A woman who swims in the sea at Seaham said it helps her deal with chronic pain so bad that giving birth paled by comparison - because at least the pain there had a good reason.
Kathleen Wotton, 50, has a range of health conditions including lipidaemia, severe hypermobility, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. The mum, who lives in Murton, has struggled with the trauma of chronic pain for most of her life - but said swimming in cold water had helped her manage.
Kathleen has previously spoken about losing weight by open water swimming, but said this was just part of her story. Speaking ahead of a public health campaign called Flippin' Pain which aims to bust myths about chronic pain conditions and improve care for people suffering, she said being in the water was a blessed relief.
