Hurry, Hurry while the offer still stands...
March is Ask Anything Month!
The latest installment is a bit medical, and some may want to pass on this one:
**Okay, enough stalling - I'll just get the balls to ask now. ;)
**What is/are your physical disability/ies?
and
**Are you offended by that question?
First, not offended at all, in fact, kinda glad you asked... I think you're probabaly not the only one who is uncomfortable asking. I'm generally happy to answer when people ask about my disability, even though it's all kinda boring at this point. I definitely prefer asking over wondering. I particularly like it when people ask about the practical things like "is this a good day for you to take a walk, or would it help if I drove, or dropped you at the door today?" Brownie points for not assuming...
My primary diagnosis is Fibromyalgia. I've been told that I have type three which just means that I have a high level of spasm with it. Secondary diagnosis is Chronic fatigue, or CFIDS. One or both of these also seems to effect my autoimmune system, leaving me highly vulnerable to respiratory infections, pneuonia, bronchitic etc. and I also have asthma, which doesn't help. My Fibro and CFIDS are highly variable. They both impact my ability to stand, walk, lift, sit etc. and they can both change from day to day, or even from hour to hour.
For me, the Fibro symptoms can be minimized through regular exercise, but it also leaves me with a ton of joint inflamation, which means that I injure extremely easily, then take forever to heal, which can make it really hard to exercise regularly... Cyclical no? My Fibro also responds well to Neurontin, the magic horse pills without which I would probably spend most of my life in bed from spasm/pain. That's where I was seven years ago, before the Neurontin and the wheelchair. Fibro is why I disappeared from the SM scene for several years, and why my life got very small and awful for a while. I tend to go through periods where I have to conserve energy to be able to function when i have to, and I have to plan ahead for strenuous things. I sometimes still have really painful days, and even days when I can't stand being in my body because it's just too damned unpleasant there.
The CFIDS seems to run in longer cycles than the Fibro, if I'm in a flareup, it will get worse for a period of time, then recover over a period of time. Fibro is more unpredictable, and more likely to be acute and debilitating even with my chair and other supports. All of my majorly physically limiting symptoms have abated a bit over the last couple of years, but my respiratory and other inflamation have all gotten worse. No clue as to how and why this all works other than having had a year out of school to get my body in slightly better shape.
I tend to avoid talking about my disability unless someone brings it up- because it's boring, medical, and frankly un-sexy... But it's good to get to talk about it sometimes as well. Especially on the really painful days (like today).
Hope this is what you were asking, and that it's not way TMI.
The latest installment is a bit medical, and some may want to pass on this one:
**Okay, enough stalling - I'll just get the balls to ask now. ;)
**What is/are your physical disability/ies?
and
**Are you offended by that question?
First, not offended at all, in fact, kinda glad you asked... I think you're probabaly not the only one who is uncomfortable asking. I'm generally happy to answer when people ask about my disability, even though it's all kinda boring at this point. I definitely prefer asking over wondering. I particularly like it when people ask about the practical things like "is this a good day for you to take a walk, or would it help if I drove, or dropped you at the door today?" Brownie points for not assuming...
My primary diagnosis is Fibromyalgia. I've been told that I have type three which just means that I have a high level of spasm with it. Secondary diagnosis is Chronic fatigue, or CFIDS. One or both of these also seems to effect my autoimmune system, leaving me highly vulnerable to respiratory infections, pneuonia, bronchitic etc. and I also have asthma, which doesn't help. My Fibro and CFIDS are highly variable. They both impact my ability to stand, walk, lift, sit etc. and they can both change from day to day, or even from hour to hour.
For me, the Fibro symptoms can be minimized through regular exercise, but it also leaves me with a ton of joint inflamation, which means that I injure extremely easily, then take forever to heal, which can make it really hard to exercise regularly... Cyclical no? My Fibro also responds well to Neurontin, the magic horse pills without which I would probably spend most of my life in bed from spasm/pain. That's where I was seven years ago, before the Neurontin and the wheelchair. Fibro is why I disappeared from the SM scene for several years, and why my life got very small and awful for a while. I tend to go through periods where I have to conserve energy to be able to function when i have to, and I have to plan ahead for strenuous things. I sometimes still have really painful days, and even days when I can't stand being in my body because it's just too damned unpleasant there.
The CFIDS seems to run in longer cycles than the Fibro, if I'm in a flareup, it will get worse for a period of time, then recover over a period of time. Fibro is more unpredictable, and more likely to be acute and debilitating even with my chair and other supports. All of my majorly physically limiting symptoms have abated a bit over the last couple of years, but my respiratory and other inflamation have all gotten worse. No clue as to how and why this all works other than having had a year out of school to get my body in slightly better shape.
I tend to avoid talking about my disability unless someone brings it up- because it's boring, medical, and frankly un-sexy... But it's good to get to talk about it sometimes as well. Especially on the really painful days (like today).
Hope this is what you were asking, and that it's not way TMI.