’m talking about the difference between CONSTANT and INTERMITTENT chronic pain for .

If you use pain or symptom trackers, it’s important to note what kind of pain you’re experiencing. Over time, patterns start to emerge. Those patterns help you build routines that work with your body instead of against it.

Here’s a pattern I’ve noticed, which is tied to weather and stress.

Most of the time, I live with high-impact, widespread CONSTANT chronic pain.

But this week, high-impact, widespread INTERMITTENT pain kicked in. It starts around 9am and then comes and goes for the rest of the day. At some point it will switch to CONSTANT drilling widespread pain again.

And honestly? Intermittent pain can feel worse.

With constant pain, your brain kind of adapts. It learns to compartmentalize.

With intermittent pain, it’s like getting hit over and over again with sharp, acute spikes that never quite let you settle.

That’s something I always take note of. New patterns go straight into my notes for my next appointment.

As for how I manage it?

Same as always:
rest, ice, compression, elevation… and more pain patches. 🤷‍♀️

👉 Follow My Several Worlds for daily updates.

09/02/2026

Baker's Cyst: A Painful Complication of Psoriatic Arthritis

One year ago today, I felt a pop and fluid running down the inside of my legs. I didn't know it, but I had bilateral Baker's Cysts that had ruptured behind both knees. This was the second of four major medical events in 2025 that I had zero assistance with. By Dec 3, I realized I needed to leave if I had any chance of getting real support for increasing health issues and declining health that, shockingly, started getting a tiny bit better when I left a toxic home life. Don't get me wrong. I'm still sufffering, but I am no longer suffering with someone who is withholding food, care, household assistance, or financial security.

Did you know PsA can sometimes trigger another painful condition called ?

Baker's Cyst is also known as . It's a fluid-filled lump that develops behind your knee. As it turns out, I had two very rare complications with this complication. I developed Baker's Cysts behind both knees and they both ruptured in August after my flight back to Taiwan.

I felt fluid running down the inside of my legs that should've prompted me to go to ER. I warriored through on ruptured knees on my regular meds.

So here's my tale of this painful aspect of Psoriatic Arthritis and what happens when these cysts rupture.
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https://www.myseveralworlds.com/2025/11/06/bakers-cyst-painful-complication-of-psoriatic-arthritis/

09/02/2026

This is Part 3 in my Repatriation Series. After returning to Canada from Taiwan, I had to rebuild more than healthcare. I had to learn how Canadian systems worked, who could help, and what support looked like when I was no longer carrying everything alone. What surprised me was how many people began helping me carry it.
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https://www.myseveralworlds.com/2026/06/25/rebuilding-trust-in-systems/








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After returning to Canada, I had to rebuild more than healthcare. I had to learn how Canadian systems worked & who could help. It surprised me that many people helped me carry it.
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https://www.myseveralworlds.com/2026/06/25/rebuilding-trust-in-systems/