For years Eagle River Realtor Ellen Hedges struggled with chronic pain and the feeling of helplessness that came with it. The pain and discomfort of her affliction and the fear of a pending attack trapped her. But she has found the tool to improve her life and she is eager to share them with others.

Hedges was diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome, a condition best described as chronic pain in the muscles and soft tissues surrounding joints, 12 years ago.

"It was so debilitating that it hurt to do the simplest tasks, like brushing my hair, when I was having an episode," she said. "And I never knew when the pain was coming, so I was afraid to leave the house.

"I was trapped in the worry and the discomfort," she continued. "It controlled my life and I felt beaten down and defeated."

That all change when a friend from church, Linda Shepard, the parish nurse coordinator at Providence Alaska Medical Center, suggested she attend a "Living Well Alaska Seminar."

"It was like someone flipped a switch and gave me my life back," she said of what she learned at the seminar. "I learned to manage my condition and not to let my condition manage me. I know now that when I have a flare up that I can get through it and still have a quality of life that I can enjoy."

The pain is still there, as are other symptoms of fibromyalgia such as fatigue and tenderness around her joints. She now says her life is better after learning how to cope with her chronic condition during the seminar. Now she is teaching others with chronic conditions the same skills she learned, in an attempt to improve their quality of life.

Chronic diseases include incurable illnesses or conditions, such as heart disease, severe asthma, cancer, arthritis, diabetes and many more.

Most people with chronic illness not only are bogged down by their symptoms but also by the struggle to balance doctor visits, medication and physical therapy and treatment sessions. Hedges experienced the weight of the world on her shoulders as she struggled with her condition.

"It just kept piling up," she said. "First there was the pain, then the doctor's appointments and bills. It just kept growing and became overwhelming until I attended the seminar."

The seminar is adapted from a program created by Stanford University professor Kate Loring and provides hundreds of tips to help people better manage their condition.

"I went into the seminar expecting some magic-wand cure for my pain; that's not what I got," she said. "I left with the coping skills needed to get through each day and learned how to manage things in an efficient manner that eliminated the feeling of helplessness."

The biggest thing she took away from the seminar was how to break down tasks into smaller, more easily accomplished segments.

"I make a lot of lists," she said. "If my goal is to clean the house, I'll break it down to vacuuming a small part of the house at a time, so I can see results and not feel defeated when my condition prevents me from finishing the task completely."

Shepard said the lists technique is just one of the many tools she gained during the seminar.

"This is not just an information course, which focuses on the content," Shepard said. "It's about the process and giving people the practical tools necessary to assist them in managing their chronic condition and showing them that they can live a healthy life.

"The emphasis is on people and caregivers breaking the cycle of symptoms and getting away from the physical and emotional problems, which occur as a result of a chronic illness."

The seminar also gave Hedges the strength to care for her husband, who died of cancer earlier this year. She is planning to move to Arizona in the spring to live with her 82-year old mother, who is dealing with some chronic conditions of her own.

Before she leaves she will join Shepard in hosting an Eagle River seminar for people with chronic conditions. The six-week seminar is slated for mid-January and meets for two hours every Saturday. It's open to anyone living with a chronic condition or any long-term medical condition. Caregivers are also welcome.

"It's not uncommon for an individual and their primary caregiver to attend together," Shepard said. It helps to understand what the other is going through.

"When a person has a chronic condition they often experience pain, fatigue, frustration, anger, depression and a sense of helplessness or even hopelessness," Shepard said. "Health is more than physical, and integrates the well being of body, mind and spirit. A healthy life is one that seeks this well-being in all areas of life."

Therefore, a healthy way to live with a chronic illness is to integrate skills that help a person through the physical, emotional and spiritual issues brought about by the disease. The seminar teaches people ways to learn how to manage symptoms, find support for problems, manage stress, eat healthy, communicate better, make daily tasks easier and enjoy life.

"I learned to cope with the challenges and frustrations that were caused by my condition," Hedges said. "It helped me see that when I have a flare up that I can get through it and know that things will change, rather than being caught in self-pity."

Each participant in the seminar receives a "Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions" book, which contains information on some topics not discussed in class.

"It changed my life," Hedges said. "And I'm teaching it because I know it will impact all those who participate and change their lives."

Reach the reporter at darrell.breese.@alaskastar.com.