How erotic fiction helped a woman with Crohn’s disease cope with chronic pain

An author diagnosed with the debilitating illness when she was 13 years old reveals how erotic novels helped her get through the chronic pain.

Jade May was just 13 years old when she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease — and it changed her life forever.

Her teenage years were filled with doctor visits and hospital stays and instead of enjoying the typical teenage experiences, she missed out on a lot of important milestones, which she believes later affected her personal relationships and intimacy.

“Because I missed out on all those important milestones in my teenage years, and I did deal with the poor self-esteem and body image, but I also became sexually inhibited,” Ms May told Felicity Harley on Body and Soul’s Healthy-ish podcast.

She said reading became her saving grace when she spent days, and sometimes months, in hospital and as she matured, she later moved from supernatural themed books to epic romances.

“I was eager to learn and I was eager to explore and it was through the power of romance that I discovered what I liked sexually and what I didn’t like so that when I was ready to step back into the real world, I knew what to look for and knew what to ask for in a potential partner,” she said.

Reading spicy novels helped a Crohn’s disease sufferer.

It also inspired her to become an author herself. Ms May has just released her first contemporary romance book called Tempted By Eden.

Listen to the full Healthy-ish podcast to find out more:

Listen to the full interview on podcast Healthy-ish, out now on Apple Podcasts.

Healthy-ish

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Originally published as How erotic fiction helped a woman with Crohn’s disease cope with chronic pain