The Spoonies Community

Eline Duk
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Alternative Health

Chronic pain & illness is a noisy & lonely journey. One full of unanswered questions. The Spoonies Community with Eline Duk is a podcast for people who want practical tools, honest stories and a gentle but effective way to reclaim their life. Rooted in Eline’s own lived experience with chronic illness, and co-hosted by her husband Marcus Pask, the show is on the lookout for people who are living great, meaningful lives despite health challenges. Some episodes are honest, personal conversations where Eline and Marcus share how they manage living with chronic illness and the somatic, trauma-informed and other healing methods/practices that help. Other episodes are interviews with clinicians, researchers or other Spoonies who have navigated big transformations themselves to find purpose and joy. Whether you live with CRPS, FND, EDS, POTS, migraine, any other (in)visible condition or even without a diagnosis, you’ll find candid conversations about identity, grief and practical steps that actually move the needle. Show notes include episode transcripts, resources and links to free tools from The Spoonies Community. Subscribe to the podcast and join other Spoonies reclaiming energy, safety and agency over their own lives. Website: www.thespooniescommunity.com IG: www.instagram.com/thespooniescommunity

  1. 28 Sept

    S2E3 〜 Pregnant with CRPS: birth planning, body fears & parenting with chronic illness

    In this episode, Marcus and I are back with the conversation we kept pushing to the end of S2E1: what does it actually mean to give birth and become a parent when you have CRPS and FND? We're at 23 weeks now. The twenty-week scan was good and the baby is healthy, but a week ago the spasms came back for the first time in a while and Marcus had to help me through them. We'd both quietly hoped that part was settling. It had not. We also discussed how much to disclose about the medical history before birth. I told the midwife about my leg at the appointment and then immediately downplayed it, because I didn't want to be flagged as medically complicated from day one. But we're giving birth in Spain, and even though I speak the language, I cannot be the one navigating medical conversations in the middle of labour. Marcus doesn't speak Spanish. So we decided to work with a doula and a private midwife. How we came to that? You can listen to it in this episode! Then there's what 20 weeks of bedrest did to my body. With CRPS, stopping movement is one of the worst things that can happen, and I had no choice. And now I'm trying to rebuild that with a deadline, carrying more weight every week, with an inner voice telling me that fifteen minutes of physio is nothing. Even though I've worked with that voice for years. It still comes back every single time. This is not an episode with clean answers. Marcus talks honestly about what it's like to watch your partner go through spasms with no one to ask who's been there from that side. And I talk about the parts that made me insecure: whether I'll be able to get out of bed at night, carry her, walk around with her. The kind of mother I always imagined being, and what it looks like when the body you have might not quite match that picture. We talk about: how much to disclose your chronic illness to a medical team that doesn't know you or your historywriting a birth plan that includes what to do if spasms happen during labour, and why that conversation matters when you have CRPSworking with a doula in Spain so the delivery room team understands what's happening and neither of us has to manage it in the middle of labourwhat 20 weeks of bedrest actually does to chronic pain and to your headthe inner critic that makes starting over feel like failingthe fear of not being a "good mom": being able to get up in the night, carry her, walk around with her at 2am, and what we did with that fearwhat parenting with chronic illness might actually look likebuilding a parenting normal that works for our family instead of the one we always imagined and see around us This episode is for anyone navigating pregnancy or parenthood with chronic illness, chronic pain, or CRPS, or for the partners beside them figuring it out without a roadmap. Chapters 00:00 Catching up on 23 weeks and the spasms last week 01:28 Disclosing CRPS to the midwife and why I brushed it off 04:39 The birth plan, spasm protocol and the doula 07:06 20 weeks of bedrest and watching my leg get worse 11:41 Starting over with movement and the inner critic 15:30 The fear of parenting with limited mobility 22:32 The spasms coming back and what triggered them 31:00 Birth, pain tools and building our own normal If this episode resonates, please leave a comment and I will get back to you asap!

  2. 13 Sept

    S2E2 〜 Miller Kerr's CRPS story: from playground injury to healing through dance & Burning Hope

    In this episode, I'm joined by Miller Kerr. Miller got CRPS when she was 10 years old, from a knee to the thigh during a basketball game at recess. What should have been a bruise that faded in a week stayed. For six months, doctors called it a deep contusion, handed her crutches, and wondered quietly if she just wanted attention. Then her therapist finally figured out it was CRPS. And after a failed nerve block and a children's hospital that sent her home after a few days, her mum went full mama bear and got her into the Cleveland Clinic, a holistic program that got her walking again in six weeks. Back home in Dallas, Miller hid her CRPS for eight years. A single dance class turned into both her physical therapy and the place she finally stopped performing "fine." When she told her college teammates the truth at 18, they didn't doubt her. They reframed CRPS as her strength, and that shift changed everything. Today Miller runs Burning Hope, a nonprofit raising money for CRPS research and awareness so the next person who Googles complex regional pain syndrome doesn't find only darkness. We recorded this across two continents, me in Spain, Miller in Texas. We talk about: Getting CRPS at 10 from a playground injury and the six months nobody could name it Being doubted by doctors as a kid and what that does to you The Cleveland Clinic's holistic approach: OT, swimming, mind-body skills, and the lesson on acceptance What CRPS actually feels like, Miller's curling iron metaphor Hiding chronic pain for eight years so no one would look at you differently Finding dance and how it became both physical therapy and a reason to keep going Telling her college teammates the truth and the shift from weakness to strength Building your own pain scale instead of using the one in doctor's offices Starting Burning Hope, the 3K Walk Walk Strong, and the Blanket Project The fear of whether someone will love you with this part of your lifeWhat she'd tell her 10-year-old self This episode is for anyone living with CRPS, complex regional pain syndrome, chronic pain, or chronic illness, or anyone carrying a story they've never felt safe enough to share yet. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and how we connected 01:40 Who Miller was before CRPS 03:15 The playground injury and six months without a diagnosis 09:40 Getting the CRPS diagnosis 14:10 Getting into the Cleveland Clinic 16:17 Six weeks at the Cleveland Clinic and what actually helped 25:05 What is CRPS 29:42 Finding dance and hiding CRPS for eight years 35:08 Telling her teammates the truth and the mindset shift 41:09 How Miller's doing now and building your own pain scale 47:58 Burning Hope, the Blanket Project and what's next 56:06 What Miller would tell her 10-year-old self Please find more of Miller on: Instagram & Facebook: @millerckerr Burning Hope: www.burninghope.org Burning Hope on Instagram: @burninghopecrps If this resonates, I'd love for you to leave a review, share it with someone who needs it, or send me a DM on Instagram.

  3. 31 Aug

    S2E1 〜 Pregnant after miscarriage: our real first 18 weeks with HG & a subchorionic hematoma

    In this episode, Marcus and I are back for season two with news we've been keeping to ourselves for 18 weeks. We're expecting a baby girl, due on the 24th of January. But getting here was harder than we expected. We pick up where episode 11 left off, talking through the decision to try again after the miscarriage, what trying to conceive after loss actually looked like for us, and the emotional reality of that first positive test. Then around week five, the nausea arrived. And it was nothing like morning sickness. Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) kept me confined to a dark bedroom for weeks, unable to keep food or water down, losing four kilos. Marcus was in the US for the World Cup during the worst of it. Our neighbors came over every morning. I ended up in hospital in Ibiza for dehydration, and getting the right medication in Spain turned into a whole separate battle. Then, at 14 weeks, the pregnancy complications kept coming. I started bleeding. A subchorionic hematoma, a large blood clot in the uterus wall, four centimetres, found during a scan. It led to multiple hospital visits, including a 2am emergency in Edinburgh during what was supposed to be a holiday away. We talk honestly about what it was like to sit with that level of fear while already completely depleted. We talk about: the decision to try again after miscarriage and what that actually looked like for ustrying to conceive after loss without the pressure of trackinggetting pregnant on the first try again and the emotional weight of that first positive testHyperemesis Gravidarum (HG): what it actually is and why it's nothing like morning sicknessnavigating hospital visits and medication battles in Spain while severely dehydratedfighting to get the right HG prescription when doctors wouldn't prescribe itsubchorionic hematoma: what it is and how we navigated the fear of itfour weeks of daily bleeding and learning to sit with uncertaintypregnancy complications and chronic illness / CRPS (more in the next episode) This episode is for anyone who's been through pregnancy loss and is wondering what comes after, or anyone in the thick of a complicated first trimester who needs to feel less alone in it. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and big news03:30 The decision to try again after loss 08:00 Trying again without the pressure of tracking 12:00 The first positive test and how this pregnancy felt different 17:47 Hyperemesis Gravidarum begins (week 5) 21:39 Marcus in the US and surviving on neighbours' help 24:00 Hospital in Ibiza: dehydration and the medication battle 28:47 Scotland and finally getting the right HG medication 32:13 Week 14: the bleeding starts 35:51 Subchorionic hematoma: what it is and what happened 47:49 The emotional weight of a complicated pregnancy 50:10 The scan that brought us peace 53:34 Grieving the pregnancy you imagined If this resonates, I'd love for you to leave a review, share it with someone who needs it, or send me a DM on Instagram.

  4. 29 May

    13 ~ How to talk about your chronic illness without letting the story define you

    This week on The Spoonies Community podcast, Marcus is back and we recorded the day after our 9-year anniversary, which felt like the right energy for a conversation this honest. We get into something that doesn't get talked about nearly enough in the chronic illness space: how do you actually tell your story to people? Not the watered-down version you give a taxi driver. Not the full version that leaves your nervous system wrecked for days. But the version that's true to your chronic pain experience, that doesn't drag you back into the worst of it every time, and that doesn't accidentally become the thing keeping you stuck. Because there's a really thin line between sharing your story as part of processing, and becoming the story. And once you cross it without realising, it starts working against your healing. We talk about why words like "always" and "never" are ones I genuinely never use with my clients. We talk about what happens in your brain when you downplay your chronic illness to make it easier for everyone else. And we get into something I feel strongly about - chronic illness identity. Who are you beyond your diagnosis, your symptoms, your roles? This is something we work on actively inside the Spoonies Community, and it's one of the most quietly powerful shifts a spoonie can make. This episode also touches on the community doors opening 1–5 June, including the free webinar series "The Missing Piece of Your Healing Journey That Nobody Talks About." If you've ever felt exhausted by having to explain your chronic pain or illness to people or feel like your condition has quietly taken over how you see yourself — this one is for you. Takeaways Communication ChallengesChoosing the Right Words Cultural differences in communicationThe importance of community and sharing personal stories Chapters 00:00 Adapting to Different Scenarios24:47 Opening the Doors to the Spoonies Community30:38 Introducing Yourself in Different Settings37:03 The Importance of Community and the Spoonies Community

  5. 18 May

    12 ~ Why me? Chronic illness & the fear of "this is forever". Rachelle & Saskia (NYAP) explain

    In this episode, I’m joined by Rachelle and Saskia from Not Your Average Psychic to talk about chronic illness, chronic pain, and the question so many of us have asked in the middle of a flare, a diagnosis, or yet another hospital visit: why me? We talk about the spiritual meaning of pain, and what changes when you stop seeing symptoms as proof that something is “wrong with you” and start seeing them as information. Not in a bypass-y way. Not in a “just think positive” way. But in a grounded way that still makes space for how exhausting it is when you’ve tried everything, you’re scared of change, and part of you is convinced this is just your life now. We also talk about the fear and resistance that can come up when healing asks you to live differently, and why the goal is not to flip your whole life upside down overnight. Sometimes the most important thing is to lower the threshold and make one new choice your body can actually handle. We talk about: why “why me?” is such a common chronic illness thought loopthe spiritual meaning of pain & pain as a catalyst for changehow the labels you use (like “chronic”) can make you feel more trappedhow to work with fear and resistance when you’re already exhaustedlowering the threshold: making change doable in real lifeintuition, soul connection & listening to your body’s messagesmedication, hospitals & the fine line between support and giving away your powerwhy healing needs a tailor-made approach, not “one-size-fits-all” This episode is for people living with chronic illness or chronic pain who feel stuck in “this is forever,” and who want a perspective that includes the body, emotions, nervous system, and intuition, without pretending it’s easy. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Why pain exists (duality, growth & clarity) 06:20 Pain as a catalyst, not a dead end 09:40 The “hospital loop” & what to do when you feel stuck 14:40 Change, alignment & why healing asks for new choices 17:10 Fear of change when you’re barely holding life together 21:00 Lower the threshold: making change manageable 23:10 Do different symptoms have different meanings? 29:10 Eline’s gut pain story & emotions in the body 35:00 Sensitivity, insecurity & being “different from the herd” 40:20 Pain as soul communication & zooming out of hyperfixation 45:10 Medication, hospitals & keeping your power in the process 53:30 What makes illness “chronic” & softening the label 60:00 Where to find Not Your Average Psychic Find Rachelle & Saskia here: Not Your Average Psychic on Instagram + Facebook https://notyouraveragepsychic.com If this episode resonates, I’d love for you to leave a review, share it with someone who’s been asking “why me?” too or send me a DM on Instagram.

  6. 4 May

    11 ~ Miscarriage grief: when your body is still pregnant but the baby is gone

    In this episode, Marcus and I share our miscarriage story. Trigger warning: miscarriage / pregnancy loss. We also talk about the years before that. The journey into whether we even wanted children, and how chronic pain, disability, trauma, and caregiving changes the whole conversation around parenthood. Then we share what about our pregnancy loss and what the miscarriage actually looked like for us. The scan, the limbo. Still feeling nauseous and exhausted while knowing the pregnancy isn’t viable. Then the waiting & the bleeding. The hospital. The D&C. And the grief that hit weeks later, when the world had already moved on. We talk about: deciding whether to have children when you live with chronic illness / chronic painmiscarriage and early pregnancy lossthe limbo after miscarriage (still having pregnancy symptoms)the physical reality: bleeding, clots, hospital care and D&Canxiety, panic and using nervous system tools in medical settingsdelayed grief, loneliness, and unhelpful commentshow partners can process pregnancy loss differentlyfear, closure, and trying again after miscarriage This episode is for anyone who’s been through miscarriage or pregnancy loss, anyone trying to conceive after loss, and anyone navigating the question of having children while living with chronic illness. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Trigger Warning 05:15 Moving to Ibiza and Changing Perspectives 11:40 Concerns and Fears During Pregnancy 19:33 The Limbo Period and Emotional Struggle 26:12 The Physical Experience 36:45 Recovery and Reflection 42:25 Processing Grief and Coping Mechanisms 47:40 Impact on Mental and Emotional Health If this resonates, I’d love for you to leave a review, share it with someone who needs it, or send me a DM on Instagram.

  7. 20 Apr

    10 ~ Manouk de Bijl’s ulcerative colitis healing story: from symptoms to remission

    In this episode, I’m joined by Manouk de Bijl to talk about her ulcerative colitis healing story, from her first symptoms as a teenager to years of hospital visits, medication, pain, and being told it would be chronic. We talk about what it’s like to live with an invisible gut disease as a young woman, including the shame and fear that comes with symptoms you do not exactly bring up at a dinner table. Manouk shares how stress, survival mode, and trying to keep up with a demanding student life made everything worse, and why she reached a point where she knew she had to look beyond the path she was on. This is not a neat, polished “just do this and you’ll be fine” episode. It’s an honest conversation about what healing actually asked of her. Mindset, belief, nervous system regulation, food, emotional processing, and learning to trust her gut again, literally and emotionally. We also talk about remission, intuition, and the grief of realising the medical system never asked her how she did it, even when her test results showed no evidence of disease. If you’re living with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, chronic illness, gut issues, inflammation, or you’re stuck in the cycle of pushing through and crashing, I think this episode will land. Please find more of Manouk on: www.manoukdebijl.com or https://www.instagram.com/manoukdebijl/ If this episode resonates, please leave a comment and I will get back to you asap!

  8. 6 Apr

    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 relationship This 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. Chapters 00:00 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 Intimacy If 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!

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Chronic pain & illness is a noisy & lonely journey. One full of unanswered questions. The Spoonies Community with Eline Duk is a podcast for people who want practical tools, honest stories and a gentle but effective way to reclaim their life. Rooted in Eline’s own lived experience with chronic illness, and co-hosted by her husband Marcus Pask, the show is on the lookout for people who are living great, meaningful lives despite health challenges. Some episodes are honest, personal conversations where Eline and Marcus share how they manage living with chronic illness and the somatic, trauma-informed and other healing methods/practices that help. Other episodes are interviews with clinicians, researchers or other Spoonies who have navigated big transformations themselves to find purpose and joy. Whether you live with CRPS, FND, EDS, POTS, migraine, any other (in)visible condition or even without a diagnosis, you’ll find candid conversations about identity, grief and practical steps that actually move the needle. Show notes include episode transcripts, resources and links to free tools from The Spoonies Community. Subscribe to the podcast and join other Spoonies reclaiming energy, safety and agency over their own lives. Website: www.thespooniescommunity.com IG: www.instagram.com/thespooniescommunity

Information

  • Creator
    Eline Duk
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Eline Duk