I’ve had more than twenty surgeries from my eyes to feet, and my health has become accepted as one part of my writing journey. Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) is a manageable group of connective-tissue conditions — shared by others like actress Jameela Jamil.

It hasn’t slowed the writing journey down. Actually, it’s helped!

Here’s how surgeries and medical costs can change your writing perspective, and what to do if you’re a chronically ill author, too.

Selling My Own Story

Lived experiences are powerful essays, which can be the right fit for many publications. My first medical story sold in 2009 as a Readers’ Digest short. Call it the writing bug, but I’ve written more about my medical experiences since.

In 2018, when doctors believed my diagnosis to be a closely related condition called Marfan Syndrome instead, I sold Spider Hands: Writing With a Deadly Genetic Disorder to Folks Magazine.

Since, I’ve realized my condition shares similar symptoms to Marfan, though is much closer to EDS. In 2021, I wrote an update about the signs of connective-tissue disorders for Bridge Base Online.

Also branch out from your own story to find others worth telling: I’ve written for Alzheimer’s South Africa on the topic of cards and clinical therapy, finding that cards could be a relaxing way to open up in a therapeutic setting.

Connecting with Professionals

If you’ve been through doctors’ offices and hospitals enough times, you develop a feeling for the industry. I’ve used this opportunity to interview medical professionals, and help to tell their stories too.

An interview with orthopedic surgeon Dr Jason Crane sold to People Magazine, and I’ve gone on to interview even more.

There’s always a story to tell. Keep business cards on you, and write down names when you encounter them. When you meet someone, it’s always open opportunity — sometimes it’s even a direct client.

Health Copywriting

Almost every surgical patient or chronically ill writer develops a knowledge of “buzzwords” and medical terms. That education is something you’ll absorb from doctors, nurses, and others in the profession. It just happens, sometimes on the trail of your own symptoms and conditions.

And do you know what?

It’s an advantage.

Medical copywriting has become part of my business, just for better understanding of industry language.

Terms like post orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (or POTS) and Nissen fundoplication hit home once you’ve seen them on a medical report. Even in medical situations, I’m still a writer, and usually taking notes or researching more.

Other Health Work

Unique perspectives within the medical field can sometimes lead to other specialised jobs, like medical transcription.

Referred by another client, I assisted in transcribing interviews for a Master of Nursing Science. There’s an acknowledgment to me from Ursula Voget at the front of Professional Nurses’ Lived Experiences of Moral Distress at a District Hospital, and I’m very proud to say I was part of a rare lifechanging educational experience.

Preparation for Writers Themselves

Preparation is key. Clean your credit score, save up, and have a list of other authors who can assist when things get serious.

I’ve had small surgeries, like dental extractions, and gotten back to work on the same afternoon. I’ve also had larger surgeries, like a vasectomy at twenty-one, during which I didn’t want to sit down for four days.

The important thing is judging when to write and when to rest.

I’ve also learned what “pushing your luck” means. A nasty scar once turned into cellulitis, a type of severe tissue infection. Insisting on working through it, the infection worsened, and I ended up seeing a doctor after weeks — but the depth of the scar will be a reminder: don’t push it.

Always have your own emergency plan ready, even if it’s only for getting the flu.

Do you have a first-aid kit, and know basic infection control? What if you can’t get to a doctor and help takes a few days? I’ve seen (and experienced) some strange emergencies. Basic medical knowledge and supplies is lifesaving.

Voice transcription software is there for when you can’t type; learn to type left-handed if you’ve injured the right. Keep charged power banks and connect a small keyboard to your phone, just in case you’re typing a job on the roof of a hospital at midnight.

In emergencies, I’ve asked my cowriters to do interviews that I couldn’t, or to add last-minute changes. With some planning and sometimes needed help, even emergencies can work out just fine.

About the Author: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, writer, and proofreader. He has written for a variety of publications and websites, with a radar calibrated for gothic, gonzo and the weird. Occasionally, he also cowrites.